Update: This will be the worst opening day EVER in over 30 years! :(

[Warren Allison]

Hope this is not the last of the dove shoots...I was thinking that maybe a "road trip" would be on my radar next year....want to do a few things and do a little traveling while I can still drive comfortably.....
I am glad that you get to enjoy it and have lots of help to put it on...

With Scott's health declining so much, this will probably be the last one that we do, at our place. He will put that 50 acres we do it on in whatever he plants the other 400 acres in. There are other farms in the area, with facilities to host the BBQ, that I am sure will continue this tradition, because of how much is raised for the 4H and FFA programs. Planting and prepping the dove field is easy, so is managing the shoot. It is meals etc., that takes a lot of work and you need a lot of people. But, I feel confident that this will continue somewhere around the area. I will let you know way ahead of time what we will be doing. It would be nice to get to meet you.

 

[Caustic Burno]

No barbecue in my part of the world! You light a grill better like silver bracelets!

All leased pine plantation land has a vehicle ban of any kind along with any other activity but walk in and walk out.
This being Labor Day weekend the woods are usually alive with people getting ready for bow and gun season.
I guarantee someone is going to jail this weekend cause they are not playing and the locals will have the sheriff phone lit up!

 

[greybeard]

I bbq'ed some yard bird just yesterday afternoon. Wanted beer can chicken but only had leg qtrs in the freezer.
Dry as a popcorn fart here again.

 

[Brute 23]

No barbecue in my part of the world! You light a grill better like silver bracelets!

All leased pine plantation land has a vehicle ban of any kind along with any other activity but walk in and walk out.
This being Labor Day weekend the woods are usually alive with people getting ready for bow and gun season.
I guarantee someone is going to jail this weekend cause they are not playing and the locals will have the sheriff phone lit up!

The hunting boards are full of discussion about shredding right now.

 

[greybeard]

That tells the story but thankfully, this year hasn't seen the high winds 2011 did (for the most part)

 

[Brute 23]

The free state of McMullen Co standing strong down there by its lonesome.

 

[Brute 23]

With Scott's health declining so much, this will probably be the last one that we do, at our place. He will put that 50 acres we do it on in whatever he plants the other 400 acres in. There are other farms in the area, with facilities to host the BBQ, that I am sure will continue this tradition, because of how much is raised for the 4H and FFA programs. Planting and prepping the dove field is easy, so is managing the shoot. It is meals etc., that takes a lot of work and you need a lot of people. But, I feel confident that this will continue somewhere around the area. I will let you know way ahead of time what we will be doing. It would be nice to get to meet you.

What do yall plant for doves?

 

[Travlr]

What do yall plant for doves?

Small gravel in the driveway...

 

[greybeard]

Expensive to plant but Utility lines work pretty good too.

 

[SmokinM]

Expensive to plant but Utility lines work pretty good too.

The serious ones here will put up dummy lines in their feed patches.

We got high speed internet in August last year. Lost it for a week in Sept. due to people shooting doves off the fiber optic line.

 

[coachg]

I hope you pull a few of those peanuts off and boil a big pot . I know the doves love them but so do us redneck southerners!

 

[Caustic Burno]

The hunting boards are full of discussion about shredding right now.

Better not get caught up here!
Neighbor that has the 6k acre lease sent out a letter, any one caught with mechanical equipment on the lease will be kicked off with no refund.

I lease some from a paper company land as well my letter is pretty straightforward if I wish to retain the lease property until the burn bans are lifted.

Again this county is 96% paper company land. Might be a little less now as they have been selling some of the 250 acre or smaller tracts last couple years.
They are not in a playful mood right now.

 

[Travlr]

The hunting boards are full of discussion about shredding right now.

"Shredding"?

 

[Caustic Burno]

"Shredding"?

Regional terminology for mowing pastures or right of way.
Here you would hear bush hogging pastures or right of ways.

 

[Travlr]

Regional terminology for mowing pastures or right of way.
Here you would hear bush hogging pastures or right of ways.

Why are the "hunting boards" full of discussion about "bush hogging"?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Why are the "hunting boards" full of discussion about "bush hogging"?

It's a Texas thing of mowing down old food plots and shooting lanes.
It's almost a Labor Day tradition along with the state holiday of Friday before opening weekend.
It's unbelievable to see the money that comes to the woods for three weeks.
100K trucks pulling 30K UTV's to a fifth wheel on several K deer lease to sit in a 3K factory deer blind. They will have a 2K rifle 1K scope and full camo to get in the box blind carrying a .25 pocket knife.
The deer hunters are the feed stores largest customer not the cattlemen anymore.

 

[Brute 23]

Ya I forgot what it is on here, bush hogging, rotary cutting? Hunters like to clean up the roads, shooting lanes, etc.

The money is rolling this week already. White wing and North zone started. Like CB said the 3 day weekend kicks off every one's work weekend to start getting ready for hunting season. The last couple days the highway has been full of trailers with pallets of corn, cottonseed, buggies, hunting rigs, tractors, skid steers, feeders, blinds, etc. The Whataburger was full of hunters when I was coming back to the house just now.

I was at the feed store talking to the young guys and asking them if they were ready for the Saturday rush. With our proximity to Houston amd San Antonio the rush will be about 9-11am on Saturdays. The feed store has benches and rocking chairs out on the dock now. We sit there a laugh at all the rigging and stuff that comes in there. You have never seen so many 1" straps doing nothing in your life. ... and over loaded out of balance nonsense. It's like sitting at the boat ramps watching the nonsense.

Some times I feed bad for the guys and start helping them load corn when it gets crazy.

It's a huge influx of money for a lot of towns. The restaurants, gas stations, liquor stores, feed stores, hotels, etc all get significantly more traffic from now through Feb or so.

 

[EasTex]

I was dove hunting around Kingsville a few years ago and some guys pulled up in their F250 KingRanch pulling a trailer with their SxS. I said hey how long did it take you to get here from Dallas. They said, how did you know we are from Dallas. I laughed!!! Then they popped the top on some Bud Lights.

 

[Brute 23]

I was dove hunting around Kingsville a few years ago and some guys pulled up in their F250 KingRanch pulling a trailer with their SxS. I said hey how long did it take you to get here from Dallas. They said, how did you know we are from Dallas. I laughed!!! Then they popped the top on some Bud Lights.

Well heck ya... you can't go to Kingsville Texas with out a King Ranch Ford.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

The number of things I have done the last of far far outnumber those that I may do in the future. Some are so bad that I would never want (or can) do again. Others, so sweet I would pay a lot of $$ to do, just one more time.
Such is life.

Indications of a life well lived, and still living.