Why not Dove open Sat. of Labor Day Weekend?

I don't follow the politics of it but why on earth doesn't Dove season open on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend?

I have no problem with it opening earlier

It opens on the 1st every year no matter what day it is.

Because some of us like to go on the weekdays when the mass crowds are at the cubicles

Sept 1 has always been the start of the fall hunting season...
long ago most people didn't sit in little squares in multi-story buildings..
deer season always started Nov 16, too.

A year like this is nice when half the guys on our lease will be out there for the first 2 days and the other half coming out on the weekend. The first round of hunters always get the best shooting, but this year was really good on the weekend too. I bet the local economies really like it when the opener is on a Tuesday because it gives them a few more days where hunters are spending money on hotel rooms, food, and gas. I figure the aggregate dollars are higher when you have hunters that hunted the opener and made a return trip on the weekend. That being said, I definitely feel for the guys who miss out when the opener is during the middle of the week. It's truly one of my favorite days of the year.

Add me to the camp who would like to see it start on the Saturday proceeding Labor Day. We only had 4 out of 10 hunters come out to our lease for the opener. The whole reason we have that lease is for the social aspect of dove hunting. The lease is no good after the first couple of days either, so if you miss the opener and go out there on the weekend, there is a high possibility you will be going home empty handed.

Me either. What difference would it make?

If your dove lease only has birds on the opener and that's it, why do you have it? The best dove hunting has yet to come, we haven't had a big front yet and it's still 100°.

For many years the dove season opened at noon on the Saturday before Labor Day. There was no morning hunting for dove as legal hours were noon till sundown.

Then it was changed to where you could hunt mornings and later so it opens Sept 1. I do not know why the changes were made but they were.

Dove hunting to me is more of a social event, out with good friends having fun on a low pressure hunt. Ribbing each other about misses and congrats on good shots. Good camp food and times kicking off the new hunting season.

^ you got the noon till sundown part correct, but season always started sept1

If dove hunting is that big of a deal to you then you make the arrangements necessary to have Sept 1st off. I've hunted every Sept 1st for years and years without issue just because I've made the plans and truth be told I'm not even all that mad at doves. I'm more than ok with it being on a Tuesday and actually prefer it because lots of bozos don't know how to plan. The less people out the better...dove season is full of amateur hour hunters anyway so this also helps to keep those guys away.

We have it because we like to all get together, and it costs us less per hunter than two day hunts. And my best dove hunting has always been on opening day, and the day after... I don't think I have ever gotten a limit during a hunt later in the season.

I'm w/Drop on this..
several yrs ago the So zone ended nov8.. we had a spectacular shoot that day...friends and neighbors all gathered at our place and it was on!

Based on poll I put on the forum, 75% of dove hunters got out on opening day

Hardly scientific pol but still....

Started dove hunting at 7 and i am 69 and never remember an opening other than sept 1. For a long time you could not hunt until 12 0'clock. I do not remember when that changed. Burnet county

September 1 is a day off for me every year. If I showed up at work my guys would think there was something wrong.

Having it open on a weekend would also be better for my son... wouldn't have to miss school. We would be able to leave Friday after school, hunt Saturday, Sunday, and morning on Monday before we would need to head back.

Because of it opening on a Tuesday this year, he didn't get to go for the opener.

a lot depends on species also...
here west of SA 99% of doves shot are WW's close to urban areas...
Mourning doves can be good, but the huge #'s of WW's are the big ticket early Sept.
I'm So zone and rual, so our best shooting is always late Sept and Oct.

+1,I remember waiting till noon on the 1st. Dad pulled me and my brother out of school and mom was not happy.

As the song goes "can't always get what you want".

Good attitude to have towards kids and hunting... why worry about the kids and the future of the sport? I'm certain that my son was not the only one that missed out this year.

Y'all mean every year? This isn't new, it has ALWAYS started the first. No need to act like the future of hunting rests solely on labor day weekend. I'm still lost as to why people get so worked up over the opener, I like hunting when it's not 100° and other dove hunters have packed away their shotguns until next season.

Ain't the end of the world man. I have 2 of my own, both grown, I haven't hunted every opener in my lifetime as well. Work and school are more important than making every opening day. Maybe not so much work but school for sure.

Tradition is the simple answers. Sept 1 is kick off of hunting season, that will never change.

Can't change which day Christmas and New Years falls on either


Youth Only Dove Season maybe?

Who says you can't hunt with kids after school let's out. Most evening hunts the birds are not flying until 530 or later anyways. School let's out normally around what 330?

Also so what if you have to wait to take kids over the weekend and it's not opening day. Maybe your hunt won't be as good but that's fine...real hunters know there is more to hunting and a lot more to the enjoyment than the number of birds you take down. That might be a good lesson for kids to learn early. If you can't find a lot to appreciate even on a slow hunt then you are doing it wrong or have not matured as a hunter.

Yes, I would like to see it open on a Saturday, every year, just like deer season. As I have already posted, opening day has always been my best day of dove hunting... I took my son out over the weekend and we didn't see anything. And again, dove hunting is more social for us... friends and family getting together. That is much easier on a weekend.

Can't change those days, but not really relevant since the kids are out of school for two to three weeks around those days anyway.

You realize that not everyone lives where they walk out the back door to hunt, right? And with athletics and other activities, school is out at 4:20, and my son arrives home around 6:30 most days.

And slow hunts are fine, but suck when you see that everyone else that hunted on the lease on the first two days limited, and now there are no birds.

What the hell people, am I not entitled to have my opinion that I would prefer it to start on a weekend?

I just don't think any of us believe 3 or 4 days makes that big of a deal. It's always been fine starting on the 1st and probably always will.

