Dove season!!

Everyone ready?   This is the time of year I start to go crazy dreaming of bacon wrapped
dove soaking overnight in Italian dressing.......

An aside for the DFW crew.  I have a place about 3 hours west, and that's nice and all
but anyone know of a day hunt area close that I might take customers to without
having to have them spend the night somewhere?  

I am going to be able to expense some days hunting this year and I don't want
to waste that opportunity.

Preferably within an hour of Ft Worth.

Thanks.

Time to put the long barrel back on the 870

Quoted: When I think of dove season I think of... SWEAT! Lots of it. TRG

+1  

Quoted: When I think of dove season I think of... SWEAT! Lots of it. TRG

not just sweat but dusty muddy sweat.
"commin' in like stealth fighters over bagdad!"  

and leave the "I-tal-yun dressin'"  off my dove.
i will take them wrapped with bacon and stuffed with a "hollo-pino"

Can't wait. Of course you know it will rain opening day. I can't remember one in the last 10 years that it didn't rain sometime during the day.

Sad thing is all of the places I used to hunt are now owned by new people who won't let anyone hunt there or they turned them into day leases and charge $100 a gun a day.  I'll end up at out little 1 acre pond again but that's ok even if I do have a limited field of fire.  A guy built a new house to the south of us and out of courtesy I won't shoot in that direction. He's not really in shotgun range of the tank but why piss him off.

Quoted: It's always too hot out there to wear pants, but too many snakes to wear tennies.  I'm quite a sight with my shorts and boots and bird bag.

May I suggest summer weight BDU/ACU/ARPATMAY's?

Mrs G.

Check out Acadmey/Wal-Mart or BPS... forgot who made them... but i have a pair of pants that have legs that zip off, to make a pair of shorts.  they are extremely light and comfortable.  material kind of reminds me of the '80 style parachute pants... woa! flash back.  

Be safe,
Leonard

Quoted: Mrs G. Check out Acadmey/Wal-Mart or BPS... forgot who made them... but i have a pair of pants that have legs that zip off, to make a pair of shorts.  they are extremely light and comfortable.  material kind of reminds me of the '80 style parachute pants... woa! flash back.   Be safe, Leonard

They're fishing clothing.  Brand names are Columbia and Magellan.  They certainly are cool, but I don't know if they would stand up to dragging thru the cedar brush.

Quoted: Quoted: Mrs G. Check out Acadmey/Wal-Mart or BPS... forgot who made them... but i have a pair of pants that have legs that zip off, to make a pair of shorts.  they are extremely light and comfortable.  material kind of reminds me of the '80 style parachute pants... woa! flash back.   Be safe, Leonard They're fishing clothing.  Brand names are Columbia and Magellan.  They certainly are cool, but I don't know if they would stand up to dragging thru the cedar brush.

they can handle cedar but mesquite rips them to shreds  

I can effin wait. Man this is gonna be a long month. I can taste them now.

I'm ashamed to say this, but I've lived in Texas most of my life and have never hunted or eaten dove.  Which one of you fine DFW members of Arfcom is going to invite me over for a taste? (Of dove, that is.)

I tried to buy my Super Combo yesterday at Academy, and they said that they wouldn't be selling '06 licenses until Monday.....never hurts to get squared away in advance for that "you wanna go hunting in the morning" phone call.

I only know one person who was into dove hunting and that was my roommate for my freshman year.

The only national holiday celebrated exclusively in Texas is opening day of deer season.

I guarantee half the campus will be abandoned and classes will be skipped the opening week of deer season. Heck, half the professors suddenly call in sick and can't make it to class.

Maybe you guys can help out a young whipper snapper!!!
They guy across the street has asked me if I want to go dove huntin with him this season. I have never been but i'm pretty sure my AR wont work for this So what is a decent shotgun for the birdies?
Looking for something somewhat entry level ,but not too cheap in case I like it and want to keep at it.

Quoted: Maybe you guys can help out a young whipper snapper!!! They guy across the street has asked me if I want to go dove huntin with him this season. I have never been but i'm pretty sure my AR wont work for this So what is a decent shotgun for the birdies? Looking for something somewhat entry level ,but not too cheap in case I like it and want to keep at it.

Tony,

Pretty much any shotgun will do; here are a few considerations:

1)  20 ga. is sufficient for doves and easier on the shoulder than 12 ga., but not very versatile if you every plan to hunt turkey or waterfowl.

2)  Pump vs. semi-auto; gas operated semi-auto recoils less but is arguably less reliable; don't believe anyone who tells you that a semi is faster than someone who knows how to shoot a pump well.  Pump is also less expensive.  Over-and-unders can be quite expensive, and only offer two shots; being able to use two different choke sizes is primarily advantageous for things like sporting clays.

