There is always talk about which area of the state has the best dove hunting. I am partial to South Texas because I have lived and guided there since I was a kid, so I would say that my best dove hunts have been in the South Texas area. I just wanted to know where everyone else has had their best dove hunt that they can remember.

This was the best dove hunt that I can remember, we were in one of my fields outside Kingsville, Tx. Just a regular cattle pasture with a few yellow tops. My dad and I were done in less that 30 minutes. What made this hunt so special was that my dad and I were bird for bird the entire hunt (we usually make a game out of it and see who can limit the fastest). We joked and laughed the entire time while both of us admired each others shooting. After finishing we watched groups of 40-50 doves fly across the field until about 9am. To this day we still talk about that hunt and pick at each other as to who till take a group there on opening morning.
It was a great hunt that I will always remember.

My best was during the second season of last year. The dove were pretty thick for around my house. I ended up "crippling" one and it landed in a tree about 20 yards away. Some more come in and I figured the first wasn't going anywhere so I shot the second and it fell under the tree the 1st landed in. The 1st tried to fly off and hit the ground. I sent my dog and that sucker took off. Never got more than 2 foot off the ground though. I watched as my dog chased that bird for probably a little over 100 yards before he snatched it out of the air. Was really cool to see.

Had another one that I shot in the woods do the same thing that mourning. But he made the mistake of flying back across me when it came out of the woods.

My best dove hunt was in Lubbock in the late season after Christmas. We went out for an evening pigeon shoot and turned into a huge dove and pigeon beat down. We ended up with 90 dove and 45 pigeons.

There's good dove hunting in North Central Texas too, but that day in Lubbock topped them all.

We use to have some land that we could hunt just north of my home town. One Oct. a early cold front came throw and the dove were riding the north wind. It was a quick shot. It seemed like the dove were coming into this small pond in flocks of 20's.

Got 400 acres of maize planted at the ranch ever year. Always allows for a beat down. Typically yield 100-125 birds per day.

The area around Coleman is hard to beat. I've had exceptional hunts in the Panhandle (near Lubbock), South Texas (outside of Kingsville), and even 1 particularly good field in Milam county. But none of them were as good for sheer numbers over the entire season as the fields near Coleman and Brownwood (although Kingsville came close).

The day I got my 1st limit with my late-grandfathers 20 ga. The birds weren't coming in like crazy, but just a single every 2-3 minutes. Shoot one, find it, walk back to my chair, repeat process.

Couple of years ago I guess outside Spur, Tx in a giant sunflower field. Me and my wife, my dad and mom. It was my wife's first year dove hunting and she couldn't hit anything. There were about 5 or 6 birds that me and my dad shot but my wife claimed them. She was so happy that she thought she shot them that we didn't have the heart to tell her.

Nothing special about the hunt I guess. Birds were flying good and it was nice to spend time with the people that meant the most to me. Hopefully dad can get time to hunt again this year.

Oh, and the look on dads face every time a dove would swoop down on the
Mojo. He was tickled to death that it worked.

The best dove hunt I've ever had was east of sweetwater. We were hunting smack dab in the middle of a cattle feed lot. My brother and i were worried that we wouldn't have much luck because of all the barns and gates and stuff being around. Well when the sun rose there were no birds in sight. We didn't even see a single one until around 8:30 or so, but when they started coming man it was non stop! I couldn't keep my gun loaded fast enough! We ended up shooting white wing, mourning, and collard doves that morning, and we had a good laugh at his new lab pup making his first few retrieves.

Last year opening weekend in a sesame field near Kingsville.

Heck it could of been in one of your fields. We are doing the same trip this opener.

About 30 years ago with ex f-i-l at a tank on his farm between Hillsboro and Whitney using his A5 sweet 16, birds were constant every few minutes for 2 hours.

4 years ago in Kent Co. 10 miles south of Spur by a pond, they came flying in for 2 straight hours one afternoon. Even I was able to get a limit lol.

Let's just say I can tell you how many dove breasts it takes to fill up a 5 gallon bucket. I can also tell you how long it takes 2 people to clean that many birds while everyone else is standing around drunk.

One of the reasons I don't dove hunt is because my first hunt was awesome, 10 birds, should have limited but didn't. Every dove hunt I've been on since has completely sucked. I've paid for leases and hunted public and they've all sucked

I hunted on a place on the south side of Abilene, TX that was awesome. They had a designated flight path that was always fun to hunt.

Sesame is by far the best attraction for dove IMO. Last season we did not hunt any sesame until the second weekend of the season, the birds will be thick in the fields that weren't hunted on the opener. This year should be the same way

Out west, see 24 second video below...



About 100 yards from this spot me and my son limited no kidding in about 15 minutes on another hunt..

My best dove hunt was about 30 years ago in Central Texas. I think the limit was 12 that year and I had shot 10 doves with 11 shots. Then a flight of birds came over the tank where I was sitting. I waited until two birds were lined up, then pulled the trigger. Both birds fell dead, so I had a limit of doves with the same number of shells. Considering that I'm not a very good shot most of the time, this was fantastic. Most of the time I feel pretty good if I get a bird for every two shells. I hate to admit it, but there have been times when I shot ten shells without dislodging a single feather.

I agree with CPO, South Texas is the best. My favorite hunt - with my Dad back in the mid-80s, Dilley Pearsall area. Late September or early October. A giant field of goatweed, and I mean big goatweed. No one else hunting the field. The goatweed was popping and the doves were coming to it like crazy. Take your time, pick your shots, and the limits still came too fast. And I shot my first whitewing (that was not in the valley), a stray mixed in with the mourners. Now that area is full of them around the towns. I had my golden retriever Eli picking up the birds and a great hunt with my Dad.

Each hunt is the best hunt when I share it with good friends, and good dogs. To pick a hunt is impossible. So I will go with the last weekend of the fall season 2011. White wings were steady and high, but I was on fire that evening. It did not matter how high they were they still thud on impact!

There is a ton of "GREAT" dove hunts I have been on...

I don't know if I can put my finger on "BEST"

I remember one opener on my lease we had for nearly 15 years in North Texas. We all limited and there was birds pouring into our pond.

Was literally non-stop. We would have flocks of 10-30 pour in, and we fought like hell to keep them from drinkin' out of our water hole!

Think 8 of us limited on 15 birds each.

Second hunt that rivals that was hunting the Brinkman ranch in Frisco. We shot "limits" (there was a bunch of us) and then drove over to La Hacenda Ranch and ate like kings!

J.J.

Best at my dad's place:

Have had quite a few nice ones the past few year out west near Haskell/Lueders area. 30 guys limiting most hunts in a single field. Finally had a slow one last year and then the next morning was probably the best ever. 5 minute limit if you didn't have to retrieve them.

Most memorable weren't limits but the situation. Like from a front porch over a busted water line in the driveway making little puddles. Or hunting in 40 mph after a front. Thinking a the opener was a bust only to have 100's start flying 45 minutes late.

Nice shotting

I lived in Lubbock for ten years. We had fields that you could limit in under 15 minutes on a regular basis. We shot 206 collared dove one morning between 5 of us. Shot another 150 that night. Another spot we had you could shot over a case of shells every evening at dove/collared dove and pigeons. So it's hard to say what was the best. I do miss being able to shot limits everyday of the season