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View Full Version : Went on my first dove hunt


JasonReed
September 4, 2001, 08:12 AM
Spent last weekend hunting doves in Kansas. Being from Massachusetts it was my first dove hunt. OHMIGOD what a blast! They're not as hard to hit as I was afraid they'd be, but when they have a tailwind going they can really move. Didn't get any triples, but managed several doubles. My shoulder is sore from all the shooting.

Noticed a couple things that interested me. For one thing, you get conditioned to the game you hunt. I'm used to sneaking through the woods hunting partridge in New England, and doves are illegal. I jump to high ready by instinct when I hear the beat of partridge wings, but have gotten used to standing down when I hear the cooing of a dove going up. Took me a couple times to speed my reflexes up when we were pushing the cedars along the edge of the field cuz I'm used to ignoring doves. Kinda pavlovian huh?

It was great to be able to track them coming in across the pond and then open up when they were in the right spot. Also, it was strange to be able to shoot three times at the same bird (yeah, there were a few that were wearing flack jackets:rolleyes: ) Again, two shots at a partridge is not too common for me in Vermont, and if I fire three times I'm just making noise.

Speaking of the pond, I learned not to shoot them over the water. My first double went into the water and both birds went down to catfish before I could collect them.

Anyway, dove hunting is just a ton of fun. Thanks for reading.

Sisco
September 4, 2001, 01:09 PM
Where did you hunt?
I just took up the dove habit last year. Went out this morning with some co-workers after we got off work, knocked down ten, found seven and only shot a box & a half of shells. I had a hard time learning how much to lead 'em. Must be getting deaf too, I never have been able to hear the things.
Going to take my son out this evening, he's never tried dove before, might be interesting!
Glad you had a good time, come back to the land of Oz anytime!

JasonReed
September 4, 2001, 02:31 PM
I was outside Wichita, Cheney I think. A friend of a friend has some land down there. Heckuva long drive from Denver!

Next year, get out on opening day if you can. They were just flying fast and furious...probably about 10 times more birds that day. We had eight guys and we all limited out!

JosephBoeckner
September 4, 2001, 06:39 PM
lmfao thats like 9 hours of driving lol-its 6 hours from my town-hays on I-70 and then about 3 hours onto whicitia-ouch-was it worth it ;)

Southla1
September 4, 2001, 07:34 PM
"Speaking of the pond, I learned not to shoot them over the water. My first double went into the water and both birds went down to catfish before I could collect them. "



Jason, that reminds me of a snipe hunt I went on back in the mid 60's. I have a cousin that is a bit older than I am, and he was the Soil conservation agent in St. Martin Parish, La. The job fit him to a "T", for all he lived to do (still does) is hunt and fish. The day we hunted was a cool, foggy, December day near Henderson, La. The snipe were in the rice fields by the thousands. We had to get to them real quick because if we did not the crawfish would get to them first. No matter how quick you could get them at the very least the eyes were already gone and there would be 2 or 3 crawfish hanging on to the bird.

I won't say how many of us were hunting;) but we came out of the field with 2 1/2 grass sacks of snipe, and sore shoulders! Talk about a great gumbo though (we fed dozens of people with them)! We should have brought some "pogey fish" and some crawfish traps too..........could have filled 5 or 6 sacks of them! Man boiled crawfish and snipe gumbo! Now thats living!

Dan Morris
September 4, 2001, 08:47 PM
LOL, Welcome to the tribe. That Kansas hunting is a lot better
than Colorado. However, son and myself did ok a few miles east of Denver.
Dan:

Sisco
September 4, 2001, 09:24 PM
Son & I went out this evening, he got one I got a couple. Morning hunting seems a lot better than evening this year, last year it was the opposite.

JosephBoeckner
September 4, 2001, 09:49 PM
where u live again SK-

JasonReed
September 5, 2001, 07:01 PM
Yeah, it was almost 8 hours each way. Me and a buddy have a couple friends out there. Worth it for the first time, but I don't see myself doing it as a habit.

Sisco
September 5, 2001, 07:16 PM
Hey you think doves were fun, come back for pheasant season.
For me dove hunting is a warm-up, when one gets to the point the doves are easy to hit pheasants seem like slow moving blimps by comparison.
Are there no doves in Mass.??
Joseph; I'm in Garden City. Some describe it as too far from Heaven, too close to Oklahoma. ;)

hube1236
September 9, 2001, 11:46 AM
Was hunting first season dove in SC. Things are pretty dry. For the five of us hunting, there were only three kills. None were mine. :(


This was the first time I hunted anything and I think that although I shot a box of shells, I SHOULD HAVE only shot five times. Three misses on the same bird coming across my flanks. A shot that i should have taken almost happened as I was about to cross over the bird but I crossed over a deer stand that looked like someone was in it, so I dropped the barrel. After an investigation, it seems I let a good close one, get away.

Dan

Drundel
September 9, 2001, 01:55 PM
Try hunting blue-wings in the early teal season. I went out last two weekends and got my limit early each morning. I was amazied the difference in the flights of the birds over a week. Opening weekend they were all flying high, this weekend they came in low over the sunflowers and darted in and out.

PWK
September 9, 2001, 09:37 PM
Hey Drundel,
Hadn't seen you posting but I see from your count you're still about. I'll be going dove hunting at my brothers ranch near Victoria on the 21st & 22nd. My offer to take you out to the Greater Houston Gun Club is still open. I'll probably being going out the afternoon of the 16th with my sons. Let me know if you can make it.
Haven't been out shooting skeet much since I am a contractor and all the flood work has kept me busy 6 1/2 days a week till just last week.
Let me know,
PWK '78

rock_jock
September 10, 2001, 12:00 AM
drundel,

I assume you are referring to your dove hunting - teal season doesn't start for another week.

Drundel
September 10, 2001, 08:54 AM
Hello PWK,

Yep, some events happened since we last talked. Some fool kid hit my car and totaled it, and I got a new job. I now work for Schlumberger and they keep me VERY busy and had to get a new car (F-150).

In the above post I was refurring to dove, my mistake. I am hopefully going teal hunting at Peach Point this weekend with a buddy. And on the opening of south dove season I have been invited to a hunt in Santa Fe with some work guys (which I HAVE to go to) and then I might go to my cousins in El Campo and chase dove down there. My gas bill has been SOOOOOO high this past two weeks and it ain't gonna be going down anytime soon. I have no idea my schedule this Sunday but if I am feeling better and around I'd love to try my hand at SC or skeet. I work about 5 miles from ASC but I can't make there in time to shoot during the week.

Rock_jock:

Yep dove, I haven't even seen any teal yet this year.

PWK
September 10, 2001, 05:36 PM
Drundel, you live in Freindswood and work out by ASC. That's quite a commute especially if you are stuck on I10. Well let me know about Sunday afternoon. If you can't make it we'll try another time.
Take care.

Drundel
September 10, 2001, 06:58 PM
Hellofa drive. About 80 miles round trip. I avoid I-10 and I hit Beamer to Scarsdale to Blackhawk to Beltway 8 to Westhemier to Dairy Ashford.

I'll let you know closer to the weekend. Is this just clays or do you want me to bring my .454 Casull for y'all?