How did you do?
 

I just got back from dove hunting right now and did pretty well despite getting there after 8 AM. I got about 7 but lost 2 (one in canal and other flew in an orchard tree. Not too bad considering i am pretty rusty. There wasn't that many dove out there so i don't know its a bad thing or it was because I just had a late start. Anyway, how did everyone else do?

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Live to hunt, hunt to live, be the eyes of the hawk <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

RE: How did you do?
 

My buddy and I both limited out by 9am. I know this sounds like a fish story, but it's true. His sunflower field is located about 1/2 mile away from three farm ponds. They started comin in right at sunrise.

There was a time I walked out to pickup a downed bird, and I hear him shooting. I look up and there must have been 10-15 birds in the sky going all different directions. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't reloaded my gun and didn't get off a shot. <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> Problem is, what do I do with the rest of the day? <img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: How did you do?
 

I limited out by 9:00 or 9:30.....i know what i was going to do witht the rest of the day if my 12 ga hadn't came apart...me and my friend where going to try our luck at Snipe/Rail hunting up on the marshes if we could find some where there was some water might of just had to try the mud flats....Guess they will still be here come teal season after morning flights are over...

RE: How did you do?
 

well me and my 2 buddys got our limits by 11 am was a good shoot at our not so secret spot anymore oh well , hey red hawk where did ya go ? ok sea yas <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: How did you do?
 

I didn't get to go this weekend.<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle> The wife had some family members in from Ohio, and made me go to the gathering. Maybe next weekend will be better.

RE: How did you do?
 

Sounds like a few of you did pretty good for yourselfs. Seahonk...there is a canal near my house that I go to, its been pretty slow but still managed to get a few birds here and there, only got about 5 this morning (still trying to figure out the correct lead again too) and plan to go out again today if i am not too tired.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Live to hunt, hunt to live, be the eyes of the hawk <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

RE: How did you do?
 

I must admit I was a little rusty myself. Got alot of shooting in. Just had to get it out of my system. Opening morning was alright, but we need a good cold front to bring in more doves. We had a little cold front here for about a week and it pushed out a lot a natives. We will se what next weekend brings. Good luck to all..

RE: How did you do?
 

This was my first Dove hunt. I have practiced a lot but somehow was just not connecting. I got 2 doves and 2 sparrows. This weekend will be better -- I hope :o)

&quot;If at first you don't succeed, maybe cliff diving is not for you.&quot; -- Steven Wright

RE: How did you do?
 

Hunting over a field that hasn't been worked over yet. It's got some wheat and foxtail. We're seeing a lot of birds but most of the birds bagged are this years hatch. I'm shooting a 12 ga with 7-1/2 and mod choke. Having a hellava time hitting them and the ones I do seem to be tearing them up pretty bad. Switching to imp cyl to see if that helps. Had a some done in the grill tonight with bacon wrapped and d_amn they were good.

RE: How did you do?
 

hey newbirdhunter how did those sparrows taste and whats the limit on them <img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle> <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> ok sea yas for now

RE: How did you do?
 

I got 10 on opening morning and then finished my limit early that afternoon. I went back to the same place Monday morning and got 2. Not much flying on the second morning at all, but I've seen more birds on afternoon hunts anyway. Going again this afternoon to a public spot about an hour from here. I'll lt y'all know how that one goes.

RE: How did you do?
 

My first hunt, too. Sutter county,n.Ca.I have a friend thats invited me to hunt his property for years. Got to the foot of the sutter buttes at 5:30. Sunup-my buddy got one. Then the other guy got one. Here comes mine-miss. Another one-miss. Mid morning we were hot and done for the day. The freind that limited out was invited to our Bucks lake cabin that night. While he barbequed the doves,he told the story of my 2 box and no bird first hunt. monday I got to hear every &quot;Broadside of the barn&quot; joke you could think of. Even the wives got in on it! Anyway-I had a great time,was safe,and can't wait to get out there and try again!

RE: How did you do?
 

