09 Dove Opener Yuma AZ. W/ Timster & Family
Got going from Newport Beach at 11:30 AM. I was in phone contact with Timster getting updates about the weather and the dove. My brother Mike and I had a nice 3 1/2 drive to Yuma. First thing was to get the Lic. and 12 gage shot . After that it was BEER time for Mike & I . I called Timster and asked if we could stop by for a bit before we go scouting hunting areas. Timster was with his two brothers and two nephews this hunting trip. It was nice meeting Timsters family. Great times spent together. After a beer Mike & I head out to check out the feilds for tomorrows hunt. We go to the first feild just outside of town and all the wild growth ( Trees and bush ) that the dove hang out in is all plowed up. We can not believe what we are seeing. Also the feild is posted. No hunting. This was just as shocking to us. We head out to another spot down the road a bit that always had dove and got limits there and as we drove onto the property we noticed it was posted no hunting. Wow. Two spots down and we decide to check out a area Timster was talking about. We got directions from Timster pool side and I got us close to the spot but not far back enough. We did see some dove and it looked promising for the next days hunt. It was getting dinner time and we still had not found a spot we wanted to hunt yet so I called Timster and let them know we would not make dinner because we were still scouting out feilds. We headed 29 miles out of town east to a area my brothers had only scouted out the year before. We drove to some feilds and found a area that had a good amount of dove. We decide to keep scouting as this area was new to us and its always good to have back up spots. The area is beauitful and there are cannel's of water near by ( I wished I had brought a couple fishing rods along. ) and there was an impressive amount of dove there also. we drove back into town thinking of what a great hunt this is going to be.
We turned in for a early wake up. 3:09 Am I wake up and get going. Grab some grub and off we go to for the dove hunt. We noticed on the way out of town that there is a lighting storm and this had me just a little worried. It was amazing to watch. It was behind us so I relaxed a bit. We got to the feild we scouted out the evening before. ( It sometimes is tuff finding a place you only have been to once before in the dark ) I did find our feild and we sat in the dark watching the lighting storm ( getting closer to us ) till the sun rise. The lighting was as close as 11 miles to us at one point.
Sun rise and we load up the 12 gages with shot and wait till its light enough to ID the dove from the other flying birds,& bats etc. Mike gets the first kill & second. I am seeing some dove but not like the evening before. I finally get a shot and get my first kill. We wait for some time and I get one more. The dove are just not here at this point so we decide to go to back up spot # 2 .
We arrive at the back up feild and set up shop and get busy. Dove O Plenty. We did have to work for our limits but we got them by 9 AM. A limit is 10 dove per hunter. Only six white wing per hunter . We decide that we will be back the next morning and hunt this feild again. We head back into town and clean our birds . We were hungry and call timster for the heads up on this place he was talking about. Burgers & Beer. ( my kind of place ! ) We meet Timster & family for lunch at B&B and was impressed. Great place. Great burgers and ice cold beer on draft. This place will be a stoping place for us in the years to come.
We head back to the room for a shower and rest before dinner. There is not much to do in Yuma after the hunt except eat, sleep, or pool side. Its hot in the afternoon.
Next morning we don't get up as early and head out to the feild for the second day of hunting. Its funny, the second day the dove know whats up and are either gone or flying scared. This one dove I watched as he flew by me ( I did not draw on him, I just watched what he did ) He was flying by and when he seen me he started flying crazy. Darting down and sideways and all kind of advasive moves trying not to get shot.
So its going slow but still a good steady flow of dove in the area. We decide to stay and not scout out another feild. At this point Mike has 6 dove I have two. We also had two Eurasian Dove that there is no limit on. Just about this time a truck pulls into the feild and is coming my way. Mike is farther down from me working the other feild and I notice this truck is a AZ. Game Warden. I am thinking be cool and relax. He pulls up and exits his truck and he is greeted with my friendly big California smile. He askes me for my hunting Lic. I hand him my shot gun and reach into my pocket for my wallet. As I am doing this the warden is ejecting my 3 shells and then hands me back my gun and I set it down on a chair that is right there with me. He askes me how we are doing. I explain that yesterday was better and today it was a little slower and we are having to work harder towards our limits. I told him how many dove I had & my brother had. He said ok and did not need to check our Dove count. I said , Come over and check them out. ( I have nothing to hide ) So he walks over to the cooler and counts the dove. He did not like them all in one pile in the cooler tray . He would like them in separate pliles . I can understand that I tell him. He then walks over towards his truck and askes me to put shells into my shot gun to check if the plug is in. ( Your only allowed 3 shells in your gun at all times during dove season. The plug only allowes two in the gun and you have one in the chamber ) As I load the gun I chamber the first round and put two more in and try for the 4th. I also tell the Game Warden that my brother & I pick up all our spent rounds and take them out. He was happy to hear & see that. He then drove down the way to check my brother's gun, Lic. etc. Part of the problem why farmers are closing there feilds to hunters is because of a few that don't pick there shells up and leave messes and such. The farmers are tired of this and just post their feild No Tresspassing, No Hunting.
We stayed till 10:00 AM and I was short 3 dove for my limit. Mike had his limit. As we drove out of the valley we just took in the beauty that surrounds us there. Sunrises in AZ. are second to none. We drove down the dirt road thinking of next years hunt .
We did get to have a nice sit down dinner with Timster & his family. We talked of hunts gone by and the ones that will be. It was really cool to meet Timsters Brothers John & Patrick & Timsters two Nephews. We all had a great time and look forward to next years dove hunt.
As we crossed into California we had to fill out a declaration for our dove. It was not that big of a deal but cost some time on the long drive home. When we go into the Cleveland National Forest in San Deigo County, we hit a nice Summer thunderstorm and poured quite a bit for a few miles along the 8. That was nice to see. We need more rain.
I do have pics. to post . I will post when my brother sends them to me in a day or two.
Thanks for reading.
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Originally Posted by Troutman65
Read it again tomorrow.
sounds like good times Patrick! LOL! J/K!
