20 replies to this topic

[peeker seeker]

Well its almost dove season . Any dove hunters out there? Seems to be alot of them this year.

[Jason]

Dove populations do seem to be good this year. I enjoy dove hunting but prefer the challenge of quail hunting even more. Last year I didn't go dove hunting at all but in previous years I had my limit within an hour and a half which can be good or bad when you have set aside the whole day to go dove hunting. I shoot my great grandmother's Remington Model 17 20 gage in full choke on birds. It's the best shotgun I've ever used. Had to buy a spare used one for spare parts a while ago (I accidently ran it over and bent the barrel) but it still shoots like a champ. Some guys I know might want to go dove hunting this year so I probably will go. I also prefer the taste of the quail over the doves in addition to it being more fun to hunt the quail.Jason

[ShooterJohn]

It seems every year we'd scout them out. Then a couple of days before the season opens it rains and the birds move out. If I see them I'll shoot them, they're tasty little things.

[bzzrd feedr]

I usually go but have kinda lost my desire to shoot them around here after several Mexico hunts and then Argentina shooting a 1000/day. 10/day is almost not worth it but I'll probably go.

[Cranky Farmer]

Sounds to me like you need to make another trip South!

[John]

Well its almost dove season . Any dove hunters out there? Seems to be alot of them this year.

Yes I enjoyed Dove hunting in California,BUT I have moved to Idaho and there seems to be little or no interest in Dove hunting.See lots of local doves here but people say come dove season they are already headed south for the most part,will give it a shot this fall and see if I can figure doves out in Idaho!

[Jason]

Yes I enjoyed Dove hunting in California,BUT I have moved to Idaho and there seems to be little or no interest in Dove hunting.See lots of local doves here but people say come dove season they are already headed south for the most part,will give it a shot this fall and see if I can figure doves out in Idaho!

Do they have a season on them in Idaho?Jason

[RLS]

I saw two doves in Idaho in the middle of winter. It was about 0 out and I remember thinking it was odd to see doves in the snow.

[SpotandStalk]

John,Agreed on the Idaho thing. I live in CA, but I have family in Nampa, Meridian, Eagle, Parma, Fruitland, Boise, and Homedale. I love Dove hunting in the Brawley area, but I just can't get any of my Idaho family excited to shoot a bird with an ounce of meat. I guess it's hard to get excited about Dove when Moose, Goat, Deer, Mt. Lion, Pronghorn, Bear, Elk, Grouse, I think you get the idea...are all hunting options. If you like Chukar hunting, Idaho is second to none NW of Cambridge on the OR-ID border...I'll be there shooting my limit in Sept. S&S

[Shoot-it]

I like too hunt doves last year wasn't a great one for me.I did see a few in a old field they seem too like water crescent i never seen so many doves in it before.

[John]

Do they have a season on them in Idaho?Jason

Jason here it is From the Dept. Of Fish & Game,In Idaho MOURNING DOVES & SANDHILL CRANES September 2006Seasons and limits for mourning doves and sandhill cranes are set annually. Therefore, season changes for the 2006 season is published in a separate brochure available at IDFG offices and license vendors.And I am not sure about the season either ,will call fish and game around last week of August for the season and bag limits?

[Arise]

I love Dove hunting. Every year we have a huge party on the 31st of August to kick off the opener. It's at the Calpatria Inn (in So. Cal.) and we'll have plenty of food. If anyone is going to be in the Imperial Valley you should stop by the pool area of the hotel and have a beer & some vittles, as everyone is invited. This party is actually starting to become a huge event. Last couple years (WON) Western Outdoors News takes pictures and does a nice little story on it. The Calpatria Inn is pink so it's dubbed "Party at the Pink."Back to Dove... Every December I venture down to El Fuerte (Mexico) where it is sick w/ Wight Wings. Wave after wave, thousands of birds. My thumb is sore for a couple weeks after the hunt from loading my SBE w/ an extension tube that holds 9 shells. If you?re into Dove hunting this is something you have to do at least once in your lifetime. I have some pics on another PC that I'll post up when I get a chance.

I usually go but have kinda lost my desire to shoot them around here after several Mexico hunts and then Argentina shooting a 1000/day. 10/day is almost not worth it but I'll probably go.

bzzrd - Where do you go in Mexico? I hear you on the 10 a day.