3)  Pretty much all decent shotguns these days have screw in chokes tubes; I can't imagine buying one that doesn't.

4)  The longer the barrel, the greater the range potential; shorter barrels tends to be slightly quicker handling.  Doves fly pretty damn low and fast.  Typically bird guns have barrels in the 26-28" range; turkey guns tend to be in the 22"-24"ish range; my Citori [for sporting clays] has 30"ers.    Ported barrels are not worth it for hunting IMHO, as the report can be significantly louder.  

5)  Typical name brands like Remington, Browning, Beretta, and Winchester seem to be popular.  The Remington 870 pump is quite possibly the most common.  The Beretta A391 is a very nice semi.  I happen to have a Browning BPS pump; this model is not for everybody, as the bottom eject takes some getting used to.  Alot depends on how much you wnat to spend.

Other gear that you will need is a shell/game bag, Academy has some decent ones for like $8-10.  Bug spray is mandatory, as is lightweight clothing.  Something portable to sit on can be nice if the action slows down; some folks use 5 gallon buckets [also serves as a good place to store all your gear], while others prefer a small folding stool or chair; I find the bucket method a bit awkward, but YMMV.  Depending on where you hunt, rubber knee boots may be beneficial; personally, I don't mind wet feet [since it is usually pretty warm] vs. the awkwardness of walking very far in rubber boots, again YMMV.  Lastly, just as with carbines, a hunting shotgun without a sling is like a pistol without a holster.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, make sure that you have the proper license/endorsements!  The laws changed this year; it used to be that one didn't need a stamp for mourning doves, but needed a white-winged stamp for same; this year, you need a State Migratory Game Bird stamp for either.  Also, make sure that you get HIP certified; it is free, and it is the law.  Don't assume that the sales clerk knows what they are talking about; read the regulations carefully yourself.

Give me a call if you want a shopping partner 713.825.0335.

Take care, John

John,
I very well may take you up on the shopping offer.  Thanks bud
I am hoping this will be as much of a blast as I think it will be!!!

Just let me know; BTW, I'll be a bachelor all this coming week, if you want to get together one night to check out the gear that I use.

Got an invite for a south zone opening weekend hunt this morning; picked up a Super Combo/Fed. Duck Stamp and a case of Win AA Super Sport #8's this evening.  Weeeeee!

Ready to go!  I got an offer for an all expense paid hunt in a prime dove area near Midland, TX.

Shoot lots of birds and have lots of fun.

Be safe,
Leonard

Quoted: Also, make sure that you get HIP certified; it is free, and it is the law.

What's that?

Quoted: Maybe you guys can help out a young whipper snapper!!! They guy across the street has asked me if I want to go dove huntin with him this season. I have never been but i'm pretty sure my AR wont work for this So what is a decent shotgun for the birdies? Looking for something somewhat entry level ,but not too cheap in case I like it and want to keep at it.

You'd better find out if you need the required hunters education class.  If you do, you'd better sign up for one quick, if there is even one available.

Quoted: I only know one person who was into dove hunting and that was my roommate for my freshman year. The only national holiday celebrated exclusively in Texas is opening day of deer season. I guarantee half the campus will be abandoned and classes will be skipped the opening week of deer season. Heck, half the professors suddenly call in sick and can't make it to class.

Man, what part of Texas are you in?  Out in West Texas the world shuts down for dove season.

Found a lease outside of Childress for my customers, so that will work out, not too far from Ft Worth.

Quoted: Quoted: Also, make sure that you get HIP certified; it is free, and it is the law. What's that?

HIP is the Harvest Information Program; basically, when issuing your license they ask you a couple questions about what you harvested last year.  On page 54 of the regs, it states, "This certification is required to hunt any migratory game bird."  The data is used to assess game management strategies.

Quoted: Quoted: Maybe you guys can help out a young whipper snapper!!! They guy across the street has asked me if I want to go dove huntin with him this season. I have never been but i'm pretty sure my AR wont work for this So what is a decent shotgun for the birdies? Looking for something somewhat entry level ,but not too cheap in case I like it and want to keep at it. You'd better find out if you need the required hunters education class.  If you do, you'd better sign up for one quick, if there is even one available.

+1, anyone born on or after 2 Sep 71 must have a Hunter Education Training Certificate ON THEIR PERSON.  Just because your license shows hunter's education does not mean that you don't need your certificate with you; trust me on this one, I had a friend who beat the rap, but he didn't beat the ride.

Got 40 acres of sunflowers on one farm, 50 on another. Next weekend will be spent mowing strips through the mess for birds to feed, and to hunt easier. Love this season... fullclip

Went out to the farm to mow today and had 15+ birds sitting in the cedar trees in the front yard. May get to hunt this year and never leave the rocking chair on the front porch.