September 1st is almost here. Opening day of dove season and the harbinger of things to follow. Traditionally this was a very special long-awaited day in my area. If you're lucky enough to be on someone's invitation list you could generally count on plenty of birds and a party type atmosphere. In fact the more desirable shoots are actually called "party hunts". The shooting starts after 12:00 and winds up around 4:00. The evenings at the better hunts will probably revolve around a BBQ spread. At some hunts you could in times past also find live entertainment.

My favorite dove shoots were those DU put on for its sponsors. You had to donate at the sponsor level or be given a ticket by someone who did. These shoots were considered among the most enjoyable. They usually had an auction after the dinner of guns, wildlife prints and such to benefit the organization's work in maintaining waterfowl habitat.

In today's world it's still great fun to be in on a good opening day dove shoot, but it's not the same as in the past. Fewer birds, fewer hunters and fewer shoots treated as a party event.

Anyway, we have a field legally prepared. About ten acres of sunflowers and I've already got a spot picked out.

Anyone else going?

I wish. In the PDR of MA, doves are considered songbirds, and as such, are illegal to hunt.

Have fun, and post pics. BTW, you're using your pet BB load on these too, I assume?

JK.

Gotta love those BBs!! I might even get a few birds that'll die of fright.."he's got what in his gun?!?!"

1 oz of lead 8s actually, in whatever the cheapest off-the-shelf ready-to-run discount loads I can find...

Will be out there bright and early. We have a group of around 8 - 10 which is perfect for keeping the birds moving. Opening day is usually an all day affair with a shoot at first light and then a break at lunch. We'll pull out the smoker and clean the birds and prep them with bacon and jalepenos. Put them on the pit and then enjoy.

Around 4 we'll get back out and shoot for another couple of hours. Then the landowner brings out the steaks, sausage and beer.

It's a big time with lots of good friends and good food.

We will be out there for sure! I have a friend who has some walnuts and a field of corn with a ditch in between, what a setup. We (try to keep it at 8-12 guys) normally limit out by mid morning as a group. Our party is a little different, there is a mexican restaraunt here that has a dove opener party, they open up their deck and bring out a portable bar etc. You bring the doves cleaned and breasted and they cook them up for the group. Normally has a great turnout for lunch. Opening day for doves is like a mile marker for me. It means the that two of my true loves, hunting and college football are fast approaching.

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It means the that two of my true loves, hunting and college football are fast approaching.

Amen!

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Originally posted by Shack:
Gotta love those BBs!! I might even get a few birds that'll die of fright.."he's got what in his gun?!?!"

1 oz of lead 8s actually, in whatever the cheapest off-the-shelf ready-to-run discount loads I can find...

You're a good sport, dude.

Hope you guys shoot 'em up. I'll have to settle for squirrels and early goose for September (NH and MA, respectively). But as the fall bass and blues blitz, as well as open bite tuna season are in full swing then, I'm not complaining.

Are the ones you have of the mourning dove flavor? Those are the ones I see here. In plenty huntable #s, BTW... Boo hoo. Curious: do they eat well? They look pretty yummy, but as a guess, I bet that for enough for a proper meal I'd be looking at doubling my GW teal intake.

Cheers,

KG

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You're a good sport, dude.

You'll probably take that back after this...I've stayed awake nights trying to figure out those teal and I think I've finally got it..."GWT"... Gross Weight Tonnage...

Anywho, there's them what likes doves, and them who can't stand them. I like them lots..only eaten hundreds. They are dark meat and IMNSHO (in my never sure humble opinion) they taste like chicken liver, which I like just fine. They are mourning flavored here in TN, although of late another species has shown up too. You see a lot of immature ones in the early season. Your big "blue northern" (that's what hunters call 'um) doves show up later in the Winter. To find them in huntable numbers there has to be grain of some sort on the ground. There might be exceptions to that but at the moment I can't think of what it would be. We have three seasons, Sept, part of Oct, and late Winter. The hunting is mostly around opening weekend and has been considered a warm-up for ducks. Later on everyone is duck or deer hunting and doves would be just a matter of opportunity if at all.

Oh, bluefin and Sevenxbjt, now where and when exactly did you say those hunts were going to be...

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Originally posted by Shack:

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You're a good sport, dude.

You'll probably take that back after this...I've stayed awake nights trying to figure out those teal and I think I've finally got it..."GWT"... Gross Weight Tonnage...
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Not bad, not bad. I've been wondering about your handle, and think I've got it: you play hoop and 'wrestle', right? Shack is short for Shackquail O'Teal, isn't it? How'd I do? Come on, fess up!

My second guess would be Horshack, of Welcome Back Kotter fame. Talk about showing your age...

I'm excited for the dove hunt this year. I used to hunt doves like crazy but the last 10 years September 1 has found me chasing elk with stick and string. This year I'm taking my 3 year old triplet boys and my 7 year old daughter. We'll probably sit some water and nail 'em coming in.

