28 replies to this topic

[wannakillacoyote]

Opening day is a little more than two weeks away! Even though a lot of us have already been out hunting Coyotes, rabbits etc., September 1st is the official opener for the hunting season. I look forward to it every year (though I have only been going for a few years now). I just love the early morning of opening day, hanging out BSing with my hunting partners while waiting for sunup! Then hearing shotgun blasts in the distance like 10 minutes before official daylight. :DAnyway, I thought instead of me posting a bunch of different questions about your upcoming Opener, I would put a questionare in. Just cut and past the questions and add your answers in your reply.1. What scattergun will you be using? Beretta Urika AL391 12ga 28" barrel2. What choke do you prefer? IC at the beginning of the season, Modified when they are flying higher3. What shot size? 7 1/2s or 8s4. Early morning or afternoon hunts (or both)? BOTH if I can stand the afternoon heat5. Fastest limit? About 20 minutes last year! (took me about a box)6. Favorite recipe? My bro-in-law cooks them up wrapped in bacon.7. Jumpshootin or waiting on the dive-bombing flybys? We wait on em.That should do for now. I'm sure I will think of more ??s later.

[Camoghost]

I'm fired up! This kicks off my hunting season and I can't wait!! I hunt a private farm that has alfalfa and peanut fields, they cut them 2 days before we get there on the Colorado River. 2-3 miles from my weekend house, The yote hunting is awesome there as well. 1. What scattergun will you be using? My new Benelli 20gag Ultra light and my .410 over and under for fun 2. What choke do you prefer? Modified (Was wondering about this one but it seems to work fine)3. What shot size? 7 1/2s or 8s4. Early morning or afternoon hunts (or both)? BOTH , however the Indian res. Will only let you hunt the morning, so we go about 4 miles to BLM and hunt the evenings5. Fastest limit? About 20 to 30 minutes (it all happens very fast)6. Favorite recipe? wrapped in bacon. (Same) 7. Jumpshootin or waiting on the dive-bombing flybys? Sit and wait! They come in waves, sometimes it looks like the sky turns blackBlam Blam Blam!! It's always the poor Sparrow Hawks that get it first, some guys just don’t know what they are doing. I've seen some real interesting events dove hunting. Last year some dope blew his foot off.. Had to land life flight right on the fresh cut fields. Hate to be the guy that had to call that idiots wife.

[wannakillacoyote]

Yep, the places we go are usually pretty packed (especially in the afternoons). Some guys seem like they are shooting anything that flies.Glad to see others get as excited as me! Have Fun!

[Jason]

I like to hit the second season on doves. Almost no one shoots the second and there's one week where you can shoot doves and quail.

[wannakillacoyote]

We usually only hunt the first season. They seem to be sooo skiddish after that. They are flying like a mile high. I do think it would be fun to get out and hunt them when it's not soo hot. It just seems like around here, you would have to jump-shoot em in the second season.

[Thumper Dunker]

Dove hunting ? ITS DEER SEASON ! . I like the winter season better cooler. But its all fun.

[wannakillacoyote]

Yeah I guess I should have said opening day for Rifle season.

[meangreen75]

I work and hunt in the Imperial Valley and I LOVE dove hunting. I've only missed one Opener since I was 12 and that was because I was in the Persian Gulf. I've got my spots all picked out and there are so many dove that they are almost flying into one another. Good luck to everyone that's heading out. Oh and ditto the early morning effect. I love the smell and humidity in Sept.1. What scattergun will you be using? My Remington 870 Express 12 gauge. Bought it when I was 12 with my paper route money. 2. What choke do you prefer? Modified 3. What shot size? 7 1/2's with at least 1 oz4. Early morning or afternoon hunts (or both)? I prefer the morning hunts since they come in fast and furious.5. Fastest limit? Average is 30 minutes. I've been thinking about getting a single shot so it'll last a little longer.6. Favorite recipe? On skewers soaked in Italian Dressing overnight.7. Jumpshootin or waiting on the dive-bombing flybys? Waiting for the fastmovers.

[meangreen75]

Just as a reminder, there are no limits on Eurasian Dove. Taken from DFG website.Bag Limit: Spotted doves, Eurasian collared-doves, and ringed turtle doves: no bag limit Mourning doves and white-winged doves: 10 doves per day in aggregatePossession Limit Spotted doves, Eurasian collared-doves, and ringed turtle doves: no possession limit Mourning doves and white-winged doves: double the daily bag limit in aggregate

[PredatorMaster]

When you BBQ smaller wild bird like dove, quail, chuckar, grouse etc., it tends to be a little on the dry side. Thisrecipe will definitely fix that. Ingredients: 8 Birds of your choice 1-pound fresh bacon 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground sage 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper Marinate birds in Italian salad dressing overnight. Pat dry, season with paprika, ground sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap each bird with bacon slices. If you use more than one slice of bacon to cover the bird match the seams on the same side. Place the birds on a medium-hot grill, bacon seam side down. Cover and grill for 15 minutes. Turn and grill another 15 minutes. Test the bird with a fork, if it is not tender cook an additional 15 minutes. Baked beans, stuffing, fresh vegetables, and bread of your choice would be an excellent complement for this entree. After your birds are done throw the bacon into your pot of baked beans for excellent seasoning. This recipe also works very well with Cornish game hens.Enjoy!

