today i bush hogged the sunflower s..lots of birds on the field i just hope i can hold them till opening day..been cleaning up around the field where maybe we can find the birds better if we hit one that is...that 16 of destreys should really be a great close up dove gun..best gun i could ever hit with was a 26 inch clyinder bore model 11 remington.wish i had kept that one.the 3 frame 12 i just got is one i can hit with too....charlie

I am envious as there is no dove season here. The doves we have could be wiped out in a season or two given one can get pretty close and there aren't any big flocks. When I lived in Chester Co., Pa years ago it was high fast flyers in the evening standing on the edge of a corn field with my Ithaca 4e single barrel with no safety - clunk bang! I miss it.
Do you guys eat those doves?

I don't mind the heat, it's just part of it really. We meet at around 2pm, take to the field around 3pm, and shoot till 5pm. My friend picks his crowd pretty close, so they're a good buncha boys.

After it's over we head up to the barn, all sit in a big circle and clean doves while chatting over our hits and misses. My buddy Tim and I usually have a cigar, not much of a drinking crowd (other than me) so the cool refreshments are usually tea or Coca Cola.

Dad and I always take the farm owner (Mr. Russell) a case of shells to get his season started. It's good to have a friend so generous and we always try to be as generous as we can be in return.

The first Saturday after opening day he puts on a youth hunt. He and Dad are both Hunter Safety Instructors so they pick the kids out of their classes each year. Kids have to bring one non-shooting adult with them. They shoot for two hours, only allowed one shell in the gun at a time. They're shown how to clean their birds and the game warden always comes out to check everybody. That seems odd but Mr. Russell actually invites him, just so the kids learn about how the law works and what a game warden is. After that he hosts a BBQ where they eat all the doves we shot opening day.

Actually my favorite parts of the hunts isn't doves. He's got a set of big grain bins on his place that draw a lot of barn pigeons. We shoot them over decoys the morning before the dove hunt. Now that's real fun!

Are doves good eating?

Yes.

I am starting to get the itch for September 1st. Arizona just made our season an all day hunt and upped the limit of morning doves from 10 to 15. Whitewing limit is only 10. Eurasian dove is unlimited. Plenty of places to shoot if a guy scouts ahead of time. I hope this year will be the one I can get a doubles pin on dove. I think the straight gripped 16 on the 1 frame will be the gun I take out for the opener.

Dove recipe: breast the birds, place a water chesnut in the cavity, wrap with bacon and secure with a tooth pick. Place the doves on your grill, turn frequently, and baste them with Worcestershire sauce and melted butter. Some add a little French dressing to the baste. I served these as an hors d'oeuvre at an after-hunt party in Stovall, Mississippi; the doves were gone in less than 60 seconds.

heh frank are you from mississippi too...i m east of tupelo about 40 miles..i think were gona have a few birds this year all up to the weather..charlie

Here in Texas we put a jalapeño pepper slice in the breast, wrap in bacon and grill over mesquite wood. Damn good eaten!

Fillet the two breast pieces out of the skinned bird.

Wrap with 1/3 slice of "center cut" bacon (less fat, more meat), held by toothpick.

Dip into beaten egg.

Batter with Zataran's chicken frying batter.

Drop into deep fryer for three minutes or until they float just below surface (don't over cook).

Eat all thirty pieces from your limit. You can't stop.

Go hunting again. Repeat.