dove reports
- Thread starter gsh lover
- Start date
It was the most doves we've seen in years. It was an excellent morning (after the storm blew through) and the boys (my son, 5 and his cousin, 6) had the time of their lives racing to get the birds before the dogs did. 11 of us got our limits in less than 3 hrs. Now it's time for jalape?o bacon-wrapped dove treats on the grill!
mustistuff
Banned
dove stuff
didn't really see a lot of them in colorado. my friend and me shot 34 counting a few collared. kinda hot for the dog but we went through a lot of water
cheers
didn't really see a lot of them in colorado. my friend and me shot 34 counting a few collared. kinda hot for the dog but we went through a lot of water
cheers
SetterNut
New member
We didn't see many. Don't really know what happened, we had them all around. But the last couple days we have not been seeing them, even on the roads and wires.
But I did see a nice group of quail, and what I think was a couple pheasants sneaking off the road into my pasture.
But I did see a nice group of quail, and what I think was a couple pheasants sneaking off the road into my pasture.
AS usual we have a cool front move thru with rain, that chased our local birds to Texas. We should get those rose breasted migrators down fairly sooner, and give us a chance again. I get laughed at around here, I have said it many times, the first cool front with rain, dove season over. Been that way for ever. Clear back in 1975, me and my group shot our limit 10 birds each before sunrise, like 30 minutes, with over a hundred birds in the bag. That afternoon it rained and got slightly cooler. Presto! no doves. Seen it many times.
mustistuff
Banned
dove migration
colorado fish and game states that the dove start south late aug. come hell or high water and at least in the n. e. section of the stare it is about over by the 15th of sept. the southern part of the state holds then a little longer. when i lived in vermont we had dove on the phone line all winter, 2 plus feet of snow and colder than a witches butt out. can't shoot them in vermont, they just raise them so other's can shoot em'. where i was hunting in in colo. n. e. i can't remember so much ground cover, ever, and water holes in lots of places that were never there before. last year the dove were gone in my area by the 17th. of sept, the year before it was about oct. 1 and 3 years ago i quit shooting them about the 18th of oct. cause i couldn't handle any more. don't know what causes th will leave cause i the threat of one, of course, last year it was kinda dry and there were very few to begin with. heard some shooting, saw a few hunters but not many. as we got back to near home we drove by a local wildlife area and counted 21 cars in two parking lots plus a game warden there trying to make their day even more miserable. that was an obscene amount of hunters in a fairly small area
colorado fish and game states that the dove start south late aug. come hell or high water and at least in the n. e. section of the stare it is about over by the 15th of sept. the southern part of the state holds then a little longer. when i lived in vermont we had dove on the phone line all winter, 2 plus feet of snow and colder than a witches butt out. can't shoot them in vermont, they just raise them so other's can shoot em'. where i was hunting in in colo. n. e. i can't remember so much ground cover, ever, and water holes in lots of places that were never there before. last year the dove were gone in my area by the 17th. of sept, the year before it was about oct. 1 and 3 years ago i quit shooting them about the 18th of oct. cause i couldn't handle any more. don't know what causes th will leave cause i the threat of one, of course, last year it was kinda dry and there were very few to begin with. heard some shooting, saw a few hunters but not many. as we got back to near home we drove by a local wildlife area and counted 21 cars in two parking lots plus a game warden there trying to make their day even more miserable. that was an obscene amount of hunters in a fairly small area
kansasbrittany
Banned
There weren't as many birds as last season, but I managed to scratch down a limit in 2 hours Sunday morning. My 11yo shot 6 or 7 on his own and the 8yo got 3! They were excited:thumbsup: Grampa witnessed them shooting their first dove, then they saw him get his first dove!
We ended the morning at 9am with 30 birds.
This morning we went up by Milford. I set up in the wrong place at first; we had to move after an hour of them flying just out of gun range. We ended up shooting 10 by 9am and called it a day. There was a LOT of dew on the grass and we were soaked. Side note: the CRP is HUGE this year....we saw NO pheasants or quail in 2 mornings of dove hunting.
We ended the morning at 9am with 30 birds.
This morning we went up by Milford. I set up in the wrong place at first; we had to move after an hour of them flying just out of gun range. We ended up shooting 10 by 9am and called it a day. There was a LOT of dew on the grass and we were soaked. Side note: the CRP is HUGE this year....we saw NO pheasants or quail in 2 mornings of dove hunting.
I had to work Saturday and Sunday, (any guesses as to who could afford a crew of four on double time on Sunday?)
So, with the cool morning, I headed out with J?ger, my Draht pup, to do a little training and see if any doves had stuck around. A burned off wheat field that was FULL of doves the last two weeks was empty. It's just like someone mentioned above, it happens almost every year, but I'm thankful for the rain it brought!
There's a nice little weed patch that butts up against the wheat field that's been holding a few quail, so we started our training there.
We had been there as recent as 2 weeks ago and dozens of times before that.
But, look what "grew" in that last 2 weeks!
Uhggggg!
Darn things were everywhere!
I swear,...this has to be THE "year for all things wicked"!!!
Ticks, skeeters, goat heads, stick tights, cockle burs, snakes!
All terrible this year!
