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Feb 12th, 2024
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What happended to the birds?? #8372645 09/02/21 05:47 PM
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7mag Offline OP
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For the very first time in all my lifetime I finally went out on the opener of dove season. Private lease in Crane County. Huge acreage and have hunted it before with KWRS in past yrs and it was on fire.

Yesterday? Only thing on fire was me as it was high 90s close to 100. Hunted a tank we had scouted and seen a few birds last week. Yesterday? It was scarce. I took 6 and couldn't find 2. All mourning dove no white wings.

In yrs past hunting with Kent the white wings were so thick it was just shooting into a cloud of em and hitting a few. I keep reading the severe freeze this past yr killed many off? I don't know.

Huge mistake I made and I know better. Take my chair and take water, lots of water. I was hurting pretty bad yesterday evening. Brush was stupid grown more so with goat head stickers. I was smart enough to wear my snake chaps to keep em off.

I am not giving up. Trying back Saturday and Sunday morning. Hope yalls dove season goes well up


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Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8372652 09/02/21 05:52 PM
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Didn't see any yesterday AM, but there were small groups of 3-4 flying to roost yesterday evening... It was just me and i couldn't cover the whole clearing.


Do not forget to entertain strangers, For by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels
Hebrews 13:2
Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8372817 09/02/21 08:09 PM
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Interesting... I've been getting TPWD emails about how the population had a good spring/summer and this is forecast to be a good season. Maybe still a little early? Last year I had the most luck 1-2 weeks after season open. And then again the last week of the second split.


Keep it Safe, Keep it Clean, Aim High.
Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8372829 09/02/21 08:16 PM
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cant trust the govt

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373229 09/03/21 01:34 AM
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Kooch Offline
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We had the worst opening day I have ever had in Breckenridge. 4 birds between 4 guys

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: HTXdude123] #8373247 09/03/21 01:45 AM
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Originally Posted by HTXdude123
Interesting... I've been getting TPWD emails about how the population had a good spring/summer and this is forecast to be a good season. Maybe still a little early? Last year I had the most luck 1-2 weeks after season open. And then again the last week of the second split.

They say that every year, roflmao


Do not forget to entertain strangers, For by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels
Hebrews 13:2
Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373334 09/03/21 02:48 AM
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Birdless near College Station so far,


" What lies behind you and what lies before you are of little consiquense when compared to what lies within you"
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Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373420 09/03/21 04:08 AM
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I ended up having a pretty good day hunting south young county opening day, but the Dove were gone today. None. Zero. Local birds had left. I was the only hunter on my field so it was not hunting pressure that moved them.
confused2

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373440 09/03/21 04:54 AM
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I hunted in Central Texas yesterday. It was very slow. I usually got my limit in the opening day for many years in a row, just matter how soon it was. But, I only took 5 birds the whole day of yesterday. Everyone I met was the same or worse. All birds I got are mature, no young one. So, I think the winter storm of early this year did impact the population of doves.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373449 09/03/21 08:21 AM
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Hunted Haskell county. Managed a limit but it took the whole day. Last year, same spot, had a limit by 10am....birds were slow but still plenty around.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373460 09/03/21 10:40 AM
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Hunted Haskell county. Surprising how much of that land is getting leased up for hunting. But with all the rain this year, there is feed everywhere, not just where it is being managed for dove hunting. The birds have a lot of places to feed. And all the tanks were full. So they didn't have to concentrate for water as much either. We did well and saw a lot of birds in some places, but I also saw a lot of sunflower fields that were partially shredded for hunting with not many birds on them. Why it's called hunting.


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Lone Watie : It's not right, this damn woman doing something like this to me. I used to have power. Now old age is creeping up on me.

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Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373462 09/03/21 10:41 AM
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February was the "winter is coming" moment for everyone. I found 10 dead bluebirds in one nest box huddled together. Windchill of -20 is too much.
I saw several different types of birds go in holes in trees, even a sparrow hawk, to try & keep warm. So you know there had to be a die-off in doves from Kansas to Texas.

Having said that, there was a nesting pair of mourning doves in our yard that had three clutches. That may be what TP&W referred to as good conditions. Daily limit probably should've been reduced this year to help them rebound as well.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373500 09/03/21 11:48 AM
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Zero population around the Brenham Tx area. Hunted 2 pastures, 2 different ponds at sunset, zero birds. Guess a wx change is
in order to change up things here.


hunt safe all...


"Buy more ammo, save it for a rainy day."
Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373502 09/03/21 11:52 AM
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" What happened. . . ."

That's a dang good question.
There's usually a dozen or so
at any one time picking up gravel
out front
Not even a COO COO COO lately

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373705 09/03/21 03:33 PM
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My mojo was luring in lots of cowbirds and blackbirds.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373751 09/03/21 04:20 PM
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No birds where we were either. It sucked!


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Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373787 09/03/21 04:59 PM
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Very spotty this year. My buddy in Midland had already told us there were no dove and no quail this year down there.
We had respectable numbers near Hewitt but I don't think any areas faired too well against the Blizzard of 21.


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Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373795 09/03/21 05:14 PM
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Covid prolly got them 🤪

Opening day around Breckinridge was very slow for us as well

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373858 09/03/21 06:39 PM
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We hunted Haskell on 9/1 and 9/2. Morning of 9/1 was super slow, but at least there were a few birds coming to sunflowers. 9/1 afternoon was really bad, moved to a tank and 2 of us got a few. 9/2 was absolutely terrible. 4 hunters yesterday morning combined for 4 birds. Everyone but me went back home after the morning hunt. I wanted to try again yesterday afternoon, but I should have just gone home. Nothing flying at all and no shots coming from other fields.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373888 09/03/21 07:08 PM
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I'm east of Angelo we have places in Coke, TOm Green, Concho and Runnels Counties. About 10n years ago we started to notice declines in the mourning dove population. Every year we would see less and less. Every place has tanks milo, and wheat fields. You could limit out everyday during the season. Now you don't have any birds until late September when fronts bring them in from the north. Now if you are within 10 miles of San Angelo you will have clouds of white wings and the hutting is excellent. TPWD sees no issues but I'm telling you there is a bad decline of mourning dove in this area.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373893 09/03/21 07:12 PM
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Same way with wild Bobwhite quail.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: Lipan Creep] #8373898 09/03/21 07:17 PM
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If the TPWD is right and there is no decline in bird populations, then for some reason they are abandoning certain areas during the summer. Lots of places here have very few "local" birds.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8373985 09/03/21 08:59 PM
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TPWD wants to sell hunting license. Every year is a good year in their book,

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8374105 09/03/21 10:28 PM
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My LO out In Throckmorton says they lost a ton of local birds with the freeze. Says it may be late Sept after some cool fronts before it’s even close to normal.

Re: What happended to the birds?? [Re: 7mag] #8374172 09/03/21 11:39 PM
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Hunting 5 fields this week and weekend. Two fields guys shot around half limits this morning, two fields were absolutely dead and one field had a few birds. My 22nd year selling dove hunts and it's the slowest opener I've ever seen.


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