2017 Dove Season

[Buck]

I hope everyone has had a good off season! My off season has been filled with lots of catfishing and a little work mixed in. 2017 dove season sure is approaching fast. I got lucky enough to have a buddy let me in on a private corn field for this upcoming Missouri opening day, so we don't have to deal with the madness that is opening day on public land. I recently graduated, and moved to Northwest Arkansas full time, and still haven't found a place to shoot dove down here though! If anyone has any land I could lease just for dove, I'd be very interested! How's everyone else's prospecting looking for opening day so far?

[snagged in outlet 3]

They're think around here and I wish I could just set up on a new construction site along the highway on the way to work.  Those sites are loaded with crab grass and dust and the birds are think in there.

Since September 1st is a Friday I'll pass on the draw........again this year.

Give us a report of your success please.

[Quillback]

I'm living in NWA myself, and don't know of any places to get on besides public stuff.  I would like to hunt them, but not in a crazy crowded situation.  I'd pay $20 to hunt them. but that's about as far as I'd go.

They just added about a 1,000 acres to the Frog Bayou WMA which is on the Arkansas river east a bit from Fort Smith.  A lot of that land is old ag land so it is possible that the doves might utilize it.  Hard to know without making a scouting trip.

[tho1mas]

I haven't seen any groups this year yet. Perhaps it is too early.

[Buck]

Wow, for some reason I didn't get notifications on this and thought no one liked me! Quillback, I'm very familiar of Frog Bayou, and I read about the expansion. I used to go to Frog Bayou to try to duck hunt freshman year of college before I had my boat here. I am very optimistic that with the new expansion it will be a good roosting place, and the river hunting will be better. I don't hunt that WMA anymore because of all the people that hunt it, I prefer to take my chances elsewhere. Anyways, I'm still looking for a field, worse comes to worst I go to Missouri and hunt the corn field. 

[Phil Lilley]

There's a ton over in SE Kansas but the locals are afraid they'll move on before the first because of the cool weather and rain.  But still, there should be birds from the north to replace them.  Lots to eat there.

[jbooth]

I was wondering if anyone has ever hunted the fields around Aldrich and could tell me how packed they are with hunters?

[Kayak_Runner]

Does anyone know if the areas west/south of the Hwy 76 bridge have crop along the corp shore line? I'm assuming it was to wet/flooded this spring. 

[Buck]

@jbooth Any public land managed for dove will be packed on opening weekend, probably less so in the morning than afternoon. Make sure you use steel shot at Aldrich. 

[jbooth]

I figured it would have a lot of hunters just hoping not as packed as bios d arc. And I have steel shot