Report By:  Chris

Team Members:  Chris, Craig, and Tom

Weather Conditions:  Sunny, little wind, temperature in the mid 90’s

It has been a family tradition for Tom, Craig, our dad, our good family friend Mr. Blake, and I to take a trip for opening weekend of dove season for as long as I can remember.  We have been doing this trip since before we were old enough to even hold a gun so we got to act as the bird dogs.

This trip has attributed to many of my favorite childhood memories.  It has always been man time at is finest.  When we were young it was the only time Dad would let us curse, so we would run around spitting out as many curse words as we could before we had to leave the field and come home to Mom.  We would also get to drink O’Douls (non-alcoholic beer) and take a few puffs on his cigars or pipe, which we pretended to like, but would secretly pour out or snuff out when the men weren’t looking.  We would race to fetch the birds after they had been shot and would help clean them for the table.  We got to carry around our BB guns and feel like one of the men with their shot guns.

This year continued the tradition of making some great memories and shooting a few birds while we were at it.

Craig ready to hit the road

Tom ready for a road trip

Our destination was Uvalde, Texas.  Uvalde is a small farming city in Central Texas known for its cotton crop and great hunting.  Our plan was to hunt Saturday and Sunday, which was opening weekend for dove season in Texas.  If we had to, we planned on hunting the morning and the evening in order to get each person a limit of birds each day.  We loaded up the truck Friday morning with all of our shotguns, decoys, bird bags, coolers, and the rest of our gear, and hit I-10 West headed towards San Antonio.

Heaven’s light shinning down on Buc ee’s

Ever since they built Buc ee’s, it has become part of the tradition to stop their on the way.  Anyone who has never been to Buc ee’s hasn’t lived!  It is the king of all pit stops.  It is famous for its beef jerky, root beer, and beaver nuggets.  We pulled over, loaded up on some snacks and drinks, and then got back on the road.

When we were about 40 miles from Uvalde, we started seeing doves.  Huge flocks of doves!  More doves than we had ever seen!  We thought that this must be what Argentina dove hunting looks like.  For the rest of the drive we were watching flocks of hundreds of doves flying all around the road.  We were pumped and ready to get in the field!

Bad picture, but you get the idea of the number of birds

We finally arrived in Uvalde in the early evening.  After getting unpacked, we spent some time smoking cigars, having a few drinks, and talking about what tomorrow was going to bring us.  We were all so excited we could barely sleep that night like a bunch of kids on Christmas Eve.

Dad, Tom, and Mr. Blake

Enjoying some of the finer things

After a few beers we changed into some pretty sweet wolf shirts that we picked up from Walmart

We sprang out of bed at 5 AM Saturday morning with the taste of cigars and Bud Light Platinum still in our mouth.  We threw on our camo, packed the truck up, and headed for the field.  When we got there, it was still pitch black outside.  We picked a spot where we expected the birds to be flying to and spread out leaving about 50 yards between each of us.

Spread out down the fence line

As the sun began to rise, we started seeing a couple birds here or there.  We killed a few and had about eight birds between the five of us by 8 AM.  The outfitter drove up a few minutes later to see how we had been doing.  He told us, “Don’t worry.  They will be flying here…” then he looked down at his watch, “…in about 8 minutes.”  Sure enough, like clockwork, the doves started swarming 8 minutes later.

They were flying in flocks of 50 to 100 birds at a time.  There were so many birds weaving in and around each other that it was like looking at a school of fish.  It was hard to pick out a single target there was so many birds!  Once they started flying like that, we were all able to quickly take our limit for the day within the hour.  There was so much action the first day that I neglected my picture taking and vowed to be better about it the next day.

Chris, Tom, Mr. Blake, Dad, and Craig

Once we had picked up all our spent shotgun shells, cleaned our birds, and packed the truck we headed back to the hotel all before noon.  We spent the rest of the day, eating, sleeping, and watching a little college football followed by another evening of telling stories, drinking, and smoking cigars.

On Sunday, we decided to sleep in and hunt the evening instead of the morning.  We packed up and got into the field around 3:30 PM, which was a little on the early side, but we wanted to make sure that we got a good spot in the field.

Craig watch the sky for birds

We had scoped out a spot the previous day that we observed a lot of birds were flying towards.  We set up in the area, again spread 50 yards apart.  Boy was it hot!  Getting there in the hottest part of the day was the only drawback to doing the evening hunt.

Dad and Tom getting away from the sun. Tom got a cool walmart shirt too.