These boys are gung ho. They think they should have they're own guns and be hunting already. I usually let them take their toy guns when we go look for deer. They love that. My daughter is pretty much a veteran already. She's hunted elk, deer, bison & rabbits with me since she was 3 (accompanied me, not actually hunted).

i plan on walking with a couple of friends about 200 yards from my front door about 4 PM and limiting out about 15 minutes later. walk back to the house and put some steaks on the grill( which was lit before we left) and kick back with a cold drink. the pasture around my place wasn't grazed this year and the wild oats are drawing in birds like crazy.

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I've been wondering about your handle

That's where I've lived much of the time back in the deep woods on a 400 acre farm.

Also a favorite movie character - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070030/..an old nickname for a conductor. I always found myself rooting for him when I watch that...

Yup. Shooting a friends farm on opening day and then ours the next day. Taking my 3 yr old son on one, maybe both. He is excited. Opening day of dove season has to be one of my favorite days of the year. Kind of kicks off the hunting season for me; knowing deer & duck season are right behind it.

Our shoot is gonna be in the central valley of california, half way between Fresno and Bakersfield. How about you Shack, where you gonna light 'em up?

That just sounds like a cool place. The shoot I have the most hopes for will be in Hardeman County, TN, not far from the state line. Been hunting there since '74. It's mostly flatland with gently rolling low hills. Evenly mixed timber and fields. Thick with deer and turkey. Used to be a fantastic spot for quail but that vanished; maybe we'll have to do a thread sometime on why.

I have missed one opening day since I was old enough to tote a shotgun hunting...1991 because I got married 8/31 that year. My dove field is being hit by hundreds of birds. 6 of us will be slaying the international symbols of peace on the 1st.

Perry

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Originally posted by Shack:
That just sounds like a cool place. The shoot I have the most hopes for will be in Hardeman County, TN, not far from the state line. Been hunting there since '74. It's mostly flatland with gently rolling low hills. Evenly mixed timber and fields. Thick with deer and turkey. Used to be a fantastic spot for quail but that vanished; maybe we'll have to do a thread sometime on why.

Good to hear you have some deer left, the mtn lions have put a hurtin on our herd here. I only see a fraction of the deer that my dad saw on the same land 30-40 years prior.

Lets start a thread on the night of the 1st to review how everyone's shoot turned out.

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Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:
Our shoot is gonna be in the central valley of california, half way between Fresno and Bakersfield. How about you Shack, where you gonna light 'em up?

just curious- are you hunting down around Woodlake or Porterville?

I'll be hunting on some of our land. If you guys want to have a real fun dove shoot, get one of thoese Mojo Dove decoys. I'm not a fan of the spinning wing duck decoys, but the dove one is a hoot! Just tape it to a fence post, and doves will come to check it out.

Be sure not to shoot the decoy, as some of the birds will get very close to it.

I'm leaving in a few minutes. Will be in Modoc County, in the vicinity of Tule Lake. Did real well there last year.

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Originally posted by craigster:
I'm leaving in a few minutes. Will be in Modoc County, in the vicinity of Tule Lake. Did real well there last year.

Good luck, and good to see you still here, Craig.

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Be sure not to shoot the decoy, as some of the birds will get very close to it.

True story...I once saw a mallard greenhead try to land ON a susie mojo while it was working...

Heck, I've had my shooting bag, stool and a shotgun packed and setting by the front door for 3 months in anticipation of Sept. 1. For us it's a 6 acre sunflower patch close to a river, surrounded by up to a dozen guys. Iced beer waits back at the barn for use in lubricating our tales of shooting prowess.

I can't remember an opening day when nobody got their limit. Here in MD they raised the limit from 12 to 15. Is it the same elsewhere?

God, I just can't wait!

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Originally posted by jdollar:

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Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:
Our shoot is gonna be in the central valley of california, half way between Fresno and Bakersfield. How about you Shack, where you gonna light 'em up?

just curious- are you hunting down around Woodlake or Porterville?

We will be hunting on some ground my friend owns a few miles outside Woodlake in the am. We have a ranch we run our 1st calf heifers on near Springville about 10-15 miles above Porterville
that I may try to get a pm shoot going on. Was up there this afternoon and there was a great dove flight that I hadn't noticed all summer.

The farm owner and I went out yesterday to check it over. The report is, I'm afraid we don't have one single dove.

A thousand maybe.

There were clouds of them and they kept on getting up in big bunches as we walked around. We did some more picking of spots, but basically just grinned at each other over what we saw.

The bad news is it looks like he invited 20-25 hunters. But it's 10 acres plus, so hopefully it'll work out. I have several back-up plans in case it's over-crowded.

We walked right into a bunch of turkeys, saw the usual herd of deer, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the lake. It's been stocked and we sank some artificial underwater structures for them to use as shelter. Just a beautiful day and a pleasant outing in the country.

Sounds like a good one in the making, lets compare notes tommorrow.