2017 Dove Season

[MOPanfisher]

I am sitting in a dove field with my son, watching the sky turn from gray to pink.  Fields arent near a good looking as normal but we tend to set away from the primo food plot war zones and pass shoot.  Life is gods gentlemen.  Good luck and be safe.

[BilletHead]

7 hours ago, MOPanfisher said:

I am sitting in a dove field with my son, watching the sky turn from gray to pink.  Fields arent near a good looking as normal but we tend to set away from the primo food plot war zones and pass shoot.  Life is gods gentlemen.  Good luck and be safe.

           This type of statement makes the hunt. Getting birds is just the icing on the cake. A great post to read as I got ready to try my luck although I was still at the house NOT having to get there early to secure my spot, heck I did not even have and exact spot chosen. Good Post MoPanfisher,

  BilletHead

[The Troutdoorsman]

While I agree that it's the experience and not the harvest, it's still nice to get a dove. Which I did not do this morning. It's gotta be the first opening day in 15 years that I didn't get a bird. I've heard similar reports from other area's. I'd be curious as to what kind of luck others are having and any theories on where the birds are.

[BilletHead]

      I had noting to contribute to this post before season. Really a bit disappointed as no harvest except for some silage. Have made three trips looking for a spot to rest my rear and try to get a bird. So on that third trip yesterday morning I found my friend and landowner and had a visit. Before I could ask he said where are all the doves . I told him I seen a few, very few in his silage field. He said it should be loaded and had not seen any at all. In his defense he is a farmer and busy and they would have to fly into his tractor to realize much was around. He also told me of a millet field that had gone to head before they bailed it. Said there should be birds there and had not seen any there either. So I go check the bailed millet field.. I seen a couple high and going places birds and that was all? Dang I thought. Well I planned on going and will be there birds or not I will get experience another sunrise. Well it was up early, coffee and cereal down I began to load up the truck. Told the Mrs. by as I seen the tears form as this was a work day and she wished she could go. Right before I left I did see MoPanfishers post he was already sitting in the field, crap I thought I was going to be late! When I arrived at the bailed millet field sun was making its way up I could see deer all around. Picked a spot to unload and set up. One of the nicest places I have ever set up but where was the birds? Parked truck and sit down to see some wood ducks buzzing the field. At one time I thought they were really low. Neat to see and then more deer to watch,

I could hardly believe what I was not seeing from this hide. The millet field was in an L shape with me in the narrow bend. The millet bales had been gathered in groups for picking up,

My views were like this,

   Started seeing a few birds, high flyers going somewhere but not working my field. Millet Heads all over the ground and bailed up. What gives?

  The seeds were not completely formed yet. The seeds were just beginning to form in the heads. Still enough to be fed on. Finally one came a bit lower to the ground and I proceeded to wiff my first two shots. Sat awhile longer and began to fidget. I know this farm pretty well. Our son was born here in a tarpaper shack we liven in 38 years prior. As I looked down the field towards where our house was I seen a couple groups of dove flying and dropping down, not coming back up. I walked a bit closer for a better look. Seen more and hustled as quick as my body would let me back to the truck. Picked up my mess and moved. As I was working my way to see what was going on at the next place ran into farmer watering his pigs. Told hi what I had seen and he told me there was a group of fifteen or so working the cut silage field. Said if you don't have luck where you seen birds go to cut silage. What I had seen was a lot next to our old house that was nothing but weeds and dirt where the cattle had beat the spot to death. Dead and living trees surround this little place. Dove in and out of the trees and landing in the sparse weeds. Sparse in places but pretty tall what I call pigweed. Some three foot or better. I took a seat in some weeds within range of one of the dead hedge trees. All birds had left but began to come back. It was on then. My view from the hide,

The reward I was given,

        When a man is alone he has time to really think as he watches the sky. I was a mere less than sixty yards from our old rental house. Much reminiscing was happening. When the Mrs. water broke and I freaked as we loaded up for the hospital. Then the birth of our son Matthew  February 14th a valentines baby. Bringing him home and watching him grow. This was a very dinky house with no insulation. Lathing and  painted mortar on the inside walls. Wood lapped siding. You could see the cobwebs move inside the house when the wind was blowing from the north. There was one large room we had to keep closed in the winter. Water in a glass would freeze in there. The propane company liked us as we were frequent buyers. The delivery driver and I became friends as he was always there. Our closest neighbors were the house owners and like a second set of parents, Raymond and Janelle. Raymond taught me many things about the outdoors mainly about trapping. The area trappers and coon hunters got enough fur once a week and Friday nights the fur buyer would make a visit to Raymond's house where we could sell our fur. Fun times and visiting. A mini fur trader gathering every week in the minter months. Raymond grew watermelons, good ones and he would sell in town. The days he did not sell he would have Mrs. BilletHead load our truck and she would sell. Two to four bucks each depending on size. We ate watermelon all summer. He would tell us to go to the patch, picka melon and eat the heart out of it right there and repeat until we could no longer eat another! Mat in diapers would play on the little concrete porch. Bare footed and belly showing we would eat melons. Put the slimy seeds between our fingers and pinch until the seed would shoot out hitting Matt and sticking to his bare belly. He would laugh in delight. He hated when you threw a cocklebur on his clothes though . Even after we moved to our now BilletHeadVille we stayed friends with Raymond and Janelle. Even going to Cookeville Tennessee to the National trappers convention with them. The Missouri Trappers convention too. This was once the place where the house stood,

         My hunt was made just sitting and thinking about the past this morning. As Troutdoorsman said above it is nice to get a bird or two but not for me today. Not this trip. I did not have to although I did. This reminds me I need to get on the phone and call Matt, just to say I love you son,

 BilletHead

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I'd take a crabgrass lot over any planted field. 

Weeds and dirt. 

[Johnsfolly]

BH

Sounds like you made the right move. Not just to get into birds but into your memories.Thanks for sharing. Since there was a lot of farm talk would that be considered as crop sharing☺?

[Buck]

@BilletHead Great story! And congrats on the limit! we only killed 7 today, very slow. The weather was amazing though. 

[BilletHead]

   

8 minutes ago, Buck said:

@BilletHead Great story! And congrats on the limit! we only killed 7 today, very slow. The weather was amazing though. 

    Truly amazing day. Hard to beat this for the first of September,

BilletHead

[MOPanfisher]

Awesome weather for sure.  We hunted a large Conservation Area.  Lots of doves flying until abut 9 am, ran out of doves and hunters to keep them.flying.  son and I killed a limit between us.  I had opted to leave my normal 12 ga. 11-87 at home and hunt with my old side by side 20 ga for nostalgia sake.  Cost me some doves for sure, but don't regret it for a second.  The whole group (15 or so ended up meeting up to clean doves and cook them up for lunch.  Rest a bit then some of them make another nearby hunt while my son and I usually stay at "camp" to make sure nobody's messes with our stuff.  Then everyone comes back for supper, our traditional crawfish boil.  I may have eaten too much!  Got to see friends I don't see nearly enough, do some shooting, spend some time with my 19 yr old son, I am a happy feller.  Got pulled over in Pierce City on the way home by a very nice lady officer who told me I had failed to stop completely at the stop sign, opened my mouth to deny it and then had to laugh, yep I sure did, right in front of her too.  She gave me a warning g and sent me on my way.  Going to take me half a day to unload my truck, and the cab smells like well it just smells.  Tomorrow will be soon enough to worry about it.  Hope everyone has a great and safe Labor Day Weekend.

[Deadstream]

Crawdad good..... Dove, fun to shoot at,  I would rather eat pea's...