Dove Day

[jaeger45]

Hm-mmm, seems like a slow year.

Dove Day is nigh, and haven't a single CLICK-CLACK!!! from the guys.

Anybody goin' to Yuma, "Dove Capital of the World"?

[bearandoldman]

Hm-mmm, seems like a slow year.

Dove Day is nigh, and haven't a single CLICK-CLACK!!! from the guys.

Anybody goin' to Yuma, "Dove Capital of the World"?

Wish I could, sounds like a lot of fun, we have mourning doves in Michigan, but you can not shoot songbirds in Michigan. When they leave the state they become game birds and food but up her they just sng and make white spots on cars, houses,people, etc.

[Bullseye]

Dove capitol of the world? The last time I was in Yuma the only grey things flying around there were the Harriers. They don't take it too kindly if you pop-off a shot at one of them.

R,
Bullseye

[jaeger45]

Wish I could, sounds like a lot of fun, we have mourning doves in Michigan, but you can not shoot songbirds in Michigan. When they leave the state they become game birds and food but up her they just sing and make white spots on cars, houses,people, etc.
You have great day and shoot straight and may the Good Lord smile on you.

HOR HOR HOR!!!
We know what you mean.
No hunting allowed in my neck of the woods in Kaliforneeay, so that whenever a big, fat mourning dove lands on my birdseed feeder at my patio, he looks at me smugly. I can only salivate and picture his chin sitting on top of the sight of my air pistol. Hope I meet that guy in Yuma!!!

[jaeger45]

Dove capitol of the world? The last time I was in Yuma the only grey things flying around there were the Harriers. They don't take it too kindly if you pop-off a shot at one of them.

You must hve been there at the wrong time of the year!
I was there Sept. 01/2005 with my hunting buddies- my first time, but their yearly ritual- and there were banners all over the place welcoming hunters. Restaurans had big signs saying HUNTERS SPECIAL BREAKFAST: OPEN AT 4: 30 A.M.

At sunrise, it literally sounded like 4th of July, with sounds of gunfire even from far, far way-- you know that sound-- reaching us during lulls between waves of doves spooked from other places.

That's why am raring to get back there. Hope to be able to tell you guys more about it.

[Waffen]

We've got a few pastures full of sunflowers down at my ranch. I plan to head up there opening weekend with the new wife. Hopefully there will be plently of them.

I'm in Texas though not Michigan.

[jaeger45]

Hi, guys, Bullseye-- Been quite a while.

Been sorta footloose, kibitzing here and there.

Here's a fun-post I wrote at another board about my Sept. 1/2007 visit to Yuma- my 3rd visit in 3 years with my hunting buddy, it's becoming a ritual already.

"YUMA REVISITED

Yuma, Arizona has been the traditional destination for dove hunting by my hunting buddies for at least a decade now. I'm the new kid on the block, having joined the group three years ago only.

It's easy to see why Yuma is a favorite of doves-- and more importantly perhaps, by dove hunters. There are rolling farmlands as far as the eye could see- all former cow country (remember the late tv show, "JOHNNY YUMA"?) , then planted to lemon groves, and now broken down into multi-crop farms. This varied character probably contributes to the attraction to the doves due to the different planting seasons of the crops, some parts being plowed/harrowed while others lie fallow or due for harvesting or in full growth giving a great variety of feeds to the young birds from worms to seeds to greens-- and of course, accessible cover for protection from predators. And always, there are the irrigation canals crisscrossing the great tracts of land for water. And at the fringes surrounding the areas are growths of small trees and bushes-- their roosting and nesting places, their safe haven.

The three basic needs for the successful management of a wildlife habitat are therefore all present in Yuma-- food supply, water, and cover. And the license fees paid by the hundreds of hunters who flocked into town go to the game management program. It has gone up from $15 many years back to $60+ now for non-residents.

And why the attraction to the hunters, aside from the prospect of many birds? The wide gravel roads crisscrossing the farms are well-maintained . Some farms are posted-- they have "NO HUNTING" signs, which are always respected, so that the roads enable hunters to search far and wide for places to hunt the following day.