Staying hydrated. The Texas sun is brutal

We all took shelter from the suns penetrating rays in any shady spot we could find.   Most of us were posted up under trees on a fence line.  We missed a lot of doves early on this way, because by the time they would fly over the tree line and we could stand up with our shotgun, they were too far away for a shot.

Decoy closeup

Throughout the day, we had lots of birds flying over.  The problem was that they were flying very high.  So high that it was rare to be able to hit one.  Most of the time we wouldn’t even shoot at the high flyers, because it would just be a waste of ammo.

A white wing dove

By about 6 PM the hunting really started heating up.  It wasn’t quite as good as it was the day before, but there were still tons of birds.  The birds started flying lower and in larger flocks.  Craig limited out, then Mr. Blake, then me, then Tom, and then Dad finished up strong.

Craig and Chris heading back to the truck after finishing a limit.

Mr Blake, Craig, Chris, Tom, and Dad with our day’s bag limit 75 birds total plus a few ring necks

Two days in a row we all took a limit of birds.  We were all thrilled!  It couldn’t have come at a better time either, because we were hot, sweaty, and ready to get out of the field.  Again we cleaned our birds, packed the truck and headed for the hotel.

Now for the fun part. Cleaning all 75 birds

The last night of the trip is always a little bittersweet.  We usually sit around and talk about all our favorite moments from the weekend and what we want to do differently next year wishing that the weekend would last for a month.  We usually only get to do this one bird hunt each year, so it is sad to think that we have to wait until next September to do this again.

The next morning we packed up and parted ways with Mr. Blake and we headed for Houston.  When we arrived home we couldn’t resist cooking up a few doves before we all went back to our own homes.  Mom and some of the girls met us at my parents’ house and they had already bought the jalapenos, cream cheese, and bacon!

Craig grilling some doves

Best food ever. Half a jalapeno, filled with cream cheese, topped with a dove breast, wrapped in bacon.

What a great way to end an amazing weekend.  Hopefully it won’t be our last dove hunt of the year, but even if it is, we had enough fun to last the year.  I’ll never forget times like this and this tradition is something that I can’t wait to share with my future children.

I have lived in the country my entire life.  By country, I mean rural North Georgia.  Not really back woods but it’s about a 15 minute drive to the closest grocery store.  We do have a Wal-Mart about 10 miles away but this is certainly not the city life.

One aspect about living in the country that I don’t think much about is hunting.  I’m certainly not going hunting for anything unless it’s a bargain.  My hubby has the desire but that’s about it.  He has several guns but they don’t get much use.  However, in our area, hunting is a common activity among the masses.

Over the weekend, hubby and I kept hearing gunshots.  Not just a gunshot here or there but 100′s of shots.  I mean it sounded like we were living beside a firing range.  By the way, we don’t live close to a firing range.  As a matter of fact, we live beside a 4 lane highway.  My hubby and I wondered why they (whoever they are) were shooting so much.  That was pretty much the end of the discussion.  The shooting went on all day on Saturday.

We went to dinner with my parents Saturday night and hubby and dad were discussing the gunfire and my dad explained that the people were shooting doves.  He said that had set up some kind of area for the doves and they had just laid in wait for them.

Now, I know next to nothing about shooting doves, turkeys, squirrels, or anything else.  I don’t want to kill it, clean it, or eat it.  I know other people do and that’s fine with me.  Please don’t jump on me about whether it is right or wrong.  That is not the point of this post.

My thought was how differently the gunshots would have been handled had this event happened in a city or more populated area.  OK, I know people wouldn’t be shooting doves in a city.  The point is that we basically ignored the sound of shooting in the country.  I have never lived in a city so I can’t speak from experience but I have to believe that gunshots in a different area would have been cause for at least one call to the local law enforcement.  I might expect that one or more squad cars to show up just to see what was going on.

Not here.  Here, we just ignore it.

What does that say about us?  That we are used to it?  That we expect shots to be hunting and not crime?

What do you think?

Related articles

• Clovis shooting range draws complaints (fresnobee.com)
• Women’s interest in guns shoots up (kansas.com)
• Dove season: Where birds will be when hunters go out is still a guess (reporternews.com)
• North Georgia Outfitters of Dawsonville Georgia is Expanding their Offerings to Include Firearms Sales (prweb.com)
• Judge’s order keeps Camden firing range open (jacksonville.com)

Even though the hunting was poor, we had a great time. The birds arrived in ones and twos all morning, the weather was perfect and this was Tex’s first hunt. Tex had two Labs and another GSP to hunt and play with. There is no doubt that he had a terrific time and was exhausted at the end of the morning.

