Dove opener, Iowa

[bdg848]

I got to the field late. I knew the good spots would be taken but was not expecting to find almost 20 trucks overflowing the parking area onto the road. Some guys I talked to said they got there at 330 am...that's crazy... There were zero spots left over the sunflowers so I set up on a gap in a tree line adjacent to the field. There were groups of 10-15 doves on the field that got annihilated and I picked of the singles and doubles that were using the treeline gap to navigate. I still got my limit though.

 

[fishdart]

Nicely done. Great-looking pair you've got.

Was this on a patch of public ground that is managed specifically for dove hunting?

 

[bdg848]

Yeah, this was a large public area. It's a large lake surrounded with CRP type grasses for pheasants and it has two or three smaller plots of sunflowers.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

Fun opener here in central IA as well, up to 4 bands so far...all banded on the same plot during July, wonder if they will start moving out with the cooler weather next week?