It makes a difference to those who couldn't get away to hunt during the middle of the week. And you can't argue that the hunting is just as good on the 5th day as it was on the 1st day... the field reports just don't bear that out.

Like I said, it is just a convenience thing for me and the group I hunt with. We typically have 10 or 11 of us out there when it happens to start later in the week, on a Friday or Saturday. This year, there were only 4 hunting opening morning. I made it there to hunt the evening. Another guy came in the next day. The rest couldn't get away. Dove hunting is typically pretty social for us, family and friends... but sucks when family and friends can't be there.

You are probably right, it probably won't change... but I wish it would.

schools getting out at 4:20 everyday makes me giggle...and get a little hungry

Sorry Cyphertext....I guess I just know the date won't change and my opinion is I'm ok with that since I make the necessary adjustments to still get in my hunts on the 1st. I really was just trying to go through some of the ways you might be able to still make the best of it. Sorry that I didn't put together a plan perfect for your situation.

Relax, it's just dove. Most people that shoot dove don't even hunt.

I am going to be out of town this weekend so I'm going to ask that they change the teal opening day back from the 12th to the 15th just for me. Well it's not really for me it's for the children.

Yeah, cause I am the only one that would like to see the date changed... whatever.

I think if maybe they opened it at noon on the first Friday of September would make for a nice long weekend of hunting and would allow everyone a better chance of not missing the first hunt. But certain years you could lose many days off the season

They should just not have a season. People would only hunt when the birds show up and quit when they leave.

Who cares. Dove season is just a warm up for ducks anyhow.

#realhuntersdontcarewhatdayanddontcryaboutit

I just hope they dont ever put WR (wing restrictions for healthier bird population, to many young ones getting shot) in to effect. I heard they were thinking about it. My problem is how the heck am I going to tell how wide their wing spread is when I shoot them off the High Wire

Just cancel the season.

Think of the birds.

You should change your child's birthday each year to insure that it always falls on a Saturday

That work for you?

Well smart [censored], actually his parties were always held on weekends to insure that his friends could come... most parents do this as well.

You guys do realize that deer season always starts on a Saturday, right? And this wasn't always the case... And back when I was a kid, we didn't start school until after Labor Day, so the start of dove season wasn't an issue then either.

So being a week in now, is your season pretty much over?

I don't know.... got on a second lease this year, so not sure if it will be any good later or not. There wasn't anything flying out there on Sunday. Didn't even hear many shots around us. But I don't know if it was any good for the opener either. We did see 3 deer and some turkey... to bad I am only on this lease for the first part of dove season.

The opener will be on Friday in 2017, Saturday in 2018, and Sunday in 2019

.......


Every year same question by a new crop of idiots..

News Flash to Topwaters: Dove season starts on Sept 1st. Get over it.


..

the kids what about the kids..... good gravy, never seen so much whining.... it's SEPT 1.... The best day of the year, man up and pull your kid out of school like our dads did for us.....

I think you missed the point of my original post so I provided a better example. No need for name calling.

To be fair it's really just the one guy whining over and over and over again. Seems most just accept reality and adjust accordingly.

To be fair I am just explaining my position... it isn't whining over and over... a member asked why it doesn't start on a Saturday, and it seems the answer is "just because". I've given a reason why I would like to see it start on a Saturday, like deer season. Nothing more... For me, my son, and the group that I dove hunt with, we all wish it would start on a Saturday... makes it more convenient for us... that is all I am saying. And I am just responding to folks who make a post, aimed at me.

Until it changes, I will continue to take days off and go hunt. My son missed this year... disappointing, but he is ok with it. It is what it is.

priorities, if you want to hunt opener you will, life is to short to not do the things you love...you will never get this opener back, dont miss the next one just because trivial life issues got you holed up.

one life to live, live it how you want it, cyphertext

Even though I'm retired TPWD, I do know that the Feds have it with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 where no migratory bird season may start before September 1st of any year.

Texas dove hunters were asked if they wanted for the Central and North Zones to start on the first Saturday of September or September 1st. The majority voted to keep the Sept. 1st as opening day as to not lose any hunter days waiting until that first Saturday if the 1st didn't fall on it.

I also remember as younger years, dove season not opening until noon on opening day as well as all during the season and we only had a Fall season, no Winter season.

Had one fellow that would call each year asking and begging to change opening day to the first Saturday for his grandson. Nothing we could do and he would call each year until we had the dove hunter poll and sent him the results.

deer season always started Nov16, doves sept01 thru oct31... till all the whining started.
and I think quail went nov.1 thru jan.31...
now it's all about who bishes the most...

Such is life.

That was an online poll or survey wasn't it kyotee? Seems I remember a link and on this forum and responding.

Explaining your position once is fine Chyper...doing it over and over becomes what most would call whining. I think that's just everyone else opinion...but clearly not yours. I guess as Kyotees post would suggest it would be best to take your complaints to TPWD and maybe they will come out with a new poll. Times change and so do positions. I'd still vote Sept 1st because I don't want to wait until the 5th like I we would have this year. But it looks like the next few years the 1st falls over the weekend so maybe that will cool your heels for a bit.

I predict there will be complaints about the crowded fields

If you don't want me to respond, then quit quoting me, or addressing something to me. I'm sorry that you guys keep addressing me, so I respond.

I'm done.

so why do you want it moved again?

The 1st is just a tradition, and due to work and my anniversary and wife's birthday 6th and 7th, I have rarely made it out for official opener. And if our anniversary and birthday happen to fall in first weekend, not there as well! Heading out this weekend by myself and plan to enjoy it either way. Wish my boys could get off work though to join me.