Is dove hunting in MO worth it after two weeks?

1
I went dove hunting again with my father this Saturday. Scouted on Friday and then woke up before dawn and set up in a sunflower field. Hunting was allowed to start at 6:35am (Sunrise was at 7:05am). We waited until around 9am and gave up. No doves came into the field. Saw a few flying around the tree line but no good shots came. Have I missed the prime time here? Is dove hutning after two weeks into the season even worth trying for? I'm asking because I read this article.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/outdoo ... 51564.html
“Most of our harvest comes in the first two weeks of the season,” Bredesen said. “And national surveys show that it’s that way other places, too."
Am I just wasting my time and money here? I'm not looking to limit out but I'd like to have something to show for my time spent other than just bug bites.
"Let's be honest the only people who read Ayn Rand are 16 year olds and assholes"

Re: Is dove hunting in MO worth it after two weeks?

2
MetalSlugIV wrote:I went dove hunting again with my father this Saturday. Scouted on Friday and then woke up before dawn and set up in a sunflower field. Hunting was allowed to start at 6:35am (Sunrise was at 7:05am). We waited until around 9am and gave up. No doves came into the field. Saw a few flying around the tree line but no good shots came. Have I missed the prime time here? Is dove hutning after two weeks into the season even worth trying for? I'm asking because I read this article.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/outdoo ... 51564.html
“Most of our harvest comes in the first two weeks of the season,” Bredesen said. “And national surveys show that it’s that way other places, too."
Am I just wasting my time and money here? I'm not looking to limit out but I'd like to have something to show for my time spent other than just bug bites.
Unless you are starving to death, Spending time afield with your father communing with nature is it's own reward. I have many great memories of hunting with my father in the past, some we limited out others we got skunked.
"Hillary Clinton is the finest, bravest, kindest, the most wonderful person I've ever known in my whole life" Raymond Shaw

Re: Is dove hunting in MO worth it after two weeks?

3
It just all depends on when the doves come through; there's not much you can do about it.

Many times the first 2 weeks aren't worth hunting either, yet it represents the majority of the kill because people are onto other species in the fall.

I'd keep an eye out as you drive around on your normal routine. When you see an above average amount of doves on the electric lines, try to go hunting that evening or next morning. It can be still be good if the north gets that first good cold front.

Just remember my first line though!

If you want more of a successful hunting opportunity, squirrels are plentiful this time of year.

Re: Is dove hunting in MO worth it after two weeks?

4
eelj wrote:
MetalSlugIV wrote:I went dove hunting again with my father this Saturday. Scouted on Friday and then woke up before dawn and set up in a sunflower field. Hunting was allowed to start at 6:35am (Sunrise was at 7:05am). We waited until around 9am and gave up. No doves came into the field. Saw a few flying around the tree line but no good shots came. Have I missed the prime time here? Is dove hutning after two weeks into the season even worth trying for? I'm asking because I read this article.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/outdoo ... 51564.html
“Most of our harvest comes in the first two weeks of the season,” Bredesen said. “And national surveys show that it’s that way other places, too."
Am I just wasting my time and money here? I'm not looking to limit out but I'd like to have something to show for my time spent other than just bug bites.
Unless you are starving to death, Spending time afield with your father communing with nature is it's own reward. I have many great memories of hunting with my father in the past, some we limited out others we got skunked.
I already know that. That is why I invested so much into getting him to come with me. He used to hunt before I was born but time and money kept him from it. I always wanted to learn and he hasn't hunted in decades so we a learning again together. So that is why I am here looking for practical advice to bag some doves. He is super busy with work and home life so I'd like to get us some doves before the season ends.
"Let's be honest the only people who read Ayn Rand are 16 year olds and assholes"

Re: Is dove hunting in MO worth it after two weeks?

5
curtism1234 wrote:It just all depends on when the doves come through; there's not much you can do about it.

Many times the first 2 weeks aren't worth hunting either, yet it represents the majority of the kill because people are onto other species in the fall.

I'd keep an eye out as you drive around on your normal routine. When you see an above average amount of doves on the electric lines, try to go hunting that evening or next morning. It can be still be good if the north gets that first good cold front.

Just remember my first line though!

If you want more of a successful hunting opportunity, squirrels are plentiful this time of year.
Well, they ain't more plentiful, but they are more anxious. Autumn is both nut time and getting ready time. The best hunting in my neck-o-the-woods is later of course, when the beeches and oaks have shed most of their leaves (which are good for lying in - in wait).

:ninja:
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