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The primary Saturday is the primary huge day of the autumn searching season in Georgia, it’s the dove season opener. The primary inkling of what’s to come back for the remainder of the yr. Whereas there are 90 days of dove season in Georgia break up into 3 completely different classes, for many hunters that is the one day that issues. Whereas there are lots of paid hunts on non-public land obtainable, spending $150+ an individual to shoot is a little more than lots of people wish to spend. Fortunate for us the Georgia Division of Pure Assets’ Wildlife Assets Division units up public dove fields in Wildlife Administration Areas or Voluntary Public Entry space. These fields are tended and ready by the company yearly to herald as many doves as attainable.
So the last-minute plan was to hit up the dove fields over within the Berry School WMA. We put collectively the whole lot a few nights earlier than the opener. The night time earlier than the open, I bought my truck loaded up with all of the gear I used to be bringing, a cart to haul the gear, shells, decoys, folding chair, and a small cooler. That manner it will be faster the morning of the hunt to get a transfer on to the WMA. Capturing mild began at 6:45 a.m. that morning so we needed to be there round 6:00 a.m.
Apart from me operating just a little late, the whole lot we fairly easily. We bought the whole lot transferred from my truck to my buddy’s then loaded up alongside along with his pup, Violet. Fortunately being nonetheless early and solely being a 20-minute experience, we bought there fairly fast. The best way there and the street into the WMA had been deceptively empty, we thought possibly there wouldn’t be as many individuals as we anticipated. We had been very mistaken, we had been simply late and everybody else was already ready on the car parking zone and gates. Fortunate for us, we discovered a spot fairly rapidly and bought the whole lot packed into the cart to roll out to the sphere. Convey a cart, it’ll make your life so much simpler. We didn’t know this after we bought there however nobody is allowed on the dove fields until an hour earlier than dawn.
So we waited in the back of the gang on the gate until 6:15 a.m. rolled round when everybody began to maneuver. It was a bizarre gradual however rushed stroll onto the fields. All these hunters making an attempt to get to the spot they need or scouted however not truly run. We walked to the rear millet fields the place we may see loads of different hunters had already arrange. You possibly can see their lights set as much as make nobody units up proper on prime of them. We bought fortunate and located a nook spot that didn’t have anybody set as much as shut, however then realized we had been going through east. Which might be why nobody was arrange there. Although it was advantageous with the forecast being overcast for the day, we bought the decoy unfold arrange and waited. Capturing mild got here and went with no photographs being fired round us. Lastly, round 7:00 a.m. the primary photographs lastly occurred behind us within the sunflower fields we handed. You possibly can really feel the vitality within the area change with these first photographs, everybody livened up getting excited by what was to come back.
The DNR forecast for doves on these fields was mentioned to be good this yr, but it surely was a gradual begin for the day. You’d hear some photographs right here and there, however nothing regular until a great way previous dawn. The birds we did begin setting had been both to the fitting of us on the far finish of the millet area or to the left of us nearer to the facility traces and a few huge oaks. The doves that did begin coming our manner usually bought turned by the hunters arrange on the hay bales in the midst of the sphere. Even with this, we did get to sling some pellets at just a few birds. Nevertheless, my inexperience with stay birds vs. clays, and ammo points for my buddy made issues tough. The Savage Renegauge Area that I used to be utilizing had already made quick work after I went to go follow on the clay fields, however a dove is much more energetic and squirrelly. As a minimum the Renegauge was a dream to shoot, the shotgun factors extremely nicely, is mild, and lightweight recoiling. In comparison with my outdated O/U I may positively shoot field after field of shells and never really feel it the subsequent day.
The primary couple hours of the morning held this sample. We did have a few doves come and attempt to land on the decoy unfold, however for security causes, we held off taking pictures them once they had been shut. With all these different hunters within the area, you didn’t wish to shoot low and pepper the opposite guys. At the least it was cool to see the doves are available in on the decoys exhibiting they really labored. However because the morning went on it began to choose up, may have been the moon or overcast circumstances, the doves had been simply beginning later this morning. Duos of birds began turning into small teams or 4 and even 6 or 7 birds would fly by. We even managed to down a few birds early on, however they went straight into the briars and woods behind us. Stuff so thick you couldn’t see greater than 8ft in and Violet couldn’t push by means of.
Whereas we didn’t have doves in hand but, we nonetheless had bought to shoot a lot and benefit from the morning. We even had some superb snacks courtesy of my buddy bringing some superb model snack sticks from a deer he bought final season. Issues modified rapidly although, with the birds making exhibiting lastly. You possibly can hear the joy, folks yelling, shouting, and laughing as extra birds got here in. Whereas the crowds do have some negatives there’s a appeal to them, protecting the vitality and birds up within the area. The opposite hunters had been greater than useful when a hen would are available in over our shoulders. A kind of birds lastly bought a few birds for Violet to go retrieve. She was ecstatic lastly attending to seize a hen after simply watching all morning.
However simply because the morning was choosing up late, it began to decelerate because it bought nearer to midday. So we determined to name it a day, no level sitting by means of the noon solar. We knew the superb climate was solely going to carry up for thus lengthy, so it was time to maneuver. Packing up and grabbing all our emptied shells we walked out of the fields. Although in fact as quickly as we left one other group of doves flew throughout. Whereas we bought nowhere close to a restrict of doves, we had a good time. It was a last-minute journey, that we went into blind with no scouting performed. However usually it’s not concerning the birds you convey residence however the time spent on the fields simply having fun with being there. So personally I believe I couldn’t have requested for a greater opening day of dove searching; nice climate, nice firm, and a great deal of enjoyable.
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