[wannakillacoyote]

Just as a reminder, there are no limits on Eurasian Dove. Taken from DFG website.Bag Limit: Spotted doves, Eurasian collared-doves, and ringed turtle doves: no bag limit Mourning doves and white-winged doves: 10 doves per day in aggregatePossession Limit Spotted doves, Eurasian collared-doves, and ringed turtle doves: no possession limit Mourning doves and white-winged doves: double the daily bag limit in aggregate

Thanks for the info. Have you seen any dove other than Mourning Doves where you are hunting? The few years I have been Dove hunting I have only seen Mourning dove.

[meangreen75]

Thanks for the info. Have you seen any dove other than Mourning Doves where you are hunting? The few years I have been Dove hunting I have only seen Mourning dove.

I've seen the dove population roughly split up in thirds....1/3 Mourning, 1/3 White Wing, and 1/3 Eurasian's. It's going to be a really good opener if the storms just hold off for a couple more weeks.Doug

[ShooterJohn]

Our weather forecast said possible showers this weekend. Why people have to take showers on the weekend is beyond me. But seriously it always seems to rain just before dove season.

[wannakillacoyote]

Haha, down here it will be like 105 for the next month! I'd rather have the showers.

[ehd]

This year I have not seen hardly any doves? I have got a few Bandtailed pigeons already. Early winter ??

[clampdaddy]

1. What scattergun will you be using?[b]2. What choke do you prefer?[b]3. What shot size?[b]4. Early morning or afternoon hunts (or both)?[b]5. Fastest limit?[b]6. Favorite recipe?[b]7. Jumpshootin or waiting on the dive-bombing flybys?

I can't wait!!! We never used to have eurasians in my area. I saw one for the first time last year and there are even more this year. 1. I use my old 12ga Ithaca sxs double when shooting lanes are narrow and I have to be quick, or I use my Browning silver hunter for more open areas where a third shot might be handy.2. I like either an improved modified or a full choke (one reason I love a double gun, two different chokes)3. #7 1/2 4. Both morning and evenings5. I didn't have any fast limits last year. 6. Jalepeneo stuffed and bacon wrapped breast meats7. Mostly pass shooting....until I get tired of watching them fly by outta shotgun range and land somewhere, then it's jump shootin' time!!!

[woodog]

I can't wait!!! We never used to have eurasians in my area. I saw one for the first time last year and there are even more this year.

Down here (up here?) in Maricopa the Eurasians have taken over. They are a beautiful bird, but sound like a bird of prey when they vocalize and have an annoying gawd awful cooing sound that is nothing like the pretty sound of the mourning dove.

[meangreen75]

Here's the guys I'm waiting for....  1.jpg   17.75K   6 downloads

[tbrincefield]

1. What scattergun will you be using? 870 Express 12 ga., bought it last christmas, have fired exactly one shot through it. I'll be bringing my old ted Williams pump 20 ga just in case!2. What choke do you prefer? Mod or improved3. What shot size? 7 1/2s or 8s4. Early morning or afternoon hunts (or both)? BOTH, my biggest problem is finding somewhere to hunt!5. Fastest limit? It's been a while, but one opening morning, we slaughtered 'em! Everyone I was with was done in exactly 18 minutes. 5 of us set up facing a field with pistacios behind us, and as soon as we got first light, the sky turned to clouds of dove. We were packing up when the sheriff pulled up and said the property owner called in on us. Then he asked if we'd limited out yet, and said he was waiting for the weekend coming up so he could get out. We were all in high school, and were scared poopless. He told us about another place to go, so we went the next day. 6. Favorite recipe? Trying a new variation on the bacon wrapped thing. Marinade in italian dressing, pat dry, place half a jalepeno and a garlic clove inside the breast, wrap in bacon, bbq, eat, beer, happiness!! :)7. Jumpshootin or waiting on the dive-bombing flybys? shoot 'em flyin'. Tim

[zippy1970]

do you have to be lead free in the condor range ????

[wannakillacoyote]

do you have to be lead free in the condor range ????

Not for Dove or any Game birds. The reasoning is because you are supposed to be picking up your birds and taking them with you.Edited.

[ShooterJohn]

Hey Chris you might want to read this:§251.7. Possession, Transportation and Importation of Game Birds.( b ) All birds, including migratory game birds, possessed or transported within California must have a fully feathered wing or head attached until placed into a personal abode or commercial preservation facility or being prepared for immediate consumption. Doves must have a fully feathered wing attached.

[wannakillacoyote]

Thanks Shooter. That's what I get for listening to my Bro-in-law. He has been hunting them for like 15 years. They will have feathers til we get home.

[ShooterJohn]

Unfortunately it has been that way for awhile. But better to be safe than sorry. I like to just breast them too. But we set up a BBQ once and ate our because of this law.Fish are the same way you can fillet them out on some bodies of water without a recognizable piece on them.

[wannakillacoyote]

So I guess I just have to bring along a little hibachi bbq. "Why yes officer, we were just getting ready to fire up the grill! By the way, do you got any BACON on ya?" (pun intended) Haha, now that would be priceless!

[ShooterJohn]

Yep he tricked us and all we could do was eat (crow) dove.

[Shoot-it]

I have seen a few quail but not much dove.

[ShooterJohn]

September 1 - 15 and Nov. 8 - Dec. 22

[meangreen75]

This is going to be a great bird year. I've seen tons of Dove and Quail. Must have been good rainfall but there are animals everywhere.Doug