Opening Day of Dove Season...

[Dave McCracken]

Envy, envy....

Working until Friday. may get to go then. Had some doves at work, just taunting me...

Chas, after looking at your pic, I wonder if we're related.

About Dove....

Being the first thing open, dove season serves as a humbling experience. Some of us are rusty, some using shotguns that have sat un exercised since last season, some of us just get The Fever.

The Fever is more oft associated with big buck deer, but a half lb of feathers and velocity can cause it also. Don't ask how I know.

A couple tips.

Preseason, some clay shooting helps. If your friendly local clays course has a tower, work on incoming and outgoing birds from different firing points. Use the gun and load you'll have on Opening Day.

Also, most of us focus on the wings. The rapid movement draws our eyes to them. If we can shift our focus to the head, we do better.

HTH....

 

[chas08]

Who the HELL scheduled Texas north zone to open on a Monday, anyway, damnit!!!???

MC,
I think I remember reading one time that it's a federal ruling of some sort. That the migratory bird season can't start before Sept 1 and the states don't have the latitude to change it. Seems silly, but I guess they have their reasons. We had a great hunt near Converse,Tx. I was limited out in 45 minutes with six shells to spare from the box. (the old man has still got it, at least for now) I really like my Ithaca 37 but I don't think it will replace my 28 ga Baikal SxS. (LOL) I'm getting to old and fat to be bending over picking up hulls. I think that Ithaca has,first grandchild, written all over it. Happy Hunting.

 

[chas08]

Chas, after looking at your pic, I wonder if we're related.

Of course we are!!!...We're Shotgunners.

 

[TxState101]

TxState101, most of the time when I'm missing like that, I figure out I'm taking too much time lining up the shot. I don't shoot sustained lead well. Give me all day watching a bird coming in and I'll miss him, every time. A shadow over the barn, and a snap shot, and I'll usually drop him.

Trust your instincts.

That's just me of course, but I've hunted doves for 48 years, and I know I can hit them, but sometimes I think myself into a miss. I missed doves all morning today, but once I let the old skills take over, I was doing all right.

I know what you're saying, and it's a hard thing for me to adjust to. Yeah, I know I can hit them when they're coming in with the wind and I have no warning. But I feel that if I have one coming in low and slow, I still blaze away at it instead of taking my time.

It's been over a year since I got to go out hunting, I'll blame it on the rust and make up for it next weekend, or barring that, on the south zone opening day.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

It wasn't good. Saw only 9. Shot at only 3. Missed all 3. Man, they'se is fast. Between three of us hunters, we came up with ONE dead dove. Hoping that their numbers will increase with some cold fronts. My buddy, hunting elsewhere, really got into them, and he used 4 boxes of shells (100) to come up with 13 doves, so I guess I ain't the only one who is none too good of a shot.

 

[MSWildfowler]

Hurricane winds

My opening day (afternoon) was quite a treat. Winds were high, which makes for some very interesting shooting. Definitely not a day for the 28 gauge, who was left in the truck for this hunt.

We got a report Sunday evening from our farmer friend who said that dove were boiling out of one of his corn fields while they were cutting it. Just the kind of report we needed to hear. Hunting in Humphreys country, which is just above an imaginary line defining setting the boundary of central MS kept us out of most of the rain from Hurricane Gustav, but it didn't put us far enough away to be out of the high wind. I'm sure I've hunted on windier days, but yesterday was a screaming east wind for sure, and the dove were flying crazy and very difficult to connect with.

Every dove I shot that was flying with the wind (managed to hit very few of these) fell to the earth about 100 yards away. The best bet was to try to shoot the ones that were flying into the wind, which offered little resistance to the shot.

Our hunt began at around 1 pm, and it was a steady barrage of shooting for the next three hours. There were around 30 shooters spread out over 300-400 acres where the dove seemed to be congregating. It was a mad house with dove flying everywhere. Combined with the excitement of the opening day, I'll admit that I was having a difficult time making the connection. I've always felt under gunned on windy days. With reports of the hurricane all week long, the wind was surely on my mind and had psychologically taken it's toll on my shooting.

Frustrated with my less than stellar shooting, I had to change my plan of attack. Under these conditions, dove hunting by yourself can be very good walking them up out of the stubble. On high wind days, I've learned that dove will hold very tight in stubble. Corn/Milo stubble is tall enough to hide my approach, and on the windy days, they just don't hear you coming. On a normal day, while walking through the same field, dove will get up at least 100 yards our in front of you. There's no way you can walk up on one. On windy days, they'll not flush until you're within 20-25 yards of them. Walking into the wind, will almost always put a bird struggling to get out and away from you. I don't think I've ever had one come out and zing over my head with the wind. They always flush into the wind and it is some kind of fun shooting and such a different change of pace from a typical MS dove hunt. It was not long into the hunt, before I stuck out on my own path away from the other hunters. If I were going to save face and come away from this hunt with a limit of birds too, I was going to have to find some closer, slower moving shots.