[bzzrd feedr]

Arise I've shot mainly around Hermisillo with Muy Grande outfitters, but have found that overrall Argentina is a little less $ and way better shooting. Argentina doesn't have the Whitewings but they have a Blue Pidgeon that is alot of fun. The big negative of Argentina is the travel time which is about 36 hours door to door. You spend more time in airplanes than you do shooting. I was supposed to go last May but with my son-in-law getting killed in Iraq I cancelled. We're going next May and I've got my two Beretta 20's ready for some pest control. I've hearde about the party at the pink, we used to go to Yuma every year but the older I get the heat, crowds, and high population of Badges makes it not as much fun.

[Jason]

Arise I've shot mainly around Hermisillo with Muy Grande outfitters, but have found that overrall Argentina is a little less $ and way better shooting. Argentina doesn't have the Whitewings but they have a Blue Pidgeon that is alot of fun. The big negative of Argentina is the travel time which is about 36 hours door to door. You spend more time in airplanes than you do shooting. I was supposed to go last May but with my son-in-law getting killed in Iraq I cancelled. We're going next May and I've got my two Beretta 20's ready for some pest control. I've hearde about the party at the pink, we used to go to Yuma every year but the older I get the heat, crowds, and high population of Badges makes it not as much fun.

I've watched that crazy kind of hunting on TV. I can't believe how many birds there are to shoot in those places. It is nuts! I watched a Mexican Dove hunt and the sky was black with birds. The guys had to switch shot guns because the barrels were going to warp from being too hot. The only thing that slowed them down was taking the time to reload. If I didn't have to travel to a third world country and leave behind my constitutional rights at the border then I would do it in a heart beat. My uncle went hunting in Mexico and he said he would never go back. Their plane landed at some runway in the middle of nowhere, dumped them off with their luggage and took off. As soon as the plane was back in the air the Federal troops showed up and threatened to throw them all (the group of hunters) in jail. They ended up having to pay them a bunch of money (bribe) to avoid jail, beatings, etc. He told me he figured he was going to be either in jail or shot and robbed by the Mexican Feds. He has hunted and fished in both Mexico and Canada but will not go back to Mexico again because of this.Sad.Jason

[bzzrd feedr]

Jason I've heard some horror stories too, but we always go with a reputable outfitter that's well connected and have always had great trips. I just hire an extra bird boy to load one gun while I'm emptying the other. It's only like another $40/day for the extra bird boy and well worth it. On a few high volume shoots when I was loading my own gun my thumb with shooting gloves and adhesive tape would still get raw and black n blue from reloading. One time I actually lost my thumbnail after I got home. Once you do the hi volume shoot you are spoiled for life. Trust me.

[SpotandStalk]

Arise,"Party at the Pink"...that's funny. I've been at the Calipatria the last couple years and what a party. The only thing louder are the crickets in the rooms. I'm not sure how many extra people will be able to come out to the party this year...it's such an event I was told they're booked solid through the weekend. Here's to the 31st,S&S

[.243Win]

yep, I go every yearusually scout a couple weekends a yearbut not this yearwe'll just go down opening morning mid morning and shoot the afternoonand shoot the next day alsoparty at the Inn, huhwondered who that group was

[Soreloser]

we used to go to Yuma every year but the older I get the heat, crowds, and high population of Badges makes it not as much fun.

YUMA!! That's what makes me so depressed about being stationed in 29 Palms. There's no doves, well not compared to Yuma anyway. I was stationed there for 3 yrs and it's nice when everybird in the sky is a dove come Sept. 1st.. Makes for some quick hunting before the heat gets to you.Me and SBF were talking about this the other day and still think Yuma will rank up there with the best of spots in the US for a while to come. I was down there on Memorial day and you wouldn't believe the amount of doves that were there.. At the end of May??? I couldn't believe it, never seen it before while I was stationed there. Unfortunately with all the population growth and housing that has been thrown up in the last 7 yrs. alot of my favorite and best spots are now a back yard for somebody's house.

[stevowpappas]

scouted out a pond on the in laws ranch and there was hundreds of them. I cant wait for friday.

[Switch]

Stevowpappas, good luck to you. I didn't go last year, but got invited to a private ranch this year and I can't wait for tomorrow. Post some pictures.

[Arise]

Here are some pics of the past few days. I did manage to get my first Eurasion.  dovehunt06_053__Small_.jpg   41.42K   7 downloads  zzzzzzzzz__Small_.jpg   38.59K   8 downloads  dovehunt06_002__Small_.jpg   52.92K   7 downloads