Opening Weekend Dove Season

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

I'm bothered by hunting -- but then, I don't eat meat.

Also, there's a good solution for deer overpopulation -- it's called wolves.

Well, I haven't seen too many wolves around Texas or the South (doesn't mean they aren't there though.)

There are mountain lions and bobcats though on our ranches in West Texas and South Texas.....but they don't kill enough Deer to make a difference.


....and I can promise you, a mature 4-5 years old Buck with a full rack could hold its own against a wolf.


What bothers you about hunting....just wondering?

[Munchkin03]

My parents live near a reserve that has limited hunting due to the rapid overpopulation and the fact that the wolves just weren't cutting it. I think my father and a friend went out a few times, but that was it.

I would rather have meat that was hunted or fish that was caught with a rod than farmed animals. Until I got to college, the only fish I ate was fish that my grandfather caught. There's really nothing like fresh fish--I can't even get it at Whole Paycheck.

[AXO Alum]

Originally Posted by valkyrie

I'm bothered by hunting -- but then, I don't eat meat.

Also, there's a good solution for deer overpopulation -- it's called wolves.

You were just waiting on my "ditto" I know

My neighbor is an avid hunter (good lord, one day my dog wouldn't come home so I went up to his yard to look.... BIG mistake - I nearly passed out) - and we always have this convo. He starts with "you know, I am helping deer by controlling the population" and my reply is always "and if hunters hadn't killed all their natural enemies - such as wolves & coyotes - we wouldn't be in this mess would we?"

Coyotes are FINALLY making a reappearance in our area - and the first thing the news says on their "coming up at 5 o'clock" commercials Coyotes are making a comeback - how to protect your pets & avoid rabies - coming up at 5 o'clock Okay IDIOTS - way to use the old scare tactics to freak out 80 year old grandma's with toy poodles!

Every freaking time you hear a story on the news about a rabid animal (possum, fox, skunk) the next week or so, you hear about a million follow-ups of how many have been killed by people who were worried that the animal was rabid. Here's a clue people... if it is in the middle of the night, and you have cat or dog food on your porch... you can EXPECT a critter to show up & eat it. That's what they do. Freaking idiots

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by AXO Alum

You were just waiting on my "ditto" I know

My neighbor is an avid hunter (good lord, one day my dog wouldn't come home so I went up to his yard to look.... BIG mistake - I nearly passed out) - and we always have this convo. He starts with "you know, I am helping deer by controlling the population" and my reply is always "and if hunters hadn't killed all their natural enemies - such as wolves & coyotes - we wouldn't be in this mess would we?"

Coyotes are FINALLY making a reappearance in our area - and the first thing the news says on their "coming up at 5 o'clock" commercials Coyotes are making a comeback - how to protect your pets & avoid rabies - coming up at 5 o'clock Okay IDIOTS - way to use the old scare tactics to freak out 80 year old grandma's with toy poodles!

Every freaking time you hear a story on the news about a rabid animal (possum, fox, skunk) the next week or so, you hear about a million follow-ups of how many have been killed by people who were worried that the animal was rabid. Here's a clue people... if it is in the middle of the night, and you have cat or dog food on your porch... you can EXPECT a critter to show up & eat it. That's what they do. Freaking idiots

I don't know where you are....but down here there is absolutely no reason to kill wolves and coyotes.........they don't kill enough deer to have an impact whatsoever on the population. You should watch a mature 10 point buck manhandle a coyote.....its quite impressive. Killing deer on a ranch or a seasoned hunting area actually does help control the population...significantly. You should talk to a wildlife biologist sometime...its pretty interesting.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by 33girl

poor little feathery cooing guys.

Seriously, I didn't know there was such a thing as "dove season." Is there an overpopulation problem with them down there?

There are countless millions of Dove that are all over North and South America. There isn't a season because of overpopulation, there is a season because Dove are migratory game birds and hunting helps control the population.

For anyone that doesn't know, the Dove you hunt are very big....almost like Pigeons. Eurasion Dove are almost bigger. The breasts of the Dove (that you eat) are actually quite big in size and are very tasty.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by macallan25

There are countless millions of Dove that are all over North and South America. There isn't a season because of overpopulation, there is a season because Dove are migratory game birds and hunting helps control the population.

For anyone that doesn't know, the Dove you hunt are very big....almost like Pigeons. Eurasion Dove are almost bigger. The breasts of the Dove (that you eat) are actually quite big in size and are very tasty.

Ahh, I was thinking of Mourning Doves like this guy.



They wouldn't be worth plucking to eat. The Eurasian ones do look a lot bigger.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Ahh, I was thinking of Mourning Doves like this guy.



They wouldn't be worth plucking to eat. The Eurasian ones do look a lot bigger.

Mourning Dove can get pretty big....White Wing Dove are what you really try to shoot. Eurasion Dove are funny......they aren't in a whole lot of places and actually don't count as a game bird. (The limit for the two hunts that you can do per day during season in Texas is 15 birds) So basically if you shoot 3 White Wings and 20 Eurasions, you would technically only have 3 Dove that counted towards your limit.

Eurasions are right on the brink of actually not being considered a Dove....but more in the Pigeon family. They are damn big though and good to eat.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by macallan25

Eurasions are right on the brink of actually not being considered a Dove....but more in the Pigeon family. They are damn big though and good to eat.

Do you prepare them like chicken/turkey/other standard poultry??

[tunatartare]

I wish there was a pigeon hunting season.

[carnation]

There's a nearby college that has some 30,000 acres and for years they didn't allow deer hunting. Well, the deer have just swarmed the area (ask AXO Alum how many she saw there last December, lol) and they've come into our neighborhood and others, devouring plants and getting hit by cars and stripped parts of the campus bare. Finally the college is allowing controlled hunting. I could never do it myself but honestly, that campus is overrun by deer and you can hardly drive anywhere in the evening bc they all come out and stand in the roads. And stare at you as you try to inch your car past them.

[CutiePie2000]

I thought this thread might be about a weekend promo for DOVE soap...LOL.