Hopeful at sunrise.

This is sweet Dixie. It is nice to have a Lab for the birds that land in the pond.

Armas Garbi bird gun.

Governor Jay Nixon was among the men and women taking part in Pike County.

Nixon’s staff says the governor bagged the state limit of 15 doves during his hunt.

Dove season runs through November 9th in Missouri.

The Weather in Frisco was mostly sunny today.  We had south-west winds 5-10 mph and the temperatures were in the mid 80′s.  The Avon beach was pretty productive today with puppy drum, sea mullet, spots, croakers, bluefish, and some spanish mackerel caught.  Out at Cape Point the spanish mackerel and bluefish bite was good this morning and decent this evening.  The Frisco beach was decent with some sea mullet, pompano and bluefish caught.  The Hatteras beach had bluefish,flounder ,sea mullet and pompano reported.  The inshore speckled trout fishing continues to be good in the Pamlico Sound along with bluefish and flounder.  The bluefish bite out on the shoals at Cape Point was excellent with some nice spanish mackerel mixed in.  The big red drum made a showing too but the bluefish would not let them eat.  Offshore today was a little slower.  Good wahoo fishing and a scattered dolphin bite.  A few nice grouper and triggerfish caught and a sailfish released.  Below the “Godspeed” charter boat with one of the four wahoos that caught today.

Check out today’s featured fishing product:

Gunslick Ultra-lube’s advanced formula is the ultimate in lubrication technology. It bonds to metal surfaces for superior lubricity, and offers layers of powerful protection against corrosion.  After a full day or week of dove hunting, which starts tomorrow morning, Gunslick’s Ultra Lube is a must to keep your firearm clean a shooting flawlessly.

We have a whole new selection of Woolrch Fall clothing in stock.

You can print our 2012 Frisco Rod and Gun Hatteras Island Tide Chart

Come by and see us at Frisco Rod and Gun, located at 53610 Hwy 12, across from Billy Mitchell Airstrip and Ramp 49.

Open year round, 364 days a year.  Visit us in the store or shop online anytime at friscorodandgun.com

The Weather in Frisco was mostly sunny today.  We had north-west winds switching to the north-east by noon and the temperatures were in the mid 80′s.  The Avon beaches had a variety of fish caught.  Spot. sea mullet, croaker, pompano and small puppy drum.  The Buxton beaches caught sea mullet and bluefish.  The Frisco beach report consisted of sea mullet and small bluefish.  On the Hatteras beach fishing was real good.  Good catches of bluefish and pompano with some nice sea mullet mixed in.  The inshore speckled trout fishing was excellent today.  The offshore dolphin fishing was excellent one again with some limits being caught.  The wahoo bite was pretty good too.

Check out today’s featured fishing product:

This Winchester Model 101  12 ga is a great bird gun for dove, quail, pheasant or just skeet shooting.  With is grade 2.5 walnut, classic checkering pattern and high gloss stock finish the look of this 101 is beautiful. It comes with elegant vented Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad with white line accent and three Invector Plus choke tubes.

You can print our 2012 Frisco Rod and Gun Hatteras Island Tide Chart

Come by and see us at Frisco Rod and Gun, located at 53610 Hwy 12, across from Billy Mitchell Airstrip and Ramp 49.

Open year round, 364 days a year.  Visit us in the store or shop online anytime at friscorodandgun.com

The Weather in Frisco was mostly sunny today.  We had south-east winds 10-20 mph and the temperatures were around 90 degrees.  The fishing on the Avon beach was pretty good with croaker, sea mullet and some puppy drum caught.  The Buxton beaches had some puppy drum and sea mullet.  Out at Cape Point the bluefish and spanish bite was really good.   The Frisco and Hatteras beaches had sea mullet and bluefish.  The inshore boats had real good catches of speckled and gray trout.  The offshore bite was slow today. Only a few wahoo and dolphin caught.  One sailfish released.  The picture below is the a sailfish released aboard the “Bite Me” charter boat today.

Check out today’s featured fishing product:

This Allen Folding Stool With Back is great for your next dove hunting trip.  The camo folding stool features strong steel frame with storage pouch beneath seat and carry strap.

You can print our 2012 Frisco Rod and Gun Hatteras Island Tide Chart

Come by and see us at Frisco Rod and Gun, located at 53610 Hwy 12, across from Billy Mitchell Airstrip and Ramp 49.

Open year round, 364 days a year.  Visit us in the store or shop online anytime at friscorodandgun.com

The Weather in Frisco was mostly sunny today with a few short showers.  We had east south-east winds 5-10 mph and the temperatures were in the upper 80′s.  The Buxton beach had some pretty good small puppy drum fishing today.  Out at Cape Point there was a good bluefish bite on lures today.  Only a few spanish mackerel were caught.  The Frisco beach was holding some sea mullet and Hatteras beaches had sea mullet and bluefish.   The inshore fishing was decent with catches of speckled trout, bluefish, red drum and flounder being reported.  The offshore bite was a little slow.  Wahoo fishing was real good for some boats and the dolphin bite was decent.  A few blackfin and amberjacks were also caught.   Three sailfish were released.

Check out today’s featured fishing product:

Dove season is just around the corner.  Be sure to pickup you remington dove load shotgun shells available in multiple brands form 7.5 to 8 shot,  20 or 12 gauge.

You can print our 2012 Frisco Rod and Gun Hatteras Island Tide Chart

Come by and see us at Frisco Rod and Gun, located at 53610 Hwy 12, across from Billy Mitchell Airstrip and Ramp 49.

Open year round, 364 days a year.  Visit us in the store or shop online anytime at friscorodandgun.com

The youth hunts will be held in the following counties: Baldwin, Barbour, Calhoun, Chilton, Clay, Colbert, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Walker and Wilcox.

North Zone hunts begin Sept. 8, and South Zone hunts begin Sept. 22. South Zone counties include Baldwin, Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Mobile; all other counties are in the North Zone. The hunts are sponsored by the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries with support from many partners.

Online registration begins Aug. 22 for the September hunts and Sept. 14 for the October hunts. Participants without Internet access may register by calling their WFF district office listed in the hunt schedule. District office personnel will complete the electronic registration form for you over the phone.

“The youth dove hunts are a perfect way to introduce kids to hunting,” said Conservation Commissioner N. Gunter Guy Jr.  “Spending quality time with family members, while enjoying a safe hunting experience, is a great way to help ensure our hunting heritage.”

Alabama’s Youth Dove Hunting events are held in open fields and staffed by ADCNR personnel, which encourages a safe, secure environment for parents and participants. The program also makes use of private lands and fields opened for use by community members, thus fostering good relationships between hunters and private landowners.

To participate in the hunts, youth hunters must be age 15 or younger and accompanied by an adult at least 25 years old (or a parent) who holds a valid state hunting license and a Harvest Information Program (HIP) stamp. Hunters should obtain their license and HIP stamp before the hunt since they will not be available on-site.

Before each hunt, a short welcome session with reminders on hunting safety will be conducted. All hunters are encouraged to wear eye protection and earplugs.

Hunt schedules and registration information are available at www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/youth-hunts. Although the hunts are free, pre-registration is necessary. The preferred method of registration is online at www.outdooralabama.com.

Oklahoma free hunting days scheduled for September 1^st and 2^nd.  During these two days you are not required to have an Oklahoma hunting license or HIP permit. Remember to consult area regulations regarding hunting seasons and dates, shotgun pellet restrictions, and daily limits. Also be aware of hunter safety requirements.

I recommend that you do a little research on the web regarding public hunting opportunities in Oklahoma. Most of my life I have hunted public land. I have had good success dove hunting. For several years I have hunted at Black Kettle National Grass lands. I have had good success by contacting local biologist and workers. They have turned me onto some sections that have working windmills and food plots that are actively used by birds. Other public hunting areas that have been productive include Drummond Flats and Lexington WMA.  Some areas that provide good opportunities according to my sources include Kaw, Hackberry Flats, Sandy Sanders, and Cross Timbers

A little observation and adaptability go a long way when dove hunting on public land. When I hunt a new area I drive around looking for concentrations of birds. If I see several birds on a power line overlooking a plowed food plot I will park and hunt the area for a while. If the area is hot you can usually pattern the birds. If you need to reposition for better fly overs then don’t hesitate. Try to understand why the birds are flying a certain pattern. Are the birds going to or from food sources, watering holes, or roost? Remember food, water, and shelter.

Share the Experience!

Ross Kupiec

Helpful Links:

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/media/free_hunting_days.htm

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/webless.htm

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/huntregs.htm

While on the subject of safety there are some common sense things that will insure the hunt is a safe one.

Do not load your gun until you are at your assigned shooting station and shooting hours have begun.  Keep the action open.  Once shooting has begun keep your gun on safety until you are ready to shoot.  Always point your gun in a safe direction.  When shooting, do not over swing so that you are pointing toward another hunter.  Know where the other hunters are located.

Once a bird is downed is the only time to leave your assigned station.  If possible use a dog to retrieve birds.  Be sure to keep an eye on downed birds so you can find them and return to your shooting station quickly.  Do not take your gun with you as you go out to retrieve downed birds.  Unload it and carefully place it on the ground.  Unload as well and keep the action open when you are leaving your station.

Doves provide a great challenge. Their erratic flight provides a challenging target.  They provide an opportunity to sharpen aerial shooting skills in anticipation of waterfowl shooting for later in the season.  But, safety must be a consideration when hunting in a crowded situation like that found in the first couple of days on public hunting fields.

Photo by ALBOWIEB, Flickr.

Governor Terry Branstad overturned the ban on lead shot earlier in the month, making lead shot legal for the upcoming dove-hunting season.

Originally, the use of lead shot for dove hunting was banned by the Natural Resources Commission due to lead’s harmful environmental effects. The dove season opens on September 1.

As noted on our radio segment, the biggest concern with lead shot are the unwanted wildlife deaths. Animals ingest the lead pellets after mistaking them for food.

Branstad opposed the ban in large part because he felt the Natural Resources Commission exceeded their authority when they issued it.

Read more from the Sioux City Journal here.

Photo by Alex E. Proimos.

Controversy over the use of lead shot continues in Iowa. Now the Iowa Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit claiming that a legislative committee acted unconstitutionally.

The Administrative Rules Review Committee (ARRC) voted in August to delay the implementation of a ruling by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) banning the use of lead shot for dove hunting in Iowa.

The Sierra Club argues that since the ARRC is part of the legislative branch, and the NRC is part of the executive branch, the ARRC couldn’t constitutionally stop the NRC’s ruling.

Due to the delay, the Senate can still debate the lead shot issue this session. If the Senate doesn’t take action, the ban will go into effect at the beginning of September when the dove season starts.

For more information, read The Gazette’s article here.

Today, I came across exactly the kind of information that makes me wish I had never heard of the internet. A story about hunting white buffalo in Texas lead me to the horrible realization that there are people out there that pay big money to hunt not only the white buffalo in the picture, but giraffes and elephants. What for?

American Indians and Native Canadians are rightfully furious about hunting the white buffalo which of course, is sacred to them. I thought white buffalo were scarce and unusual. Isn’t that what the plaque says at the Winnipeg Zoo?

In my google adventure for today, I made all sorts of awful discoveries. You can go giraffe hunting, for example. These people at Safari Guides dot net are happy to take your money. Again, why would you pay someone to let you kill a giraffe?

It seems to me that its all a bit much.

This company in Texas offers hunting packages of every description including the white buffalo and three different kinds of DOVE HUNTING adventures! Why dove hunting? What did doves ever do? Do you become more manly when you kill doves? I thought we were using doves as a symbol of peace. Did someone change that?

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you; these hunting packages include free booze!

According to their website, “There are no seasonal restrictions on hunting the Zebra in Texas, which makes it a suitable trophy year round.” Could that be because since there aren’t supposed to be any zebras wandering around the Texas wilderness, nobody thought they would need any zebra hunting rules? Maybe.

My favorite option might just be this little gem. “We typically let our hunters choose the method of hunting that they prefer”. Then there’s a list, which includes handguns. Yes. Handgun hunting. They can accommodate the physically disabled hunter as well as those hunters confined to a wheelchair. Handgun hunting of endangered animals from a wheelchair. I can picture it now.

“Texas Hunt Lodge allows the opportunity to hunt and harvest the extremely rare Bongo you’ll want to hang on your wall.” I actually don’t know what to say about this, because it gets better, “if you don’t see a species of Exotic Game animal on our website which you would like to hunt, please let us know, and we’re fairly confident that we can locate it for you.” Then you can kill one to hang on your very own wall. Yeesh!

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t joined PETA or anything and I still stand behind Canada Goose. After all, fur trimmed hoods are extra warm and we are in Canada.

Like, I am not a complete fool. I am aware that hunting is big business. I just always thought they were talking about deer and whatever plentiful game there happens to be where you are. You know, like wild boar and whatever. I guess I was taken by surprise with this white buffalo hunting story.