Countdown to dove blasting

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Going to Brownwood, TX on an all paid catered deal to hunt dove for 2 days starting Tuesday. Should be a fun way to start the season off.
Then teal season;
Then alligator season;
Then deer bow season;
Then regular duck season; and finally
Deer gun season.
Oh yeah, second half of split season for ducks!

Yes!.....I do like this time of the year.
 
Bunch of Doves

I was up in Frisco today hooking up the computer network for the new TXDoT office and I left about 4:30 which is bad as traffic on 121 is a nightmare, So I get over to Preston Rd. and there's this field on the SW corner that must have a had 1000 dove feeding in it. Big hawk flies over the field and a cloud of dove must have been 500 fill the air, another 150-200 sitting on the power lines. But can you hunt there like we used to be able to HELL NO!!.:cuss: Now it's in the middle of town. Everybody needs to stop building houses and leave some hunting land for us Texans. ONLY 12 MORE HOURS TO GO.:D :D :D
 
Lots of high fast crossers this morning. I was standing down by the barn with Sandy's 28 ga SXS.

We got about 21, between me, my son and my SIL. I shot about half, and I think the boys are mad at me for out-shooting their 12 gauges. :D

I won't give my percentages though. ;)
 
The BSS 12ga . with 7.5 Win AA worked pretty good! I limited with only a couple dropped shots and was back in camp drinking by 10am! We ate them bitter things for lunch! Sobered up by 3pm and drove the 2 hours + home
Next time I will use my Winchester 101 20 gauge with some Federal #8 Trap loads I have hanging around. If I do half way decent the last shoot will be with my Citori .410 Skeet gun, for fun!
 
Still haven't pulled a trigger on one yet this year:banghead:

Next week its on though! Taking a couple of new shooters out from work on Saturday. Should be a hoot!
 
I went out yesterday with two friends. We saw 9 doves, with only one being in range. 5 shells later it was down, the dog had to finish it off. Was a sad showing for our shooting skills. All the other birds were flying very high over our vantage point. We were inbetween two feed corn plots and our field of view was fairly short. We had maybe 2 seconds to see the bird before it was time to shoot.
 
Friday, I staked out a waterhole about a mile north of the border. I could see it from where I perched.

Steady flow of birds to the waterhole all morning. My shooting skills were such that I got three of them -- one straightaway, two right-to-left crossers. All the overheads and left-to-right crossers were quite safe. ;) Lots more empty hulls than three, but all of those three I hit with the first shot. It was hot, and there were so many gnats that my dog spent most of the time in the water. She had a rash when we got home.:rolleyes:

Back out this morning with a friend who hasn't hunted in years. It was windy, rained a bit, and cool. No bugs, at least. We sat on the water hole for quite a while, but only saw half a dozen birds, and they were all high and too far out. Drove across the canyon and went for a walk. Followed a bird that was staying just out of range for a while, and then finally flushed a pair up. I killed mine with one shot, my friend missed the first and connected on the second. Fun times.
 
Wow- what a weekend. Opening day we grilled dove, duck sausage and stuffed ourselves on tamales, beans, guacamole, chips and chocolate chip cookies. Then we headed out to the fields about 2:30. Let me tell you, there were times when my gun got so hot I could hardly hold it. AND IT WASN'T FROM SHOOTING!! The temp was hovering around the 3 digit mark, no wind, no clouds- it was a tad warm out there. Only shade to be had was later in the afternoon behind some round bales. Sweated my U-no-wat off. I did get a limit- and it was the 1st limit I have gotten on opening day in quite a long time. But I had to work for it. Good food, good friends, new friends, new experiences. First time I ever hunted around dogs. That was too cool. After hunting 2 more days in a different location I ended up with 3 limits in my freezer and a few more en brouchette in my tummy. Only downside was the arduous trek across I-10 Friday night. Anyone else pass thru Sealy heading west out of Houston about 9pm? What WAS the huge tractor/trailer that was limping off to the access road? It was enourmous and backed up traffic for miles:cuss:
 
Was rather pleasant in West (north of Waco) for opening weekend. I shot three limits in three days, great shootin'! I haven't had a good hunt like that in quite a while. I don't think the temps were over 90 or so, though, and for Sunday's shoot, it was overcast and windy, very nice! Actually, a little front or something moved in on us Friday. Wind was strong out of the north, might have just been the clouds. It was stirring up the dove, though, and they were following this dry creek down to where I was sitting.

