Dove Season is upon us

[LOLBELL]

I got the grill ready, grilling meat ready (100 of last years kill, 4 bambi loins and 10 lbs of Chicken hind 1/4's), Auto 5 and 1100 cleaned and plugged, case of shelsl loaded and clothes laid out. Big brother and his family, Little brother, and my two boys along with a few friends are coming in tomorrow for the opening day extravaganza. I hope this is the year I win the cup of coffee we have wagered on top shooter, but I doubt it. Hard to out shoot little brother or oldest son.................. Results to follow tomorrow about dark thirty

 

[LOLBELL]

Great opening day. Of the 12 shooters 9 limited out by 3 pm. Food and fellowship was great. Got a clean check up from Warden with the exception of one Life Time License holder who did not get his Harvest Information Program card and got a warning. Little brother won the cup of coffee ............ again. I think the total was 157 birds between us all.

 

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Great to hear.

 

[Panfisher]

As always our dove opener was a good time. Quote of the day though "I'm up earlier than I am for deer season and its raining, must be opening day of dove season". Ours started out with a torrential downpour, then subsided into occasional rounds of rain with lots of doves flying in between. I limited out around 100 or so, my son was having a very bad day, crippled one and killed none. (he freely admits that he comes for the food not so much for the shooting) I had one bird with a band. Left the hunting area and went to a local creek known for big crawdads, cleaned doves, baited crawdad traps with dove carcasses, grilled up some marinated, bacon wrapped dove breasts, warmed up the bacon wrapped cream cheese filled jalapeno peppers and mushrooms, and ate like kings. Caught cradads till late afternoon, then started the water boiling in the big pot, added the zatarans, taters, sausage, corn on the cob, a bag of frog legs and finally the crawdads and turned off the heat. Drained and poured it out on the picnic table on a plastic trash bag, and ate like kings again. Man I love dove season.

 

[OzeanJaeger]

I hunted the second day on a property that has been managed for doves for 20 years. There are six fields planted with 10 rows of wheat and 10 rows of sunflowers all the way across. It's all double electric fenced to keep the deer out. Half past August they burn the wheat and spray the sunflowers. August 30th they take down the three strand fences and disk the burned wheat. There are also two ponds they've dumped sand around and made beaches where they get water and sand for their gizzards.

This isn't a club. It's just an old, wealthy guy's passion. He has ALOT of friends who hunt it every day of dove. I was lucky to get the invitation.

We got out at two in the heat of the day, and 25 shooters had limited by three. I say "shooters" rather than hunters, because there was no hunting done. It was strictly shooting.

In the hour I sat on my bucket there wasn't one second where I couldn't see a dove flying somewhere in my field of view. We hung around drinking beer on the tailgates to dusk, and at about five they started piling into the field. By the time we left there were thousands of them. It looked like Argentina does on the hunting shows.

The only downside is that the owner is from Georgia and insists that everyone hunting wear camouflage from head to toe. A dove could care less what you're wearing, and @ high 90s in the sticky MO heat it was brutal for most of the old timers there. Luckily I have net suits for Spring turkey and was less uncomfortable than they were. I guess it's a small price to pay for hunting such an incredible place.

 

[SPEMack618]

Pop, both my sisters, and I attend a big dove shoot put on by the Sheriff (one of Pop's old Vietnam buddies) every year.

It's a social event of the first order. The sheriff, mayor, both Baptist preachers, the Methodist preacher, the school principles, the football coach, local bank president, etc. Low country boil for lunch, BBQ for dinner. Every one in collared shirts and fine wide brim hats. Generally, Pop and I split a case of 12 ga light field loads before lunch, and will each use a case of 20 ga after lunch, while Katherine and Kayla will use two cases between them the whole day.

Good fun and fellowship, despite everyone and their brother listening to the damn UGA game on the radio. (Hail Southern)

 

[LOLBELL]

My sister-n-law posted a youtube titled Opening Day Dove Hunt 2014 if your interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yjTiCPSntk

I guess I am am computer illiterate, this link isn't the right one. It takes you to some good Dove hunting but it is not the one SIL posted. Her's is a amature posting, This looks like a TV hunting show. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[LOLBELL]

Went back this AM for an early hunt and had another good shoot. All six of us got our limit in about 2 hours. This has been a good year for doves around the Bell household. I've got to get geared up to plant green fields and lay off of the doves for a week our so.