Thread: It's fowling season..... 2018

I used to love dove hunting back in the day. But I never really liked the meat, and I'm not going to shoot what I won't eat, so I gave it up.

Originally Posted by outback

Done my share of wing sacking, really liked jump shooting, once the sun was blazing high in the sky.

I've hunted the western fly zone of Ohio, it was incredible. Once the sun came up, and the fowl came to the fields, they literally blocked the sunlight from their sheer numbers. You name it...it was there. Canada's, blue fronts, snow geese, ducks of all specie's. Had some killer spots real close to home, even dropped a few in the back yard, along with an occasional pheasant and grouse.

Man!! Those were the days.
Got too pricey, and hate steel shot, so I quit.

Yeah, The everchanging limits and esp that steel shot got me too. 50 feet overhead, raise up and hit one twice.
You could hear the shot hitting the goose. 3 inch magnum 12 Ga #2's...... No dice.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

I used to love dove hunting back in the day. But I never really liked the meat, and I'm not going to shoot what I won't eat, so I gave it up.

Easy to breast them, cut the meat off the bone, wrap with bacon and cream-cheese and jalapeno slices a few toothpicks to hold it together. A dozen in a bag with orange juice. Pure heaven off the grill!

Dove hunting use to be my favorite thing to do in the fall. We used to go to Somerset, Texas (just south of San Antonio) and bag our limit (14) everyday that we hunted. Like Sharptonn says - Breast them, put a jalapeno in the center and wrap in bacon and put them on the grill.

Haven't been hunting in years. Don't miss cleaning all those birds... or the drunkards. Alcohol and firearms don't mix.

Yeah, I've tried a number of "delicious" dove recipes like that, and still just don't like the taste of the meat, no matter how much buttermilk you soak it in, bacon you wrap around it, whatever.

Now I do love some good duck meat, but never hunted for them for whatever reason. Probably because around here (Upstate SC) has been known mostly as a dove area until the last few years. Seems like Duck Dynasty made everyone a duck hunter for awhile!

Indeed, I once had the job of making the rounds at a huge corporate annual dove hunt in exchange for hunting privileges.

'You gonna hunt? Or drink? Cannot do both! Some put the beer away and some put the gun away.
Some got belligerent, but peer pressure helped there.
Had to write it all down. Take names. Was not popular to some but it was explained as a liability issue.

We learned, that dropping down two shot size's in steel, from lead, would give the same ballistics as lead shot.

So if you were wacken um with #2 lead, you'd have to go with BB in steel, for the same results.

My biggest problem was not wanting to run steel shot thru the barrel of my model 97 Winchester. It a family heirloom, passed down thru the family. Never failed me, no matter the weather. 32" s of full choke discipline, has put more meat on the table, than a piggly wiggly.

Here on the Lower Umpqua River and environs we've both good waterfowling and upland bird hunting. When I was in High School I all but lived in a blind on the river. The biggest difference between now and then was that then there were almost no geese. It was a big deal if someone just saw a gaggle of geese. Once or twice somebody got a shot at, and killed a honker, but that constituted really big medicine; it so very rarely happened. Now the Canada Geese are so numerous that they are considered pestiferous. (Love that word pestiferous)

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Indeed, I once had the job of making the rounds at a huge corporate annual dove hunt in exchange for hunting privileges.

'You gonna hunt? Or drink? Cannot do both! Some put the beer away and some put the gun away.
Some got belligerent, but peer pressure helped there.
Had to write it all down. Take names. Was not popular to some but it was explained as a liability issue.

Yep-I like to drink, and I like to shoot, but you won't be doing both at the same time around me! The wife and i were at a neighborhood pool party a few Labor Days ago (with plenty of alcohol flowing) when a couple of guys started pulling out their CCW's to see whose was biggest I guess-not okay or cool at all IMO. We left, and haven't been invited back (which is cool-I have other friends with better judgment and less insecurity, believe it or not.

I have always been a shooter, but also a strict gun safety nut. Both my boys could clear and make safe about any kind of wheel gun or semi auto when they were both still in elementary school. And we always took pride when they always shot the groups of the week at Scout summer camp every year, first with pellets, and later with .22's. Another related story-I stopped in at the Greenville Cabelas a few weeks ago to buy some clothes and browse the guns in the back. I'm standing around looking when this idiot kid barrel swept me three times while showing a Glock to a customer. I thought about saying something to him or the manager, but was pretty tired, so just left-I won't be buying any guns there! Rant over-that is just an issue I get worked up over!

Oh, and nice picture, Mike-I've seen pics of my Papaw (who used to hunt all over the Sandy Mush area of Western NC decades ago) and my uncles like that-holding up the catch or kill of the day along with the tools they used to bring them in-they were a different breed.

Never hunted much, but would if needed.
Owned about 100 guns over the years but only kept a handful.
My wife's son (now mine too) is a serious bonehead. Love him dearly, but it is scary when he is around guns.
They stay in the safe. Trying to teach him the basics but he can't seem to grasp the concept of not "barrel sweeping", along with just about every other rule and guideline for guns.
He is 8yrs old, but acts more like 4.
Well maybe there's still hope..