Dove 2024

[MountainGirl]

Same thing for pheasants back in the cornfields up north. Modern farming techniques, subdivisions, and coyotes have all taken their toll. Now they have "clubs" putting on "hunts" that you pay per bird. Birds are released into the fields after money has changed hands. Sad.

I used to drive a lot of gravel country roads for work. It was the highlight of the season to see a cock (ring-necked pheasant) flush next to the road. If I was lucky, I'd see one or two a year. Some years, I wouldn't see any.

I used to walk the stalks in Nebraska with Dad, 50 years ago. He taught me to hunt. I like to pretend nothings changed, though everything has.

 

[Eastexasrick]

I used to walk the stalks with Dad, 50 years ago. He taught me to hunt. I like to pretend nothings changed, though everything has.

Carried my dad's shotgun through the stalks and CRP land last year. He has been gone for some time, but he was present.

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

You sound disappointed to not see a cock.

It's because of people like you that I knew I had to add the parenthesis.

 

[Moonpie]

I'm glad I'm armed around you people.

 

[Texasgordo]

I'm glad I'm armed around you people.

 

[Younggun]

Seems every year TPWD claims “more birds, great year” and every year I see less birds.

Almost like they are trying to make sure people keep paying for license.

 

[Chupacabra Hunter]

Haven’t gone yet, hoping to go mid-September.


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[The Narrator]

Nice.
General area of hunt?

NW of Brownsville, good sir.

 

[paknheat]

Not very many dove here anymore.

I got a pair of them that like to hang out in my pecan tree in the back yard. I wouldn’t shoot them.


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[Eastexasrick]

One from Tipton KS, can't find Jewell

 

[Texasgordo]

One from Tipton KS, can'tView attachment 471912 find Jewell

You visit the odd places LMFAO

 

[Moonpie]

Only on TGT can a thread about dove hunting go so wrong.

 

[raven762308]

Seems every year TPWD claims “more birds, great year” and every year I see less birds.

Almost like they are trying to make sure people keep paying for license.

Agreed. I am limited to hunting the public land spots for Dove and there aren't very many to be seen.

 

[leVieux]

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The understandable rise of ‘’outfitters’’ in this area of hunting has left individuals, father-son hunters, & us old folks out. The outfitters only want to deal with large corporate groups. While understandable from their viewpoints, this is killing the sport.

Then, to make matters worse, our resident doves have become urbanites. The white-wing have migrated all the way to Pensacola and appear to be staying. My 3 ac on the edge of a small town about 100 miles into the TransSabine, has a colony of. nesting white-wing and tons of mourning doves visiting daily.

We must look for some sort of influential organization of our own to represent us. If we cannot maintain some sort of mechanism to preserve individual access to the rural places where highly mobile doves frequent, the culture will die.

This is my second year to belong to ‘’Texas Dove Hunters‘’, but I have been impaired by the vagaries of old age & a major surgery.

see: https://texasdovehunters.com/day-leases

Unlike other forms of hunting in which one could establish a season lease annual lease, etc. doves are highly mobile; so any particular place, no matter its bird attractants, may not be suitable on a particular day.

Traditionally, we could ‘’ride-around’’ to find doves, then ask the resident owner for permission. Today we see corporate farming, absentee landowners, and leftist-induced resistance to hunting in general.

I have all the needed equipment, vehicles, dog, etc. but cannot find reliable places to hunt. I have extensive contacts @ El Campo, Austin, the LRGV, & Texas Coastal Bend area, having spent years living in those places; but still cannot find a way to hunt doves.

My last foray cost a couple thousand $ plus a $300 day lease fee, and resulted in 3 birds. The previous year @ Pflugerville, 4 hunts/3hunters, zero doves; not even a “shot”. This cannot continue.

Perhaps “Texas Dove Hunters”, or similar, may be our last chance.

Any ideas ?

leVieux

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[leVieux]

NW of Brownsville, good sir.

Went to Brownsville last September for WW Opener, stayed in my old neighborhood, hunted west of Laguna Vista, was 107F (114 “Real-Feel”). Killed about 20 birds in 2 days.

 

[Younggun]

We can’t ride around and ask property owners for access because most have been burned too many times by morons who trash/damage their property and leave.

I wouldn’t let anyone I don’t know hunt my property either. Nothing to do with outfitters or anything else. I’m just not taking the risk of dealing with modern day idiocy.

 

[leVieux]

We can’t ride around and ask property owners for access because most have been burned too many times by morons who trash/damage their property and leave.

I wouldn’t let anyone I don’t know hunt my property either. Nothing to do with outfitters or anything else. I’m just not taking the risk of dealing with modern day idiocy.

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As a property owner, I understand.

I used to offset this by saying I was a UT Physician, and during high school managed a herd of some 225 Hereford myself.

I’m also very willing to pay.

I once made a Friend of a Big Bend Rancher while passing through his place, I found him afoot way out & gave him a JEEP ride to his house. He commented: “I guess you’re one of those hunters who is leaving beer cans all over my ranch.”. I reached behind his seat to produce a plastic bag with all my cans & other debris, including a few old cans I had also picked-up. By time I got him home, he was offering me a free ram hunt & inviting me to call to go hunting anytime.

I made a truce with my swamp neighbors by telling them, “You can hunt deer in my swamp during season. Just stay out Saturday mornings during squirrel season.” They seemed to like that. No more problems at all. In fact, last big hurricane we had two very large deadfalls across my little road. While I was trying to arrange a tree service visit, one came unasked, & cleared them both.

Now, what was our topic here ?

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[Younggun]

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As a property owner, I understand.

I used to offset this by saying I was a UT Physician, and during high school managed a herd of some 225 Hereford myself.

I’m also very willing to pay.

I once made a Friend of a Big Bend Rancher while passing through his place, I found him afoot way out & gave him a JEEP ride to his house. He commented: “I guess you’re one of those hunters who is leaving beer cans all over my ranch.”. I reached behind his seat to produce a plastic bag with all my cans & other debris, including a few old cans I had also picked-up. By time I got him home, he was offering me a free ram hunt & inviting me to call to go hunting anytime.

I made a truce with my swamp neighbors by telling them, “You can hunt deer in my swamp during season. Just stay out Saturday mornings during squirrel season.” They seemed to like that. No more problems at all. In fact, last big hurricane we had two very large deadfalls across my little road. While I was trying to arrange a tree service visit, one came unasked, & cleared them both.

Now, what was our topic here ?

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So you were hunting this guys ranch without permission?


Sounds like a great start. nice of him to offer to let you hunt the property you were trespassing on. Or fiction, the world may never know.