Headin' out for an "ala blanca" hunt tomorrow morning!
12-25-2004, 06:24 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 48
Headin' out for an "ala blanca" hunt tomorrow morning!
I'm getting geared up for trip number two for Bare-eyed Pigeons, or ala blanca (white wings) as the locals call them. I'll take one of my Venezuelan buddies along (he was my retriever on the last hunt) but he'll be armed with his own shotgun this time.
We'll probably be gone for 2 nights and therefore make 2 afternoon and 1 morning hunt. In the interim, I want to visit with some of the local ranchers/farmers I've not yet met in an effort to secure permission to hunt their property.
They're also harvesting sorghum down here right now so I'll be checking out some of those fields for white wing and Tear Dove congregations.
I'll post an update on our luck upon our return.
El Gringo
We'll probably be gone for 2 nights and therefore make 2 afternoon and 1 morning hunt. In the interim, I want to visit with some of the local ranchers/farmers I've not yet met in an effort to secure permission to hunt their property.
They're also harvesting sorghum down here right now so I'll be checking out some of those fields for white wing and Tear Dove congregations.
I'll post an update on our luck upon our return.
El Gringo
12-28-2004, 10:54 AM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 48
RE: Headin' out for an "ala blanca" hunt tomorrow morning!
Just got back from the two day hunt and can report that we had another successful trip. Totals for the trip were 18 Bare-eyed Pigeons, 5 Tear Doves, 6 Crested Quail, and 5 rabbits. The rabbits are about the size and appearance of a cotton tail except that they've got a very small and dark-colored tail.
The pigeons started arriving at the roosting/watering area around 3:30 - 4:00 in the afternoon and continued to arrive in groups from a few birds to up to 25 or so, until about 5:00PM. Sunday afternoon I started out shooting well, knocking down my first 4 or 5 birds, but got humbled quickly thereafter. I ended up with 11 on the day. Yesterday afternoon I didn't get as many birds, but I let my Venezuelan buddy hunt the best spot. He finished the afternoon with 4 or 5 birds, including his first-ever wing shot pigeon. As luck would have it, my first pigeon hit the water. Several others followed and I ended up playing retriever before the afternoon was through.
We shot a few birds during a very short hunt Monday morning but I was most interested in visiting some area ranches/farms in an attempt to procure permission for future hunts. I'm happy to report that I was able to acquire permission to hunt an additional 9200 acres! I realize that sounds like a lot of territory, and it certainly is, but these birds appear to congregate in specific areas to feed, water, rest, and roost. From what I've seen so far, if you haven't done some homework and know where the birds are at a given time, you may end up seeing only a few.
The best news was that I was able to obtain permission to hunt 800 acres of rolling hills planted in sorghum that's located about 2 miles from where I've been hunting. This spot is perfect because it provides lots of wide-open areas for the birds to feed but also is bordered by plenty of small trees and has a small mountain as a backdrop. I drive by this spot as I enter and leave the ranch I've been hunting and there are always plenty of birds in the area. This morning as we were leaving at approximately 7:30, we saw hundreds of pigeons and Tear doves landing in the sorghum stubble.
Interestingly, we also saw hundreds of small parrots (about twice the size of a parakeet) hitting the field as well. These were beautiful birds colored in bright emeral green on the back, blue-tipped wings, and gold on the face and belly. I had to think of our now-extinct Carolina Parakeet as I watched the flocks devouring some still-standing sorghum plants.
One final note. I was pleasantly surprised by the morning temperatures as it was amazingly cool based on my experience in Venezuela. When I checked the outside temperature recorded by my vehicle, it registered 20C, which calculates out as 68 F. I finally figured out as I drove out and watched the tempertaure climb rapidly to 28 C, or 82 F, that the region I'm hunting sits in a huge valley which was being cooled by morning air sliding down off the nearby mountains. The rain in the mountains last night probably helped quite a bit as well.
Anyway, there's the hunt report. Hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed the hunt.