Went Wednesday afternoon to a new place (actually two places) about an hour northeast of my house and got nothing. It had just rained, a small shower, but enough to mess up the shooting for the rest of the day. Never fired a shot.
Thursday afternoon, I went to a place that I hunted several times last season with pretty good success. Once again, it had rained and the birds had bugged out for the day. I was disappointed to see that this guy has let his sunflowers take over one of his fields. Last year, there were small patches of sunflowers with HUGE stalks, but they made for great cover because they were about 6-8 ft tall and I could sit down between three or so plants and be pretty well hidden. This year, that entire field (approx. 100 acres) is solid and he shredded the edges and a few walkways through it. Actually too much cover and you'd never find a downed bird without a dog. (First season without mine) He's sold off most of his cows, so the other pasture is high too but that might be my best bet if I go back there before the northern birds blow in. Shot once at a flushing bird in the sunflowers and missed.
I might go re-scout the Wednesday night fiels again. I've got company coming this weekend and they want to do some shooting. I think if I can get up there without the rain beating me to it, I'd be ok. I'll let y'all know.

RE: How did you do?
 

Stepdad and I killed 59 birds over the first 3 days. I think the best is yet to come though. They are just now starting to harvest the seed corn, and the melon fields will be plowed under next week which will bring in tons of birds.

-Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night-

RE: How did you do?
 

I took three friends. There were much fewer doves than usual due to the drought but really not too bad. It was very hot and we thought the doves would follow their usual pattern and come into the group of trees we had surrounded. Unfortunately they found that the open ground under the patches of wild sunflowers were more to their liking. They had food AND shade there. I was the good host and periodically went out and routed them out of the shadiest patches of sunflowers. By midday it was so hot I practically had to shoo them out into the close to 100 degree heat. But they would then head to the clump of trees where my friends waited. I still haven't quite recovered though from walking that much in the heat. We did all right. Me and the other chiropractor limited out and the sporting clay instructor and her husband that I also invited went home with 26 between them so they were four short of a limit. We quit about 3:00 so they could have finished their limit easily but it was too hot and they had to get all the way back to Denver. I also flushed a lot of pheasant including a good many immature roosters so it's looks like we'll have some pheasant hunting in a couple of months. In one corner I had 5 pheasants and about 15 doves taking off in stages and Bud, who I had been keeping at heel because he was already too hot, started running every which way. I was shooting at the doves and was so flustered I only hit one dove even after reloading and emptying the gun again. Between the heat and no pheasants falling and me trying to get him to retrieve when he clearly saw that no pheasants fell, he started getting a little wild eyed. I had to laugh at him. He retrieved probably 40 doves that day and did a great job but he could not understand why I was messing with those doves when there were REAL birds getting up. LOL

Going again in the morning.

RE: How did you do?
 

Killed ten Saturday, birds were flying pretty good, didn't go yesterday was raining all day.

RE: How did you do?
 

I went Saturday too. There were two of us and we found a public spot that had water, trees, and sunflowers. Looked pretty promising and then about the time we started seeing birds flying, the bottom fell out. We had actually sat through one small shower by hiding under a tree, but this one was a real soaker. We slipped and slid our way to the truck and decided that even if it quit, the mud would take the fun out of it, so we headed home (no birds to show) to clean the wet shotguns. Dang near stuck ourselves trying to get out of the pasture. More rain forecast for this weekend. Gggrrrooowwwwwwlllll.

RE: How did you do?
 

Going this weekend. Found another dairy to shoot at. (it's a place I once got barred from by a buddy who went alone & unannounced and somehow my name got mentioned...but that's another story) They just got a depredation permit from the state, so it's always dove season now. Our special dove season starts Oct 5,and reg bird season Nov 2nd.

RE: How did you do?
 

Well, I didn't get to hunt them until the 2nd weekend of Sept., but went back to Ks. and did very well, due to the drought, any windmill that was running was good to sit by in mornings and eves., and then just yesterday afternoon, got off work here in Colo. and went out and got another limit in 2 hours. Em Emmmm good. Loves those doves, especially the ones wrapped in bacon off the grill!!:)

RE: How did you do?
 

The &quot;new&quot; place was slow. Mostly had to watch and wait for 'em to fly out of some trees and woody scrub. Very few places to see 'em coming from even 100yds off. It took me 4 hours to put 10 in the bag. Lost 3 in tall grass, and another dropped behind me. Saw it fall & heard it hit the ground but musta crawled off. I can't wait 'til my regular place opens up.

RE: How did you do?
 

Sunday evening - I went to a place where I did well last year, but got rained out and saw very few last Thursday. I got 8 and shot terribly. I missed 6 or 7 EASY birds. Something kept running through my mind as I was flinging lead and kicking myself... <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Use a Big Lead to shoot them where they aint <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote> :) Good advice. I don't know where I was on those birds, but I know that chances are that I was late.