# Opening day of dove season



## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

Was a bust. Zero. Zip. Nada. Zilch. The fields in Fayetteville were in bad shape. No food. No cover.

After touching base with Saint Hubert, I was off to the dove field. Nothing but unrelenting sun and heat... And then a torrential down pour with lightning an hour before quitting time... Sigh...


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## M R DUCKS (Feb 20, 2010)

thanks for reporting.


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

Daughters BF hunted Deer Creek area last two days Not one shot. He just left fields only saw 4 doves all day


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Hunted West Branch opening morning. Saw more hunters than doves! Saw more wood ducks than doves! Saw 5 doves and got shots at 2. Hit 1. ODNR waited until 2 days before the season started to plow the sunflowers down. I don't think the doves have had time to find the field yet.


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

We hunted Delaware and it SUCKED! both days!
I was able to down one Sunday. Then about an hour and a half before quitting time we started seeing birds. With 0 killed.
ODNR really needs to up their game in Delaware or just take the dove fields off the map.
In the past Delaware had really good fields...but the lack of effort is sad...


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

My daughters BF and i hunted Deer creek yesterday from 5-7:30. I got 7 doves. Saw some doves but not alot. At least alot less than the last couple years.


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

CHOPIQ said:


> My daughters BF and i hunted Deer creek yesterday from 5-7:30. I got 7 doves. Saw some doves but not alot. At least alot less than the last couple years.


I'm thinking of heading to Deer Creek Sunday. Have the fields been planted? Delaware they're not.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

fish4wall said:


> We hunted
> In the past Delaware had really good fields...but the lack of effort is sad...


More weather related than lack of effort. Its hard to plant much when it rains every other day...


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

fish4wall, we only hunted one field. I think they have 8 fields to hunt this year. The field we hunted had corn in it and they had burned out in front of the corn. The guy I hunted with said we saw more doves Tuesday night than he saw all day opening day. I THINK the 11th it goes back to morning hunts again.


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

Seems like for whatever reason there just aren't alot around . I have been looking at my private areas and they aren't holding enough birds to even attempt a hunt . Even sileage fields . Probably get a push of doves at some point hopefully .


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

A week before the season opened, there were 40 or so doves at my friend's house. Now? Just the few local birds that are year round...


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

thanks guys..i'll give it a shot Sunday..


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## snag (Dec 27, 2005)

Read a article in the paper of a guy getting busted at WBranch dove hunting last weekend for a unplugged gun, cost him $87 plus 127$ court costs.ouch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

so I hunted one of the Deer Creek fields yesterday evening...
not a lot of birds flying but did get one.. but I LOVED the field...
it had standing sunflowers and wheat on the ground... I think I'll be back there.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

snag said:


> cost him $87 plus 127$ court costs.ou


 The most disturbing thing about that is the court cost is more than the fine. Wonder who gets the fine money and who gets the court cost dollars
Good luck and good hunting


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

snag said:


> Read a article in the paper of a guy getting busted at WBranch dove hunting last weekend for a unplugged gun, cost him $87 plus 127$ court costs.ouch
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I was at West Branch opening day. The rangers checked our license, but didn't check the plug in our guns. One guy snuck out ahead of the rangers. He forgot his wallet at home with his license and didn't want a ticket. Didn't realize it until he saw the rangers coming.


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## colonel594 (Aug 31, 2012)

How did the fields at west branch turn out this year? I havnt had a chance to get over there yet. 

I know a lot of areas never grew or really struggled with all the rain this year.


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## Uglystix (Mar 3, 2006)

bdawg said:


> I was at West Branch opening day. The rangers checked our license, but didn't check the plug in our guns. One guy snuck out ahead of the rangers. He forgot his wallet at home with his license and didn't want a ticket. Didn't realize it until he saw the rangers coming.


I asked a ranger if they would accept the license download on a phone and he said they did. Just an FYI.


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## colonel594 (Aug 31, 2012)

Good point uglystix, I always keep a picture of my ID, and hunting /fishing license on my phone in case I ever forgot my wallet. Clearly states in the regulations an electronic copy of your license is valid.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

colonel594 said:


> How did the fields at west branch turn out this year? I havnt had a chance to get over there yet.
> 
> I know a lot of areas never grew or really struggled with all the rain this year.


I'm no expert on dove fields, but my buddy said the one we were in looked good. The wood ducks and finches wanted to be there. The main problem was that 2 days before opening day, they mowed the sunflowers down to bare dirt and scared the birds away.


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## colonel594 (Aug 31, 2012)

Makes me wonder if the sunflowers ever grew then? Generally they leave them standing. But bare dirt is a necessity, doves will not land and feed in grass. They perfer to pick seed and rock off of bare ground.

Thanks for the reply I'll have to take a ride out and check them out.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Yes, doves like hot and dry dirt. Dirt is one of the key things that I look for when scouting.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

bdawg said:


> I'm no expert on dove fields, but my buddy said the one we were in looked good. The wood ducks and finches wanted to be there. The main problem was that 2 days before opening day, they mowed the sunflowers down to bare dirt and scared the birds away.


That's kinda how dove fields work. Dove like to feed on the ground. Bush hogging not only knocks everything down, it scatters the seeds for the birds to feed on.


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