Dove Hunting

[tangob5]

Went to the Imperial Valley in S. California today for the dove opener.  Lots of lighting and you could see storms in the distance.  The desert was unusually cool about 94 in the early hours but humid.  At first the birds were spotty and it looked like it was going to be a bad morning.  Then they started coming slowly.  A few shots here and there just enough to keep you interested.  At around 7:30 they really started to fly.  My group expanded quite a few boxes of shells with most of the lead (I mean shot) going to making the desert heavier.  We all managed to get our limits of Morning Dove and as an added bonus there is no limit on Eurasian Collard Dove so we took full advantage of that. Now that is one bird that #8 doesn't do much good on.  Direct hits, feathers flying and they fly off like nothing happened.  Took 7-1/2 oz. Heavy dove loads to effectively bring them down.  I swear those birds go to the surplus store and purchase flak jackets.  By 10 Am the birds stopped flying and we headed out of the desert and back to the beach. 

[dukkillr]

Private land hunts can wait for the next several days. Opening day is the only time to hit the public ground around here. Usually that means I find myself watching the sunrise with a guy 20 yards to my left, another 20 yards to my right, and some idiot sitting in the middle of the field oblivious to the problems he’s causing. They all have 3 1/2″ Mossbergs and more than one of them will be shooting high brass 4s. It’s an experience not to be missed!

But not this year. I drew my first choice “Special Hunt” for a limited entry spot about 45 minutes west of here along the Kansas River. I’d never been in the area so I scouted a bit yesterday after work. Just watching for a few minutes from the edge of the field I knew I was in for a treat this morning. It did not disappoint.

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I figured the hunting section of the ground was 30-40 acres and they only drew 12 hunters so we were able to spread out. That actually proved to hurt production though because the doves had no one to stir them up. I passed countless shots because they were too low, not something that usually happens on a public land shoot.



Despite stalling, shooting only one at a time, taking pictures, and shooting video, it was still over too fast. I was back at the truck before 8:00. Anyway, it was a great time, and I hope I live long enough to draw this hunt again.