The items that one must bring, or should consider bringing, to the dove hunt can be divided into
two categories, items needed in the field and items needed at
camp.
IN
THE FIELD
Musts,
mandatory, non-negotiable in the Field
Suggested
in the Field
IN
CAMP
Needed
from Someone
Supplied
by Mark or already at Scott and
Kelly’s
ADULT
BEVERAGE NOTE
I know you expect to see some lame discussion here about consumption in moderation, don’t drink and shoot, or some other message to which many of us are fundamentally opposed – no such chance! I just wanted to point out that if your last name is Brosette or Heinze, you can substitute wine for the otherwise manly selection of alcoholic beverages suggested above. For that matter, anyone else who routinely places their misguided loyalty with t.u. should also feel free to down a few glasses of grape juice. We won’t think any less of you; we’ve already seen your true colors.
editor’s note:
As a Rice grad, I am
keenly aware that my Owls are scheduled to have their butts kicked by
the
Longhorns the weekend before the hunt!
As a 28 point underdog, I am taking my shots while I can. I’m already practicing my
most important Rice
cheer for September 4th – “Run Clock Run!”
SHOTGUN
SHELLS
Statistically,
the average hunter fires 10 shots for each bird he bags; with daily and
possession limits of 15 and 30, the average hunter may take as many as
300
shots during the dove hunt weekend (not to mention any
practice shots killing those pesky
clay pigeons). Although
there is a lot
of work putting the hunt together, nothing ever concerns me more than
whether
or not we will have good birds during the Men’s Group hunt. I am always worried that
birds might be light
and the trip will be a bust, even though I am beginning to believe
Jerry’s
position that the hunt is not the most important part of the trip. This is a long-winded way
of saying that I
don’t want to jinx the hunting by suggesting that folks overbuy shells
for the
trip. However many
past participants can
attest to driving to Sweetwater for additional shells while those of us
who
were well-stocked took siestas or watched college football.
In
terms of what shells to buy, my personal preferences is 7 ½ shot (350
pellets
per ounce) with 1 1/8 ounces of load (about 390 pellets total) and a
velocity
of at least 1200 feet per second.
My
experience is that the dove we have are hard for me to bring down with
8s (410
pellets per ounce), but I’m really not that good a shot. Many folks buy Remington
Shur-Shot Heavy Dove
loads. I’ll
probably buy Estate brand
shells at Cabelas. The
price of shells
has skyrocketed in the past 18 months!
Expect to pay as much as $6 to $7 per box of 25. Keep your eyes open for
sales at Bass Pro and
Academy (last year Bass Pro had a 1 day sale with shells for about
$3.50 a
box).
REQUIRED
LICENSING FOR DOVE HUNTING
My
understanding is that Texas Hunting Licenses for 2010-2011 (period runs
from
Sept. 1 to August 31) will be available starting August 15th. They will ask for Social
Security numbers, so
if you are getting a youth license, make sure you know the number when
you buy
the license. There
are 3 components to
the hunting license that are required for dove hunting – make
sure to get
all 3 parts.
PART
I:
PART
II:
·
Harvest
Information Program (HIP)
Certification
(Type 137): FREE
(this “certification” requires that you answer a few questions about
last
year’s hunting, if you hunted last year)
PART
III:
·
Texas
Migratory Game Bird Stamp
Endorsement
(Type 168): $7
(this component is not required for youth licenses
nor lifetime
licenses and is already included in all Super Combo
packages)
Since
I will find an
opportunity to fish during the next year, I will follow my normal
pattern of
buying a Type 111 and getting the Type 137 for $68.
For those who only intend to hunt dove, the
basic routes are:
Age
17 – 64:
Type 101 with Type 137 and Type 168 for $32
Age
65+:
Type 102 with Type 137
and Type 168 for $14
Under
17:
Type 169 with Type 137
for $7