El Gringo
The pigeons started arriving at the roosting/watering area around 3:30 - 4:00 in the afternoon and continued to arrive in groups from a few birds to up to 25 or so, until about 5:00PM. Sunday afternoon I started out shooting well, knocking down my first 4 or 5 birds, but got humbled quickly thereafter. I ended up with 11 on the day. Yesterday afternoon I didn't get as many birds, but I let my Venezuelan buddy hunt the best spot. He finished the afternoon with 4 or 5 birds, including his first-ever wing shot pigeon. As luck would have it, my first pigeon hit the water. Several others followed and I ended up playing retriever before the afternoon was through.
We shot a few birds during a very short hunt Monday morning but I was most interested in visiting some area ranches/farms in an attempt to procure permission for future hunts. I'm happy to report that I was able to acquire permission to hunt an additional 9200 acres! I realize that sounds like a lot of territory, and it certainly is, but these birds appear to congregate in specific areas to feed, water, rest, and roost. From what I've seen so far, if you haven't done some homework and know where the birds are at a given time, you may end up seeing only a few.
The best news was that I was able to obtain permission to hunt 800 acres of rolling hills planted in sorghum that's located about 2 miles from where I've been hunting. This spot is perfect because it provides lots of wide-open areas for the birds to feed but also is bordered by plenty of small trees and has a small mountain as a backdrop. I drive by this spot as I enter and leave the ranch I've been hunting and there are always plenty of birds in the area. This morning as we were leaving at approximately 7:30, we saw hundreds of pigeons and Tear doves landing in the sorghum stubble.
Interestingly, we also saw hundreds of small parrots (about twice the size of a parakeet) hitting the field as well. These were beautiful birds colored in bright emeral green on the back, blue-tipped wings, and gold on the face and belly. I had to think of our now-extinct Carolina Parakeet as I watched the flocks devouring some still-standing sorghum plants.
One final note. I was pleasantly surprised by the morning temperatures as it was amazingly cool based on my experience in Venezuela. When I checked the outside temperature recorded by my vehicle, it registered 20C, which calculates out as 68 F. I finally figured out as I drove out and watched the tempertaure climb rapidly to 28 C, or 82 F, that the region I'm hunting sits in a huge valley which was being cooled by morning air sliding down off the nearby mountains. The rain in the mountains last night probably helped quite a bit as well.
Anyway, there's the hunt report. Hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed the hunt.
El Gringo
01-03-2005, 09:02 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 48
RE: Headin' out for an "ala blanca" hunt tomorrow morning!
Made another Saturday PM through Sunday hunt this past weekend and returned home today. While I didn't tally the weekend's bag, I believe we ended up with about 20 birds, most of which were Bare-eyed Pigeons with a few Tear Doves and Crested Quail thrown in.
There was good news and bad from the hunt. Though the birds were plentiful, the bad news was that I shot about as poorly as a man can shoot. That 16 gauge single shot in full choke really messes up my style.[
]
The good news was that I drove through an open gate to visit with a landowner I'd not visited before. He was very friendly and welcomed us to hunt any time we wished. He said that his particular ranch was a bit 'slow' right now for doves, but that the quail were really plentiful. Once the dry season really kicked in he claimed his place held 'clouds' of doves. I believe him.
What was really amazing was that when I got around to asking how many hectares he owned, he said, "8,000"! That works out to just under 20,000 acres!!!! My next visit to his place will be to learn the ranch......especially the watering holes.
Every trip to the field gets more interesting.
El Gringo
There was good news and bad from the hunt. Though the birds were plentiful, the bad news was that I shot about as poorly as a man can shoot. That 16 gauge single shot in full choke really messes up my style.[
]The good news was that I drove through an open gate to visit with a landowner I'd not visited before. He was very friendly and welcomed us to hunt any time we wished. He said that his particular ranch was a bit 'slow' right now for doves, but that the quail were really plentiful. Once the dry season really kicked in he claimed his place held 'clouds' of doves. I believe him.
What was really amazing was that when I got around to asking how many hectares he owned, he said, "8,000"! That works out to just under 20,000 acres!!!! My next visit to his place will be to learn the ranch......especially the watering holes.
Every trip to the field gets more interesting.
El Gringo
