Just returned from Texas after a great season opener for doves. Had heard a lot of reports on the EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE in Texas, and the reports were all true. The birds from Texas are a bit lighter in color from their Eurasian counterparts but the size is exactly the same.

I used my 20 gauge Sporting Clays gun, I like to shoot doves with it every now and then. The recoil system takes 95% of the kick out. In Argentina you can shoot 2,000 rounds with it in a day and won't feel any kick.



WHITE-WINGED DOVE


MOURNING DOVE


EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE


ROCK DOVE




TEXAS SUPER-FECTA: From Left to Right...
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Mourning Dove
- White-winged Dove
- Rock Dove

I guess I've been calling rock doves pigeons this whole time.

let me know next time yu are in texas, will put you on some birds

I killed two of the four of those this weekend. Eurasians tend to be around town/city areas where I live. Haven't seen too many of them in the field.

Those rock doves look suspiciously like the pigeons all over NYC...

Can you explain what mods you've made to your Beretta to reduce recoil? I just returned from argetina yesterday and shot a stock Urika 2 20ga. Even with a 20 auto every little bit of recoil reduction is appreciated down there!!

Rock Dove are also Rock Pigeons. They all taste good whatever you call them.

The blue rock pigeon is the true wild pigeon. I have seen them as true wild populations in river canyons in India. High up in the Himalayas you get the similar but white / pie bald Snow pigeon.

Our indigeonous pigeon was the Passenger Pigeon. They say someone ate every last one about 100 years ago. They also say there were 3 to 5 billion birds in the mid 1800s. Don't add up no matter how hard they were hunted.

From the research I have done on Passenger Pigeons, thery were pretty highly specialized in many of their physiological characteristics.

Here is a link to some really good information about the species.

http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_Si/nmnh/passpig.htm

I wonder if vulnerability to European avian diseases played a part in their extinction. Disease had a far larger role in reducing bison numbers than is commonly known. The hunted-to-near-extintion theme is a more useful tale for moralists than a malevolent pathogen. Same could hold true for these pigeions.

I have been studying Buffalo/Bison for about 40 years now and have been working with them in captive situations for 17 or so years.

From my research, disease only began to have any type effect fairly late in the process. One of the problems in the equation is that there are no accurate figures as to how many buffalo were in America when the Spanish started their explorations here.

Over the years, I have seen estimates ranging from a low of 25 million animals to over 60 million or more, I have seen one estimate of 100 million animals. many researchers have settled on the 50 to 60 million range. While I have this so far OT, a few researchers are speculating that there were probably as many pronghorns as there were buffalo.

Disease however had a fairly negligable effect on buffalo numbers when compared to the effects humans had. Just my opinion here, but the speculation about the effects of disease upon Passenger Pigeons or Buffalo are being put forth by a few folks that have a problem with the concept that humans are as destructive as they are.

Therefore, some researchers look for any evidence to take the onus off the human vector when it comes to species endangerment/extinction.

Sorry for the delay, I have been traveling a bit. Glad this thread generated some great questions. Here we go.

@edholum, @Norton, @tiggertate
Everyone is correct, they are all Common names for the same bird.
- Rock Dove
- Rock Pigeon
- Common Pigeon
- Feral Pigeon

...and I am sure there are many more commonly used names for the same bird in different areas.

I just would like to mention that the Texas hunting regulations refer to this particular bird as "Rock Dove" as well as "Common Pigeon".

Now having said that...what is the difference between a DOVE and a PIGEON ?
Doves and Pigeons all belong to the same family called "COLUMBIDAE". The smaller birds are "usually" referred as DOVES...the bigger birds in the same family are referred as PIGEONS.

Now the question becomes which is big and which is small and so why is something a dove and why something is a pigeon? What determines something as big or small ? Is it weight ? Is it length ?

ANSWER: Length...40 centimeters which is about 15 3/4 inches.

So if the bird is at 40 cms (or more) it is definitely a Pigeon. Anything smaller than 40 cms (average length for that species) would be a dove. This guideline has not been consistently applied to the Columbidae family and very often you will see a large bird being called a dove, or a small bird being called a pigeon. But I am sure you got the idea


@Patricio Gaudiano
Thanks a lot bud, lets get together on one of these openers. I usually fly into Dallas and the hunting area is north from there, about 2 hours drive.

@Ryan Campbell
I also heard that Eurasian Collared Doves are doing great within city limits...I guess it is all the protection they get from predators.

@wyattd
The primary recoil reducer on my 20 gauge teknys is a hydraulic system which is enclosed in the stock. It takes care of about 80% of recoil. Cost with fitting is worth every penny if you do high volume shooting for Sporting Clays or Argentina Dove shooting. I have it installed in most of my Sporting Clays guns. No bruised shoulder which comes with thousands of rounds per day kind of shooting. Here is the full picture of the shotgun. Stock is split into three pieces.
- Recoil Pad
- Top of stock (where cheek rests) this does not move when the gun is fired.
- Stock with the hydraulic system. (This moves when the gun is fired).



ADDITIONAL 15% REDUCTION:
The magazine extension is actually solid steel, weighs about a pound and a half. Helps with the swing, but the added weight reduce muzzle jump and controls the recoil.

Barrel work has been done by Briley (based out of Texas). Forcing cone has been elongated and polished, this reduces a few percents of total recoil.

The barrel has been ported which reduces vertical muzzle jump. Not sure if it helps in recoil reduction.

I also use ported chokes (I leave a MODIFIED PureGold in it for doves).

The gas port has been tuned a bit (opened slightly) which bleeds excess gas. Probably helps a bit with recoil.

All of these modifications are very slight tuneups which I have incorporated in steps....they have worked for me over the years....I can shoot this gun with virtually no recoil all day, day after day. After a days worth of shooting I strip it apart and clean it really good (takes about 20 minutes). For low/negligent volume such as this texas hunt, I did not clean it at all for the entire duration of the hunt.

SHELLS:
I use 7/8 oz Winchester AA Sporting Clay shells in 7.5 (1,300 FPS) they scratch doves out from in your face to way out there. One ounce shells have no business in a 20 gauge shotgun....but that is another discussion


I will post more on Passenger Pigeon as soon as I get a chance.

Could you tell me who did all that work for you? specially the stock. I have a 20 ga that would be a good candidate for that treatment.......

very interesting ,althoug i guide ,dove hunting daily here ill like to hunt them in USA someday.