I'm glad I went to an auto. I bought a Winchester M1400 nearly 20 years ago just for dove and such, used it once on ducks, but don't wanna ruin it out in the marsh. The salt marsh is tough on gun finishes. I have a camo Mossberg for that. But, that Mossy bangs me up shooting up 15 or 20 rounds, admittedly 3" steel. I must have fired up four or five boxes this weekend out of that Winchester and my shoulder ain't even sore. :D
 
I shot two doves yesterday afternoon. Does anyone else hunt them like regular upland game, flushing them? well i saw one land i snuck around a hill i could see their heads then they saw me and flushed i fired three times and dropped two of them.
 
We do that down here alot after they stop flying into the waterholes. Seems they like the mesquite trees down in the washes during the day.

During the late season we hunt both doves and quail at the same time since they seem to hang out in the same washes.
 
Cordoba Argentina for a little dove hunting

I'll miss the north & central zone opening weekend on Sept 1-3 due to a work thing...worst part is, I was involved in scheduling it ! I was trying to remember the last time I did not fire a shot opening weekend, but my memory isn't that good. It has been at least 12 years.

I plan on making up for it on the Sept 14th - 18th with a vacation to Cordoba Argentina for a little dove hunting

http://www.southamericawingshooting.com:D
 
Dang o Dang man!

I read several threads before I realized how old it was:banghead:

We are getting ready. My 10 year old already has his vest loaded up with 20s.
I checked the mojo and reg deeks. All in great shape. May get another mojo. Gander has them for $39.99 right now.

Whats that I hear outside? Sounds like one of the thousands of resident Mourning Dove calling. Also have tons of Collared big boys around. No Whitewing this far north....yet. I hear they are moving this way more and more every year.

Season opens on a Saturday this year I believe. Thats always good. More people to keep the birds flying.:D

We've had plenty of rain this year so the resident birds are healthy and plentiful.

We are ready less a lot of clays between now and then.

What is is 40 ish days and a wake up?
 
Need advice for a new hunter. Buddy coming to hunt with me. He has hunted before- but owns no guns, nor hunts regularly. I need to provide him a weapon. His only desire is for a gun "that will kill birds this time" (the li'l sh**). So what would be the best choice for him? O/U, SxS, pump or auto?
 
Yeah, we don't need no cold front, might push 'em OUT! First of the month my new 20 gauge side by side gets a workout, woohoo! I've been buying Winchester AA ammo box at a time through the spring months and have accumulated 10 boxes. That should be more than I'll use this season, but if not, I'll get more. The stuff patterns a LOT better than the cheap stuff in the 20 and I only have 7/8 ounce to toss at 'em. I shot Winchester superspeed cheap stuff, 1 1/8 ounce in 12 gauge last season and it works okay in that gun, but I just decided I'd best shoot the high priced stuff with those cute little sub-caliber shells. :D
 
I picked up an Ithaca M-37 (3" mag) at a pawn shop for $100 last year. Cleaned her up, put on a new finish and first time out hunting (after patterning of course) I took a nice jake Merriams turkey.

Nice little gun for sure!

I'm looking forward to the hunt this weekend as well. Have fun ya'all!
 
I too just purchased an Ithaca M-37. 1st hunt with it will be this weekend.

DAG NABBIT- Just checked the weather. Long range forecast calls for rain now thru Sunday. I hope they are wrong!!
 
Once again- we have 1 month to go. Opening day is a Monday this year. How is that going to affect your plans? Looks like we are not going to be as wet as it was last year.
 
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