Doves Sept. 1st.....who's taking the ML challenge?

[roundball]

A couple guys invited me to join them at a large farm dove shoot that's held every year...they've gone several years and know the layouts of the fields & good spots...I think they said you buy a pass that's good for both Saturday & Monday...so if there are a lot of birds, I may go twice.

The season opens at noon of course but they like to get there at 9:30am to get the spots they want...set chairs & stools in place to secure the spots, then go get breakfast.

I'll be using my GM .54cal Flint smoothbore...(and have the .62cal in the truck as backup since it's a 100 mile drive to the farm). Haven't been on a good dove shoot in years...if I can get a few with a Flintlock I'll be a happy camper :grin:

Anybody else trying Doves with a muzzleloader?

 

[rabjr]

If it was 1977 and I had the spots I hunted back then, I'd say hell ya! Unfortunately dove hunting is crapola here today. If you have a good productive field to hunt enjoy every minute of it.

 

[No Deer]

No dove season here but have hunted quail with my trade gun. Will get another chance to do the same in a couple of weeks. :wink:

 

[roundball]

Man, that sound great...Quail are one of the few forms of wild game that I don't think I could ever eat enough of.
I had the good fortune to go on several quail hunts in South Carolina back in the 70s...a neighbor had a couple dogs and a few farms we could hunt...been a good 30 years but I remember birds flushing up out of those broom sage fields like it was yesterday...good luck with them.
:thumbsup:

 

[Joel Lehman]

Our dove season also opens Sep 1 in cental Texas. I will be using my 20 guage fowler built by Brian Turner. My brothers,son and grandson will be going to a farm near Austin where we have had permission to hunt for over 40 years.

On Sep 8 my rifle club is having a BBQ for all members. We will be firing a blank salute at noon in honor of the members who died since the last BBQ.
The weapon used in the salute is the type the member liked to shoot or compete with the most.
I expect to see 1911 45's, M1's some Hawkens and of course my fowler. I guess I will have to go hunting again in the afternoon since my bore is already dirty.

Joel Lehman, Austin TX

 

[GreyWhiskers]

The season opens at noon of course

Interesting. Dove opener in CA is always 1/2 hour before sunrise. Great shooting at that time.

I'm also going to a large farm hunt that's an annual event. I'm lucky. It's usually some of the best dove hunting in the area.

Going to bring a Pedersoli 10 ga double this year. Hope to make a good showing for BP hunting. GW

 

[KyFlintlock]

I have in the past a bit, but am oncall this week and can't leave the immediate area.

Good luck and take some pics!
Wess

 

[shootemup]

I'll be chasing rabbits in the morning (I'm listening to my three little beagles on a chase as I type this), and dove in the afternoon. :thumbsup:

Don't have a big grain field to hunt, but do know of a few places nearby that have been productive in the past.

I'll be using my 20-gauge flintlock fowler. Please let us know how it goes for you, I'll do the same.

Spot

 

[roundball]

Interesting. Dove opener in CA is always 1/2 hour before sunrise. Great shooting at that time.

That's surprising...doves fall under the Federal Migratory Bird Act and I thought their seasons were set by the Feds, standardized in all states.
The first week here is noon to sunset, then it goes to full days after that.

Expecting to see GWs on opening day, I thought I'd have some fun and keep a Remington plastic 3 shot plug in my vest with a rubber band...attach it under the barrel of my Flinter if I see one coming along checking people.

Good luck

 

[Dave K]

Ohio's dove season is sunrise to sunset. I will be out with the 14ga. SxS. perc. Dove hunting laws are terribly confusing. You can not bait doves or migratory birds, but you can in Ohio, mow down your sunflower or corn patch to attract them. But, don't going throwing any seeds to attract them. Weird to me, but the game warden and I were talking about this, just last Monday.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

All I remember about this is that the treaty between the US, Canada and Mexico keeps the season from opening before Sept. 1.

Dove season only runs for 15 days in CA and then opens back up on the 2nd week-end of November with pheasant season. GW

 

[jbullard1]

I'll be out there Sat morning with my 12 guage percussion SxS :applause:

 

[Old Charlie]

Round ball our season opens on the 15th. It like yours is noon until sunset. I shoot my double barrel 12 gauge cap gun. I did very poorly with it last year. I have changed my load and hope to do better this year!
I like you think that quail are the best eating critter on the earth. In my younger days they were plentiful here, but are all but gone now. I have flushed up but one covey of quail in the last 4 or 5 years. I sure do miss those little fellers!
Old Charlie

 

[tireland]

:cursing: I won't get to go until Wednesday next week ( out of town ) but I'll have my pedersoli 20ga double out then. We hunt a friend's "sod" farm. :rotf: It's great, like sitting on a golf course. The hotter and dryer it is- the better! It's divided into smaller areas that have ditches around 3 sides so there is some cover to sit in and he has sprinklers running most of the day somewhere on the farm ( you have to watch out or you may get wet if he doesn't see you) but the doves come in to the low spots where the water collects to drink and they use some of his empty weed filled fields to rest and feed in. He only allows a couple of people in so you don't have to worry about crowds or getting shot raining down on you like some of the public areas.

 

[MFP308]

I don't think the dove would hold up well to my GPR .54. Not that they would have much to fear. Still objetcs are hard enough. I'll have to stick to the shot gun until I get something more appropriate.

Mike

 

[MFP308]

Roundball it's early to rise here in Arizona to get the dove as well. Half hour before sunrise to half hour after sunset. That or I know a bunch of people who are in deep s...

Old Charlie you have to come out Arizona. We got Quail! I usually see quite a few in our back yard every day.

Mike

 

Ya' know what? I have not made the leap to shotty gun ML and I don't know why. So, on Saturday I will be out there with the modern 20 ga O/U. Can someone make a suggestion on a good ML shotgun? I would prefer a sxs but a single would be fine too. Flinter - of course.

 

[roundball]

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning with mine...they are simply GM Flint smoothbore drop-in barrels for a TC Hawken stock...killed a couple turkey's with one this spring, looking for some doves this Saturday.

I experimented with a Navy Arms SxS .12ga caplock several years ago just when I was transitioning to Flintlocks and lost interest in it as a caplock, let it go a couple years later.

My personal experience was that I never got comfortable reloading one fired barrel knowing the adjacant barrel was still loaded, even after removing the cap...but by contrast I am completely comfortable with and prefer a single barrel, I know going in I get one shot, I'm fine with that and it's not a problem.

Good luck

 

[Stump Sound]

Yes! I'll have my brothers Roy Stroh fowler for the second opening day in a row. We are hunting just west of Kenansville NC and I40.

I'll be honest with yall, I can't decide if I'm more excited about opening day or the BBQ pig.

Paul B.

 

[Runner]

I have been spreading sunflower seed on a large open area for several weeks in preparation for dove season. There are several out there picking seeds as we speak. I am gonna hunt doves at home this year!