Mississippi doesn't really have much remnants of wild bird quail hunting anymore, and I've never been on a wild bird quail hunt. In fact, I've never shot a quail. Reading stories about upland bird shooting, I know I would love it, but we're just not blessed with access to this type of wingshooting in my area. We are blessed with an abundance of dove, and being on the southern end of the migration, we are blessed with good dove shooting opportunity during the entire 70 day season. If given a windy day with some good stubble, this is as close to upland bird shooting as I have been able to imagine. I managed to shoot half of my 15 bird limit yesterday walking most of them up in the corn stubble. My Labrador has no pointing instinct whatsoever, so there is no warning when a bird is going to flush. You've got to keep your eyes peeled, or you might miss it. What she lacks in pointing skills, she makes up for in retrieving. While making a retrieve on a windy day, she's bound to give rise to more birds which just don't spook easily. It's upland bird hunting, Mississippi style, or at the very least, it's my version of upland bird hunting.

Happy days are here again.

 

[ch1966]

I limited out yesterday and today. At least I thought I did yesterday. When the cleaning was all done I was one bird short. I wonder what happened to it?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Chas, I was referring to the,uh, counterweight and mustache.

Of course, we're both Knights Of The Scattergun.....

 

[chas08]

Chas, I was referring to the,uh, counterweight and mustache.

(LOL) I knew exactly where you were going with it. I seen pictures of the "Geezers" and I'd blend right in.

 

[rantingredneck]

Don't feel bad ch1966. At least the dog has the look of "plausible deniability" about him.

This afternoon my father in law found a dove in the back of his truck. Apparently last night when we were dressing them we missed one. That proves 2 things:
1) We can't see in the dark even with 2 flashlights between us and his area light at his shop helping us.
2) Neither of us can count. I could swear I counted 30 birds dressed, I guess I shoulda took my shoes off.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Chas, you would.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, hell, we're going to leave out of here (Port Lavaca) after my son-in-law gets off work at 6 friday afternoon for Whacko, er, Waco. My buddy says they had an average hunt opening day, but he's got it a little better scouted out, now. He has a couple of places, one leased for the hay, the other his place (70 acres) and his dad's 400 acre farm to choose from. I go up there every season for a hunt. So, I figure we'll get in by 12 midnight and leave for home Sunday evening after the evening hunt and get home whenever 'cause son-in-law has to work Monday. Me, I can sleep. I'm old, I need my sleep. I just hope he stays awake at the wheel. LOL

South zone opens up in a few weeks, so maybe I'll make an opening day. I'm sorta thinking about running my boat out to Matagorda Island. They allow dove hunting out there. If we get a hunt going out there, Chas, the boat will hold 3. I've never tried the dove hunting out there, so I have no idea how good it might be. I do know I want a flat bay to get over there. It's a 3 mile run across open water.

Of course, we have teal season coming up, too, which might conflict with dove plans. I need to look at the schedule and figure that one out.

 

[Snarlingiron]

Preseason, some clay shooting helps. If your friendly local clays course has a tower, work on incoming and outgoing birds from different firing points. Use the gun and load you'll have on Opening Day.

Elm Fork had a "Dove" course set up. 50 targets set up to simulate dove presentations. We shot it the day before opening day, and all did pretty well. It does help.

Well, hell, we're going to leave out of here (Port Lavaca) after my son-in-law gets off work at 6 friday afternoon for Whacko, er, Waco.

I was born in "Whacko", and lived there until I was 36. Usually good dove hunting.

 

[chas08]

Of course, we have teal season coming up, too, which might conflict with dove plans. I need to look at the schedule and figure that one out.

MC,
I'd most definitely be interested. Teal season is Sept 13 - 28. I just got that off of the TP&W website. Feel free to PM me anytime. I'm hoping we can hook up for a goose hunt this coming season. I hunt mostly public lands these days. But I'd be up for a guided hunt too.

Chas, you would.

Dave, thats not a counterweight, it's my chest, I'm just wearing it lower these days.

