Dove Opener:Are you Ready?

F

Fat White Boy

New member
Well, Dove season opens this Saturday. I will be at the Colorado River in Blythe, California. The only openers I have missed were when I was in the Military. My dad got me started when I was 8 or 9 and I started taking my boy when he was 5, he is now 25. Hope it stays hot!!
 
I haven't been dove hunting in 25-30 years. Last time was in the Imperial Valley in an orchard. We carried 5-gallon buckets so we would have a place to sit down. We shot our limits by 9:30 and then quit for the day (it was already over 100 degrees). Next day, same story. Incredible!

I'm going to Hunter Liggett this fall with my brother for pigs. Haven't been in 28 years. Wonder if there will still be dove around by then? We could head to Lemore after we get a hog and see if the dove are still around.
 
Dove season opens here in Oklahoma Saturday as well, the birds are numerous in certain areas but it has been very hot, guess we will find out Saturday :D
 
No because I don't have a good place to hunt them. They are numerous in western counties, but where I hunt pretty sparse. Need to find a friend with land pretty quick. Incidentally, in Okla, this Sat & Sun (1st & 2nd of Sept), are the "free hunting days" where anyone with or without a hunting license can hunt doves and (I think also) resident canada geese. Idea is to get people involved to see what a hoot it is, then if they get hooked, a lifetime of hunting license revenues. :)
 
Ya, I'm Ready

I'll be sitting outside in my lawn chair watching them flying around as "protected" by the state of Michigan. :mad:
The voting population of the state felt that Doves are not really game birds and that there isn't enough meat to eat, yada and yada. So we will defer the opportunity to those of you in other states. Maybe next time we will outlaw deer or bear hunting. Ya never know just how "rightious" this state will get! :barf:
 
I spent last evening driving around a new lease marking good lookin spots with a gps. Unfortunately it's a corporate lease that we share with around a hundred others. There is one tank and a couple creeks that I could find on a couple thousand acres. Work prevented me from being on the "selection committee". We have a backup plan with a friend of a friend's 50 acres and a tank. That one's free, but cropped up after sending in the check for the first one. It's been a few years since I went after sky rats. Should be fun.
 
I finally, after about 20 years, went out dove hunting last year with my nephew and it was a hoot. He had this thing from BassPro called a mojo dove and it really worked. Was picking corn in this field day before, and we just stood around the combine shooting the breeze, and shooting doves like there was no tomorrow. Those mojos really work. We should have a banner year of dove again what with all the abandoned wheat grain in most fields around here. Food supply is certainly not lacking. I'm planning on being there again.

Okie out
 
Can't wait...ours doesn't start till September 22nd...Doves and cactus beware!!! :rolleyes: We have no shortage of prickley pear cactus, so we usually have fun blasting the stuff w/ cheapy dove rounds...Puts on a pretty good show...:D
 
I'll be out saturday...and sunday and monday, 3 day weekend baby! I'm so excited I'll share my favorite dove recipe, filet the breast, put some jalepenos and cheese in it, fold it in a strip of bacon, put a toothpick in to hold it together, soak in your favorite marinade and throw on the grill. Trust me, you won't be dissapointed!
 
Doves in Swampeast MO

A few years ago there was a well known farmer in southeast MO that disked his fields the week before the season then has a crop duster broadcast plant winter wheat.

A couple of days before the season he empties a very large equipment shed and sits up tables, chairs, cookers, beer trucks, dance floor, etc. Opening morning a couple hundred guys (by personal invitation only) show up and the fun begins. During the morning those lucky enough for an invitation will fire somewhere over 5,000 rounds and kill 1,500 - 2,000 doves. The doves are all cleaned and cooked for lunch. Of course there will also be venison, waterfowl, turtle soup, etc available. The females arrive around dark and the band starts at 8:PM and goes till???

The Feds will also be present and always manage to cite somebody for something. They have tried to stop this hunt for years but the Judge ruled that as long as the farmer is both planting and harvesting the wheat, he is legally "farming." I lost my invitation when I moved away and didn't hunt for 4-5 years. I assume the hunt still goes on.
:):)
 
My 11-87 will be singing this Saturday out by Mont Belvieu, just east of Houston. We'll be in Beeville, Texas when the South Zone opens on 9/22.

That dove recipe workes great with cubed deer meat, also.
 
IBFestus,

I once new an old boy who haled from SE MO that described nearly the same exact hunt. He was a friend of my dad's at the time and he'd bring back coolers full of dove breasts to WI. Don't know how legal it was to possess so many, but they were darned tasty. Grilled them with bacon and jalapenos during the deer season. YUM If I remember correctly, he was from somewhere around Kennett
 
While were at it - how hard is it to process them? Do you all do your own? Is it really just a case of plucking feather after feather (plus taking care of the "stuffins")? :barf:
 
I just pull the skin off the breast and stick my thumbs between the breast and rib cage and pluck the breast out. I've never heard of anyone eating any other part of the dove, but I'm sure it happens.
 
I've been mowing my pastures like crazy in anticipation- Special white wing season starts this weekend!

I just hope to see some whites.
 
Yep- The breast is all there is to eat on them. I use game shears to cut it out after I peel the skin over the breast back. Be sure to leave a wing for species ID if you aren't at home or are going to transport them.

If you have a big group of hunters, set up a wash tub and sit around it cleaning the birds. Get the kids involved if you can. They will remember it for the rest of their lives.

My Recipe for dove breast- Take a 1 gallon plastic freezer storage bag, put in 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce and add a bottle of Frank's Red Hot then add the birds. Marinate all day and grill them on the BBQ for dinner...I prefer a dark sweet BBQ sauce for dove.
 
Anybody going to the 2nd Dove Opener (South Zone) in Texas?

Do any of the other states have a second opening weekend?
 
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