Remember when I said that I was probably done dove hunting for the year? I was wrong. The dogs and I gave it a try this afternoon and had a nice shoot. Most of the birds were gone but worked on the few that came by in range.
I’m back… more to follow…
Upland bird hunters who thought we had a good season last year should be pleased to know that the trend should continue in 2010. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has completed summer surveys, and the results, compiled in the Upland Bird Hunting Forecast, suggest that Kansas will have abundant upland birds for the second year in a row. Although some hunters have been concerned about a significant amount of federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land turned back to crop production, this apparently has not hurt bird production to date.
Also note that the quail and pheasant season open on the same day this year after a couple of years testing the fairly stupid idea of splitting them up. November 13 opens both seasons, and the limits are the same as last year.
I’m leaving in the morning for Wyoming to try and chase down a good antelope. Regular readers will remember that I did this in September of 2008 as well. I love the country, love the relaxed style of hunt, and love the time of year. Last time it took me months to get over that sage brush smell…
Check back for a blow-by-blow. Also, check over at The Outdoor Smorgasbord. He’s returned to Southeast Kansas for a muzzleloader hunt. He’s promising regular updates.
4:30 came awfully early this morning, but by 8:00 we had our limits and were heading for breakfast. Now, after a full work day, I’m worn out and headed for bed!
Rumor has it that the teal arrived last weekend. We saw a very good number of birds and I’ve heard reports of good hunting on the various public grounds in Kansas. Unfortunately I’m booked tomorrow and Friday with early work engagements and we leave Saturday for Wyoming so this is probably it for the 2010 teal season for me.
Well hmmm… I’ve spent a few days thinking about adding a link to my blog roll. No big deal right? Well it’s complicated… I’ve posted several dove related posts here recently, and I’ve been getting a ton of Google hits for, “dove recipe”. I’ve got a couple, but honestly, my cooking is something like level 1.
So I did a search for hunting blogs that also had some dove recipes and ended up with NorCal Cazadora. She’s a huntress, (Hunter? I’m not really sure huntress is a word?) writer, and professor, or so I gather. She also dates a guy who apparently is an accomplished cook. As I read through it is quickly apparent that Holly and I very different in the way we approach hunting and the outdoors, but I already knew that and it certainly is not a bad thing.
The bad thing? Well, she was part of the small group the Northern Californians who came rushing to the defense of high fence operator T. Michael Riddle a while back. Actually, even that isn’t a bad thing, she was standing up for her friend and I think she even knew someone who worked there or something… But then on a different blog she called me an, “Asshat”.
I’ll be honest, I get called a lot of things, some earned, some not. I’ve never heard that one before. I’m not even sure what it means. My offending behavior? Well I pointed out that shooting a tame buck wasn’t poaching, it was theft, or conversion. If you shoot a neighbors cow, you’re not poaching, why would shooting a fenced in deer be any different? Then she attacked me for hunting baited bears because, you know, we’ve all got to stick together… The exchange is at the link above, you can decide for yourself… I took leave of that conversation and I don’t think I’ve heard from, or thought about her since then (although it is interesting to note that Mr. Riddle posted polite comments on my blog in the months following the whole stir – more on that someday).
Ultimately if I couldn’t survive differing opinions I wouldn’t have a career, and I respect the work Holly does. The rest… well… I’ve shown before with Mr. Rasch that I can have a productive relationship with those who can disagree respectfully (even if the respect is mostly one sided). So, Asshat or not, NorCal Cazadora has been added to the roll under “Outdoor Blogs I Read”, and I do suggest you read it. You can decide for yourself on the baited bears, high fences, tame pheasants, and rabbits that aren’t scared.
Oh, the link that prompted all of this? Here’s a recent post of hers on dove hunting, that features several very interesting recipe links.
Which is good, because here is what I did after work today:
It’s been a fantastic dove season so far but it may be coming to an end. Sunday’s hunt showed that our Kansas hot spot had slowed down dramatically. Today’s hunt showed that the Missouri spot has also slowed down. I had a good shoot, but with all of the corn fields being cut, the doves had other places to go, and they went there. If today is the last dove hunt of the season it’s still been a fantastic year, and these guys certainly enjoyed the warm-up for the serious hunts to come, maybe as soon as 6:30 tomorrow morning…
One of the truly great bowhunters of all time passed away today. Glenn St. Charles was one of the pioneers of archery as well as a quality hunter and ambassador. He was a founder of the Pope and Young Club and wrote one of the best hunting books I’ve ever read. I gave you a review of Bows on the Little Delta here.
You can find more information at the Archery Hall of Fame.
… has been a bust. I scouted Friday, got bored Saturday morning, and ended up picking paw paws instead. By the way, a fruit rollup made from paw paws isn’t very good.
Anyway, a moderate cold front came through yesterday with lots of rain and a drop of 20 degrees. I was hoping it would push some birds down so I went on a scouting mission this evening after work. This is what I found:
The water was about a foot deep running across the road, and over every levee on the place. Kodi and I waded around a bit, saw nothing, and got out of there. The good news is that we should have plenty of water for duck season, and I didn’t have to swim to make it happen, like I did last year.
Last Monday we had the “Dove Opener”. This hunt used to mark the start of all the fall seasons but in recent years I’ve had opportunities to shoot other places before this traditionally Labor Day hunt. Still, it’s a social outing and usually a very good hunt. The Old Man has been planting sunflowers on this place for many years and invites 15-20 of his friends and hunting partners for the shoot and BBQ.
(more…)
I guess that’s a somewhat misleading title. I once attended an induction/fundraiser for the Waterfowlers Hall of Fame in Mound City, Missouri. If I remember correctly it included a duck calling demonstration by a friend and a rendition of Grandma Got Run Over By A Snow Goose sang by a collection of elderly locals. Interesting experience. I also drive by the Farmer’s Hall of Fame on my way to work most days… I’ve always figured this was some type of K-State Mecca… but it’s apparently $7.00 to get in, so I’ll pass.
Anyway, what we’re talking about here is the highlights of my 2009 season. A few years back I ran out of space on my desk and book shelf for any more pictures, so I combined the best 3 pictures from that season and framed them together. Then for 2008 I made a matching set but had to use 4 pictures. Now my 2009 set is done.