 

[MCgunner]

I'll give you a holler. We got a decent goose hunt last year just south of town for 120 a gun, think it was. We're thinking about another late season book, probably January or February after duck season. Could add another gun. Heck, I'm always going to GDWMA for ducks, too. I'll shoot you a PM soon. If we get a good morning over to the island, we could take the fishing gear, too. We'll see what shakes, but we're definitely going to do a teal hunt or two, also. I'm going to have to get my bow light and stern light going on the boat. Haven't taken it out before dawn in a while. LOL Might also run up to Mad Island this season if I ever get that blasted 10 gauge. There's a good spot up there for geese and I have 150 or so wind sock rags.

I was born in "Whacko", and lived there until I was 36. Usually good dove hunting.

My buddy is from West, grew up on the farm there. He runs Matula Insurance in Belmead. He's an old Aggie buddy and "BFF" as the kids say now days. Don't know if ya know him, but he's a Waco original. Larry's on the right, I'm on the left. This is from last year on his dad's farm.

 

[hkenvy91]

well, im 35 yrs old and i got my first bird thursday evening.i went with my dad up to his buddies house and set up around 3pm, it wasnt to busy out there and watching my dad miss 3 double sets that went his way , i went over to where he was as no birds were flyin my way to ask him if he needed bifocules, lol. he said go grab your chair and come over here with me as i cant hit anything today.well soon after i set up with him a loner came in fast right above me, i jumped up and folded it on the second shot with my 11-87. so all in all ,2 rounds / 1 bird. we plan on goin back as the same field usually has thousands of birds in it

 

[Gordon]

To me it is amazing that the season runs pretty much the same across country!
I went today- 100 miles round trip. I got my 5, my wife will cook them for us Sunday. I used a Browning BSS 12 ga. with MANDATED steel shot (Winchester Xpert steel 1oz. #6s) which worked well in the old 1974 mod and imp. SxSBSS

 

[adam_oz]

VERY! It is already open in Nebraska but i am in college and cant go home to shoot them until later this month. Cant wait!

 

[Rock_Steady]

Monday was my first time out. Wandered to a cornfiled near Bruceton, WV with my hunting buddy, who realized that he forgot a crucial element when he got there - a shotgun! So while he and his dog left for an hour to go get said gun, I knocked down 6 and then 4 more when he returned. I consider that pretty good for a first time winghunter.

 

[Camjr]

We were out just southeast of Rockwall, TX. Echoing the other posts, for me it's more about the experience of being out in the field before the sun comes up on opening day, watching the sun come up, and waiting for the birds to start flying. I don't deer hunt much, but love to hunt dove, quail, and pheasant. We were all staying at a REALLY nice man-cave (converted crop duster hanger) that has every ammenity you could think of (including a craps table), and the fellowship with guys I reconnect with every year makes it a great time. I usually find that opening day is not about the birds...

I limited the first day with a combination of mourning dove and whitewings. The second day was no good, as the outer bands of Hurricane Gustav started coming in, the wind picked up, and the pressure dropped. As many birds as we saw on day 1, there just weren't any flying on day 2.

I pull the breasts off the bone, put a slice of fresh jalepeno, a little cream cheese, and a bit of red onion between them, and wrap them in maple bacon. Grill them off for good eatin'.

 

[Okiecruffler]

Went out friday morning, didn't see a single bird, danged cold snap. But I did bag a pair of squirrel, so I still managed to put something in the pot.

 

[cerberus65]

Yesterday was my first time ever. First dove season here is Saturday afternoons only so there were way more hunters than doves at any one time in the field. It was fun to watch multiple guys get shots at the same bird until someone took it down. Not many birds got all the way across the field.

I pulled down 7 myself. I'd have had double that number if I could shoot better. Guess I'll need to go get more practice.

 

[Hardtarget]

I didn't make the hunt this year. Shoulder surgery will preclude any shooting for a while.(left shoulder/south-paw shooter )

My sons went. Had the BEST hunt ever. In fact, it was a very good day. They went for the early season goose that A.M. and got two. Then headed for the dove field and... well...they stopped at 25 combined bag.

They will rag me about this for years!

Mark.

 

[MCgunner]

We're back from Waco. Didn't do as good this year, could only hunt a day and a half due to son-in-law's job. I did eek out a limit Saturday, but the birds weren't flying Sunday morning and didn't even pull the trigger. The little Spartan 20 gauge choked I/C-mod was THE ticket, though. Last year I'd choked I/C-full and the full choke was a bit much. I hit some 35 yard shots with the Mod choke a lot easier, better pattern for doves. Started out a might slow Saturday morning, but got into it by the afternoon and was concentrating well on swing and follow through. Main thing is, I had fun.

 

[berettashotgun]

I actually seen more Dove this past weekend than last..