any of you looking forward to DOVE SEASON???

[Wanderer]

DUDE! Where'd ya go?????????

[45acpshooter]

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Better enjoy this season. It will probably be the last one.Legislature will correct itself next session. It was hoodwinked into thinking there was HUGE demand when there was not. They will change it back next session and not touch it again.

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Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we vote on and pass an ammendment several years ago that basically stated that wildlife management issue are to be left up to wildlife professionals, i.e. the DNR. I don't think the Legislature could do anything to change the current season, bag limits, etc. even if it wanted to.

[Wanderer]

While Ufatz is off on another "fishing" trip, I'll have to take time to share this:

The August 2007 issue of North American Hunter reports that DFL Rep. Mike Jaros introduced House File 2501 in the MN Legislature along with DFL Sen. Sandy Pappas' Senate File 2329 in an effort to remove the mourning dove's standing as a state gamebird.

We know what that would result in.

Maybe along the lines of what 45acpshooter is saying is the resulting referral of BOTH bills to the Environmental and Natural Resources Committees are keeping decisions like this away from the "regular" politicians?

I'm not clear if that is a stand alone committee that has authority to make decisions about natural resources or if its some kind of sub-committee in the regular House and Senate that fields special interests. Anyone care to share what they know?

[Big Dave2]

I think most people have lost the idea of what hunting & fishing should be about and where it came from.

Hunting "used" to be all about substinance. You hunted because you wanted to eat so that you could stay alive. Now days everyone is just worried about the "trophy". Back in the long forgotten days of hunting and fishing to live, I don't think anyone cared how big the fish was, or how many points were on the deer's rack, or even how big, or what kind of a bird it was. Just as long as the family got fed.

Who cares if doves are small, ever seen a cornish game hen in the grocery store? My sunnies I catch and eat are usually pretty small too. If you get enough of them, you can make a meal out of them.

As far as doves eating out of your bird feeder goes, I know plenty of people who have pheasants that come up in the yard and probably eat out of feeders. If we did not have a hunting season on pheasants for as long as there was no season on doves, there would probably be plenty of them walking around eating out of feeders. Plus I don't see anyone caring whether squirrels should be hunted or not, and there are probably more squirrels that eat out of bird feeders than birds.

[2thepointsetters]

Using the "they eat out of bird feeders" excuse is lame. Because people could say that about the deer that feed in backyards or the ducks that get fed from the docks all summer long. To each their own and again this a HUNTING forum.

[Ufatz]

Jeeez fellas, just got back from a fishing trip. Hate to be the kind of person who says "I told you so" but....ah. The Legislative Committee referred to is a Standing Committee. It is not an ad-hoc or interim committee. It WILL consider both those bills in in each respective house,and make a "referral" out of the Committee: pass or do not pass. If you want to stop it the best place to do it is in committee.

There is going to be a lot of pressure to do away with the dove season. My political "guess" is that the effort will succeed.

I am only here as your political advisor boys, not your enemy. Personally I do not hunt doves, because you see old boy it just isn't done.

But, I know you guys are chompin' at the bit. Ha! Enjoy it, I see a lot of them around.

Been there, done that.

[SJU70]

Ufatz, in response to that "it just isn't done," a lot of the old timers (and we might have different definitions of old timers, I am thinking 90+) would be horrible sportsman in our estimation. I remember my great great uncle telling us how they would shoot the pheasants on the ground because it was a lot harder to miss, and talking about fishing during spawn time, because thats when they were easiest to catch. For them, it wasn't as much about passing on the outdoor heritage to the next generation, it was about insuring that the next generation went to bed without an empty stomach.

[Ufatz]

Wait a minute! Wait a minute! That was YOUR uncle who shot pheasants on the ground.My grandfather and father and his brothers would never THINK of shooting a game bird on the ground! They could have shot hundreds of ducks a day on our old shooting places, but instead only shot a few each day because it allowed them to stretch out the enjoyment of being there.

Sure, some people HAD to shoot to eat-it's called subsistence hunting. Got no problem with that.

But what YOUR relatives did, and do, has nothing to do with MY relatives. See what I mean?

[Wanderer]

Ufatz,

Thanks for the legislative info. Funny - you'd be the one to fill me in!

Just so you have a little more satisfaction, I'll let you know that my dove spot is pretty scarce this year. The alfalfa hasn't been cut yet and I don't see that many birds anyway.

I'm heading to our pheasant ground in a few minutes to count birds and set up tree stands for the archery season. Maybe there will be some around there for later!

Or better yet, maybe you could show me around your area since you have alot of doves! It just wouldn't be fair for one to have so many while others have to go without.

Take care, and thanks for playin!

[USPENAMC]

its almost here... time to get the practice in If i may ask if anyone knows where the DOVE MANAGED field is in CARLOS AVERY i wanted to go take a look at it

[USPENAMC]

found it but didnt see a single dove he he