So, with the cool morning, I headed out with J?ger, my Draht pup, to do a little training and see if any doves had stuck around. A burned off wheat field that was FULL of doves the last two weeks was empty. It's just like someone mentioned above, it happens almost every year, but I'm thankful for the rain it brought!
There's a nice little weed patch that butts up against the wheat field that's been holding a few quail, so we started our training there.
We had been there as recent as 2 weeks ago and dozens of times before that.
But, look what "grew" in that last 2 weeks!
Uhggggg!
Darn things were everywhere!
I swear,...this has to be THE "year for all things wicked"!!!
Ticks, skeeters, goat heads, stick tights, cockle burs, snakes!
All terrible this year!
They brush out fairly easily, but there were SO MANY!!
I was covered too!
Aaaaaaand, I didn't bring his kennel and the bed of my truck is full of tools, so my folded down (carpeted) back seat was covered too!
Not what I had in mind for my only day off of what should have been a 3 day weekend.
But...all is well, I planted a handful of birds for him this afternoon and he ran his first ever blood track!
I was covered too!
Aaaaaaand, I didn't bring his kennel and the bed of my truck is full of tools, so my folded down (carpeted) back seat was covered too!
Not what I had in mind for my only day off of what should have been a 3 day weekend.
But...all is well, I planted a handful of birds for him this afternoon and he ran his first ever blood track!
cheesy
Well-known member
Life got in the way of hunting the opener and this morning (life being a 2 month old baby that cries a lot and momma about to pull her hair our), so got to go out tonight to a local conservation area. 10' tall millet that had been bushhogged in strips and then burned last week. Saw enough doves to keep from going home, but not enough to make it a great hunt.
Ended up killing two, missed a handful (embarrassed), and Katy the wonder dog found a cripple of somebody else's. While she was retrieving the cripple, she spit it out and jumped into a waterway, ignoring my yelling at her about dropping the bird. Next thing I know she is on point. Out in front of her a covey of 1/2 grown quail start flopping around. They just kept boiling up out in front of her, for what seemed like minutes. They could fly just good enough to get over the tops of the weeds, sail about 10 yards, and then drop back down in the weeds.
After I got her pulled off the quail, she went back to the dove she dropped, picked it up, and brought it back to me. So, all in all a decent evening, killed a few, good retrieves on them all, and a pointed covey of young quail.
Not in Kansas, but close enough the Kansas residents could hear the shooting.
Ended up killing two, missed a handful (embarrassed), and Katy the wonder dog found a cripple of somebody else's. While she was retrieving the cripple, she spit it out and jumped into a waterway, ignoring my yelling at her about dropping the bird. Next thing I know she is on point. Out in front of her a covey of 1/2 grown quail start flopping around. They just kept boiling up out in front of her, for what seemed like minutes. They could fly just good enough to get over the tops of the weeds, sail about 10 yards, and then drop back down in the weeds.
After I got her pulled off the quail, she went back to the dove she dropped, picked it up, and brought it back to me. So, all in all a decent evening, killed a few, good retrieves on them all, and a pointed covey of young quail.
Not in Kansas, but close enough the Kansas residents could hear the shooting.
BritChaser
Well-known member
Nice evening of dove hunting in NW KS. Two 100 degree days in a row kept them around till Sunday evening when we took our positions around a farm pond. Lots of fun.
Wingmaster
New member
Went to Hillsdale area on Sunday night but only saw maybe 7-8 and shot at and hit only one. Went further South Monday Morning and got 6 out of 19 shots fired. Had my first triple EVER, for ANYTHING that morning. What a rush, and it really helped my average.
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Thrasher
Member
I had a humbling experience yesterday. I went out dove hunting for the first time. I had always considered myself a pretty good wing shot. Right up to the point where I missed the first four doves that I shot at. I shot close to a box of shells and came home with 4.
I saw a good number of birds, but most were while driving, scouting birds. I found good numbers in bean fields. I sat up on a pond and waited. 10-12 birds came in all afternoon. I had shots on 9.
I saw a good number of birds, but most were while driving, scouting birds. I found good numbers in bean fields. I sat up on a pond and waited. 10-12 birds came in all afternoon. I had shots on 9.
quail hound
Moderator
I had to work Saturday and Sunday, (any guesses as to who could afford a crew of four on double time on Sunday?)
So, with the cool morning, I headed out with J?ger, my Draht pup, to do a little training and see if any doves had stuck around. A burned off wheat field that was FULL of doves the last two weeks was empty. It's just like someone mentioned above, it happens almost every year, but I'm thankful for the rain it brought!
There's a nice little weed patch that butts up against the wheat field that's been holding a few quail, so we started our training there.
We had been there as recent as 2 weeks ago and dozens of times before that.
But, look what "grew" in that last 2 weeks!
Uhggggg!
Darn things were everywhere!
I swear,...this has to be THE "year for all things wicked"!!!
Ticks, skeeters, goat heads, stick tights, cockle burs, snakes!
All terrible this year!
Don't feel bad, I'm the dumby out here who will hunt a huge field of cuckle burrs with my springers because no one else does. You'd be surprised how many pheasants are in them in a heavily pressured area.:cheers: