Dove season!

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fourthwind

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Mar 12, 2009
1,203
12
Thornton, CO
I have called these little treats the Lords fast food for many years.  I always try to come up with something to get a few extra birds in range for me and my buddies. This year I built the Dove-inator.  The spot we hunt has few places for decoys due to tall grass.  I built this out of an old floodlight stand, and some pvc.  2 spinning wing decoys and 3 stationary.  Cant wait till tomorrow morning.  September 1st never seems to get here soon enough :)  Anyone else going out tomorrow, or are you waiting for the weekend?

The Dove-Inator

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We have to wait for the 1st saturday in sept. and then it's no shooting till after 12  noon on opening weekend. Looks like a nice decoy set up.
 
I knew there were a few states that didn't open on the first.  That part doesn't suprise me.  The no shooting till noon just confuses me.  I even asked a buddy who is a USFG dove biologist if there was a reason.  His thought was that someone in LA must not like hearing the guns in the morning.  LOL 

Good luck to all those who get out into the fields tomorrow.  Swing hard and lead long!
 
Ours start tomorrow (1st). Commence firing 30 min before sun up. We are not allowed to use decoys here for some reason. You really don't need them any how. With a bag limit of 10 dove, not more than 6 being white wing, it's not hard to have a limit befor 0900.

This is the first year in quite some time that we can shoot all day. It used to be morning hunt only. No matter, it's too darn hot to be out after 10 anyhow. It does make it nice to be able and go out after work and knock a few down, enjoy a beer then head back to the roundhouse..
 
We have a 15 bird limit on morning dove here.  Decoys will get you those extra birds that skirt your spot.  On a good day they really dont matter.   I decided to go to a spot close to home this morning.  It was really slow there, but I didnt want to burn the honey hole before the rest of the gang could join me on Saturday.  There are a ton of Eurasion collared dove there, and there is no limit on them!  Last year we harvested a handfull of morning dove, but took 60 collared dove between three of us. 
 
I made a hinged decoy stand that resembles a high line pole a few years ago out of 2-8' 2X2" 's, 2 flexible landscapeing stakes and a couple nuts and bolts.





Our dove season opens today and in ND we have a 15 bird limit. I had shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago so I won't be doing much shooting, hoping mid-October I can. Thinking about taking my sawed-off (legal size yet) 12 Ga. and trying one armed with my left hand (I'm right handed), not sure I will hit anything though.....
 
I made a hinged decoy stand that resembles a high line pole a few years ago out of 2-8' 2X2" 's, 2 flexible landscapeing stakes and a couple nuts and bolts.





Our dove season opens today and in ND we have a 15 bird limit. I had shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago so I won't be doing much shooting, hoping mid-October I can. Thinking about taking my sawed-off (legal size yet) 12 Ga. and trying one armed with my left hand (I'm right handed), not sure I will hit anything though.....
You need to learn how to shoot left handed. It comes in real handy when field hunting for geese, I always get stuck on the left side and got screwed every time. About 1000 rounds left handed and I finally got the hang of it. Just remember to shoot with both eyes open all the time, that is the hardest thing to train yourself to do, oh yeah make sure you are shooting a bottom eject or an over/under. I am heading out tomorrow. I cant wait to make dove ABT's
 
Went out this evening to scout a small spot just outside of city limits and on state trust land. I got my limit, had the dog a fetchin and my boy plinking with the BB gun. great day. I'll post up a pic when I get it from my wife.

My dove-eating dog Rosco and my boy Ernie with the famous Superstition Mountains (The lost Dutchman) in the background. I'll post some view in wild game when I smoke 'em..

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NICE!!!   My boy needs to be 5 before momma will let me take him out on the hunting side of things.  No better companion in the field than kids and your dog.
 
I love to shoot the grey ghosts.  We are going to go out on Monday to our duck lease and see if we can get some shooting in.  It's not flooded yet and we have a bunch of natural seed bearing grass.  Sometimes we get some pretty good shooting.  Nothing like bacon wrapped dove breasts on the grill with a cold beer and a football game on the tube. It's a sure sign that fall is on the way.
 
Our early goose season comes in with the dove opener on 9/1 as well...im a 'fowler so we've been tearing up the geese the last 2 mornings.  But this morning we hunted a silage field that was cut late last week and we could have had our limit of doves too...but not with the pricey steel shot.  I look foward of some qview of the dove smokes!  I love dove, never smoked them yet. 
 
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I'm thinking of doing something different than my green chili and bacon wrap. This year I'm gonna do dove breast and wild rice fatties.. Should have them done this weekend.. What are ya'lls favorite recipes or techniques?
 
Our early goose season comes in with the dove opener on 9/1 as well...im a 'fowler so we've been tearing up the geese the last 2 mornings.  But this morning we hunted a silage field that was cut late last week and we could have had our limit of doves too...but not with the pricey steel shot.  I look foward of some qview of the dove smokes!  I love dove, never smoked them yet. 
Your a D!&#!!!!   LOL   I am jealous as hell!  Our early goose season doesnt get here till the first week of October.  It was killing me too.  I had three low and fat flocks of birds go right over my hay field on the Dove opener.
 
 
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I'm thinking of doing something different than my green chili and bacon wrap. This year I'm gonna do dove breast and wild rice fatties.. Should have them done this weekend.. What are ya'lls favorite recipes or techniques?
Normally i marinade in italian dressing and then do the slice of jalapeno and bacon wrap and onto the grill.  But man, a few years ago my dad and i had a bang up evening and the next night i went over to their house to feast.  My mom dredged them in flower and quick-fried them in butter with S&P and a little garlic, then put a lid on the pan turned down the heat a bit and let them sit on the stove for a while.  Man were they GOOD!  Shes a great cook thoguh, and she does chicken like that that is unbelievable. 
 
 
I typically do the bacon and Jap wrap on the breasts myself.  I have also taken half cooked bacon, and wrapped the breasts and pan fried them until the bacon was done, then added a little piece of smoked cheddar to the top.  Little bacon & cheese dove sliders.  :)
 
These dang birds have been tormenting me for the last three weeks. Everywhere I turn in the neigborhood I see doves, doves, and move doves.  The upstart of it all is that I live within city limits and can't shoot the dang things, and the real kicker is that there just isn't very many places that you can shoot within the county. Lots of good farmland nearby but the county doesn't even allow that even if you manage to get the landowner's permission.  
 
Wow,

That wouldn't fly too well in PA. I think you can hunt just about anywhere in PA, with permission from the land owner (except in city limits). Then we have millions of State Game Lands, where all you do is pull all 4 wheels off the road, walk in & hunt. Some of those places even have parking lots designed just for hunters.

I think hunters in PA help make the rules.
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Bear
 
I can't wait to get out. they are thick around my house.  Think my company will mind if I shoot a few while cooking on the grill tonight? lol
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