The whole business community joins in rolling out the red carpet. Banners adorn stores and restaurants welcoming hunters and proclaim big discounts and specials and gifts. The two biggest ******** in the area- Cocopah and Paradise announced Dove Hunters' Giveaways. Why, even the town's cabaret- Platinum Cabaret announced a "Dove Hunter Madness-- Where the Hunters and Hooters meet in Yuma; Featuring the country's most beautiful showgirls; Free all you can eat prime rib buffet!!!" all in one breath.

We drove out at 4 a.m. of Sept. 1st and reached the area we'd previously scouted in utter darkness. While bungling around in the unfamiliar roads, we would see blinks of light from flashlights to let us know a place was occupied already. Following hunters' etiquette, we would back off and move on. In previous years, when we hunted near the town, shotgun blasts rang out from all over at exactly sunrise, and the continuous fusillade of gunfire even from afar made it sound like a miniature 4th of July. Or New Year's Eve at midnight for those of us who had the opportunity to experience how it is celebrated in RP, a MUST SEE for those who have not.

Finally, the doves began to fly out of their roosts to feed on the fields behind us. So began our dove hunting in Yuma. It was no field day, for even with a shotgun, it's not just a matter of pointing in the general direction of the bird and banging away. And at the sound of the shot, the bird would do a side-slip and for a heart-stopping split-second, you would think you got him until you see from its brisk wing movements and gathering speed that it was just part of its evasive manuever. I had a Remington 12-gauge pump, while my buddy some 50 yards away had a 20-gauge over-under, plus another favorite in the truck should he feel like changing guns.

By 8 a.m., it must be at least 90 degs. F already with the sun barely up. And I was grateful for the big cooler filled to the brim with crushed ice-- compliments of the motel. The farm owner drove over and requested us to pick up our empty shells so the blades of his farm equipment won't be damaged. We were more than happy to comply and picked them up after every shot- we want to be sure he will not put up a NO HUNTING sign next year, that's for sure!!! A game warden visited us later and checked our hunting licenses. They also usually check the number and species of birds taken and the shotgun capacity, to ensure that only a maximum of three shells can be loaded in the pumps and autos.

We headed back by 9:30 a.m. - it was too hot already. Anyway, in Arizona, dove hunting is allowed until 12 noon only. But at 3 p.m., despite the scorching heat, we headed for the California side where hunting is allowed until sunset and bagged a few more. After a spartan breakfast and lunch of a few crackers and tuna spread washed down with steaming French Vanilla coffee the whole day, we enjoyed a big dinner!

We went out again the following day, and by the time we called it a day, I was sporting a nice, big red bruise up my right arm - as usual. I call it my "Purple Arm". From the pounding of the 12-gauge. (This never happens when I fire my .30-06 Garand- probably because it is recoil-operated, whereas the shotgun is a pump and I had to take the full kick of the recoil. This would be similar to the bruises left by the bolt-action Enfields and Springfields, which according to my father was how the Japanese soldiers would determine the Filipino and American guerillas and survivors of Bataan-Corregidor, and summarily execute them when found mingling with civilians to escape detection.)

My bag? (Looking around furtively...)

I'm now marinating six white-wings and four mourning doves fm Yuma, hehehe..."

Well, I'll be sticking around and renew acquaintances...

[Bullseye]

Sounds like a good time was had by all. It also sounds like you're enjoying the transition from NoCal to SoCal. Around here the second dove season is just starting. There's plenty of farmland and lots of doves around my homestead. And that means there's lots of dove hunters too, the fields are covered with them all decked out in their lawn chairs and coolers, all stationed about 100 yards apart. Based on all the shooting I hear, someone's getting some squab for dinner.

Got to love those road trips. I took one last weekend and I sported a minor "butt kiss" on my shoulder for a few days from a very full weekend of Highpower service rifle shooting.

Great to hear from you Jaeger! My best to your family.

R,
Bullseye

[langenc]

Jaeger-put the buttplate on your shoulder instead of biceps and the 'purple arm' will not show up.

[jaeger45]

Jaeger-put the buttplate on your shoulder instead of biceps and the 'purple arm' will not show up.

I do. Initially, I thought it was probably because the buttplate was slipping off my shoulder and landing on the inside of my arm but no- it wasn't. I was firing it exactly the way I would my M1 Garand at standing position, wih the buttplate securely seated at the "hollow" of my shoulder. So jury is still out.