2010 2011 Hunting Season

2010 - 2011 Blaze's 6th Season of Hunting

The new hunting season starts off same as last year with a Dove hunt North of Olney Texas

September 1st & 2nd, Opening Days

Started on the 1st hunting down the treeline from Dan Gleason on one of George Green's fields. Not the best opening morning, but I got to shoot a few birds and shoot at a few more that were faster than my gun. I was happy.

Got to try out my new to me, old 16 SxS. And Blaze retrieved as if it was just another day at the office. She was one happy dog with her long boring summer break finally over.

Picked up a whitewing for my final bird of the day. To be honest it was the golden BB from a long desparate shot straight up that dropped this bird at my feet.

Day two was a little slower, but I got to shoot my first ever Eurasion Dove. I never realized how big they were. We also had a flock of whitewings come over while Dan, his friend, and myself were
standing around shooting the bull. All three of us picked up a bird from the same flock. The first bird helicoptered so slow that the second two birds shot hit the ground well before the first bird ever did. Don't get much better.

And the Young County Trifecta. Or you could call it the Olney Grand Slam. Eurasion, Whitewing, and Mourning Dove from the same hunt.

Blaze was an angel and did her job well.

September 3rd, Day Three

Friend Steve came out for a run to Breckenridge to Texas Hunting Forum member Stompy's place on Friday. Steady shooting all morning for me and I could tell the guys across the field from us where having even more dove flying than we did. It was nice to head back to camp with a limit and have the rest of the day to get some things done at my Graham Deer lease.

A nice portrait shot of Blaze.

And last a gratuitus Grasshopper pic. There were thick this year!

Delta Waterfowl Photo Contest Winner

This picture of Blaze and me won the September Delta Waterfowl Photo Contest. And it was fitting for the Month as it includes Dove and a Bluewing teal in the picture. It was an accidental candid picture self taken while I was framing up the camera for a self portrait. I just noticed I even got a feather on my neck.

http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/pix/winners.php

Lone Star Outdoors Show http://texasoutdoorsmedia.com/

Yet another photo brag for a picture I entered into yet another photo contest. This one also taken last year was the photo of the Month with the Lone Star Outdoors Show

Dances With Dove or Kayak Dove Hunting

September 11, 2010

Yep, that is a bird on the water. Almost looks like a Teal don't it. Nope, it's one of those swimmin Dove.

Been a long time since I have hunted Dove this way. I have hunted them from a Canoe before, but today it was a Kayak. I was unable to get out early enough for Teal, so this was the next best thing.

All Blaze knows is she wants it!

Mostly involves shooting from a sculled or drifted kayak at fast passing birds headed to roost. It makes for a low success to shot ratio and is very challenging. Fortunately I did have enough birds to keep it fun.

The beauty of this kind of hunting. If you can pin point a flyway, it is easy to move into it. Dove don't seem to have a lot of fear of things on the water. And cripples that sail off just fall into the water making them easy to chase down with the kayak.

One last shot of Blaze doing her thing. Blaze did get my camera wet coming back into the kayak on this picture. I think it will survive, but I did decide it best to put the camera up at that point.

So there you have it. Kayak Dove hunting. It's almost like shooting from a Horse!

Got one more I was able to crop from a mis-framed pic. Just before my helper plucked it from the water.

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2010 - 2011 Hunting Season