Yummy!

[AzRednek]

This is today's limit, 10 morning dove, cleaned and soaking in a mixure of Italian salad dressing and water. I dam near gave up this morning. At dawn one bird. I hung around after finding a spot with the only watering hole in the area that had any water, all the others were bone dry. Usually the dove start coming in about 8AM for water. At 8:00 a cloud cover came in, very light drizzle lasted about 5-10 minutes and no dove. I was considering leaving after my second bird. The cloud cover gone and the heat was fastly approaching in excess of a hundred. All of a sudden those birds discovered they were thirsty, like somebody opened a gate. From 8:45 to 9:10 I had my legal daily limit of 10. The Game Warden was already by and checked licenses and dove stamps. Another hunter was bragging about having 15 dove and a few Quail. Quail are out of season and as I drove off I saw the Warden return. If he is caught, it is $50 fine for each bird over the limit and $150 for each out of season Quail. First time since I was a teenager I put a bead on one bird, shot and two fell out of the sky. After tomorrow's hunt I should have a real feast. I wrap the dove in bacon and grill slowly, I can hardly wait!!

 

[Horsefly]

Same story here AZ! I was on my barn doing some roofing at daylight,and heard very few shots and thought how this must be a sorry opening day.About 10,the sun came out and dove were everywhere,but no shots.I guess everybody had given up.We have lots of whitewings now and those kaki colored doves with the ring around their neck.Late in the evening lots of doves went over in larger than usual flocks,but I still heard no shots.City limits is about a 100 yards from my place with new houses all around,so,I reckon I better not do any shooting,'cause I know the cops will bug the devil out of me when the townies start calling in. Jerry

[cold shot]

Lookin' good AZ, HF a pellet rifle works mighty fine ifin' yer a good shot. Dave

[AzRednek]

Same story here AZ! I was on my barn doing some roofing at daylight,and heard very few shots and thought how this must be a sorry opening day.

 

OMG, you spent the day roofing when you could have been hunting??

 

It gets worse every year around Phx, nothing but morning dove. Farmers deliberately wont grow anything to draw white-wings and dove hunters. Can't blame them, stupid sob's leave garbage, scare cattle away from watering holes, walk and drive over crops. Heard about an incident a few years ago. Two dove hunters were arrested after they turned off irrigation gates and flooded a major street.

 

I did see two white-wings today but they were flying way to high. I only got 5 today before the heat got to me. It is still hot enough to keep white-wings in the state but it would be a 4-5 hour drive from Phoenix. The numerous feedlots are all gone and the only sorgum field I'm aware of is in Luke AFB's fly way and civilains are not only prohibited in the area but subject to arrest.

 

When I was a kid I used to walk or ride my bike about a 1/4 mile to do all the dove hunting I could afford. Shells were a whopping 1.29 per box and if I was willing to peddle my bike a few miles 99 cents. One farmer wanted hunters to knock on his door so he could bring in his dogs and would tell the kids when he grew melons to stay out of his fields. Didn't do much good though, keeping kids out of watermelon or cantalope fields was near impossible.