# The best worst dove hunt.



## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Spent 3 days hunting with nothing to show for it, but was one of the best hunts ever! Very few doves and only a handful that presented a shot (missed)
Generator quit working so the treager was out, done ribeyes on the fire
moved to a new location which you would think would be a dove heaven,alas, not to be but good news generater started working so-- smoked pork chops ,ya!! Good times with good people!!


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Dunk, I am going to be cooking rib eyes for the weekend games, those look extremely good, where did you get them from....?


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Dans foods, certified choice angus beef== best steak out there.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

It's been tough in my spots this year too. Not many doves to be had like past years.


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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

It be tough down here in southern utah for dove just no birds


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

CPAJeff killed them all in Argentina!


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

This dove hunting thing is so weird. Every year it seems like there's guy who absolutely annihilated them and then guys who didn't see jack. Back when I hunted doves religiously my spots were always feast or famine and there was no rhyme or reason to it. My old dove hunting buddy from Cedar City says he is seeing a fair number of doves this year.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Dunkem said:


> Dans foods, certified choice angus beef== best steak out there.


How much did that set you back on a per pound basis?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Why do people always want Angus beef? I find it rather bland tasting over some other breeds. Its a great beef for a rancher though, the amount of weight they put on vs amount of feed given. This seems to be one of those things consumers have been brought to believe, probably from outback steakhouse commercials.


-DallanC


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

coming from a product developer for the biggest beef company in the world, trust me when i say its not outback steak house. outback actually sells you select steak that they inject with marinade in back of house (sorry if i ruined anyones dreams.) and at the end of the day, angus itself has nothing to do with flavor. angus simply has genetic tendencies to be higher marbled (thus higher grade) and somewhat more tender. but if i put a high choice angus, a high choice hereford, or a high choice cross breed beef down in front of people, there is literally millions of dollars of research to prove consumers cant tell the difference (as long as its not brahma). the American Angus Association has just done a great job of marketing "Certified Angus Beef" and was the first certified branded beef program. Dont get me wrong, i love a good CAB steak. but if i can pay $3/per pound to get an upper choice ribeye that isnt wearing that CAB logo, you bet your bottom dollar I'm getting it. 

and to the original poster, my favorite part of dove hunting is good times with good friends, birds or not. and the good food just makes it better!


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

Sometimes just getting out and relaxing around a fire with friends and good food is all the reward you need.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Jmgardner said:


> coming from a product developer for the biggest beef company in the world, trust me when i say its not outback steak house. outback actually sells you select steak that they inject with marinade in back of house (sorry if i ruined anyones dreams.) and at the end of the day, angus itself has nothing to do with flavor. angus simply has genetic tendencies to be higher marbled (thus higher grade) and somewhat more tender. but if i put a high choice angus, a high choice hereford, or a high choice cross breed beef down in front of people, there is literally millions of dollars of research to prove consumers cant tell the difference (as long as its not brahma). the American Angus Association has just done a great job of marketing "Certified Angus Beef" and was the first certified branded beef program. Dont get me wrong, i love a good CAB steak. but if i can pay $3/per pound to get an upper choice ribeye that isnt wearing that CAB logo, you bet your bottom dollar I'm getting it.
> 
> and to the original poster, my favorite part of dove hunting is good times with good friends, birds or not. and the good food just makes it better!


You are mostly correct on your thoughts, however when I can get CAB ribeyes for under $10.00 a lb.(on sale) thats what i will get. 50+ years of cutting meat I do believe the angus is superior to choice on consistant tenderness and flavor. Lost L those ribeyes not on sale are around $13.00 a lb. Choice will run you a little less.


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## Stickboy (Oct 28, 2010)

We usually shoot quite a few dove on the opener, but there have been years where they move out early from the slightest of weather changes. Doesn't seem to take much to move them to Mexico.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

You boys know that a cow with a black hide can be considered for Certified Black Angus? I hear a 60% black hide falls into "Angus". The animal doesn't even have to be an "Angus"-- it could be a scottish highlander cross or Holstein or a saler or wagyu or whatever and still be certified if it grades. Our calves go to a feed lot that then kills for "certified". They are hereford crosses. Funny how some stores are now advertising hereford beef. All marketing.....

And some of the best beef I've ever killed were holstien/jersey crosses, 1.5 years old. Excellent flavor. Although I killed a yearling scotty/angus cross calf this spring that melts in your mouth.

Oh and the dove hunt stunk for us too. In fact we spent a lot of it rounding up lose cows after the elk tore down the fence.....


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

spot on Packout. the usda is currently looking at revamping regulations due to that very fact. if the carcass falls within the right weight range, ribeye area, and marbling specs, and the hide is 51% black with less than a 1" hump (to prevent brahma influence) it can go into CAB. and alot of holsteins make that criteria.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Nuff said about beef, this was about a nice time in the outdoors Hope to get out again before ducks get going. Maybe if it stays warm we can hunt ducks and doves:mrgreen:


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Santa Gertrudis/Beef Master cross is the best. Everyone knows that.:mrgreen:


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Santa Gertrudis/Beef Master cross is the best. Everyone knows that.:mrgreen:


That is true-- those are the best to hunt because no one has a fence to keep them in and they are wilder than elk.

Dunk- talking cows is more fun for some of us than lamenting over that poor dove hunt.


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

Dang you guys, now you have me thinking about steak!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I'll confess that I fell in love with the flavor of grass fed brahman cattle down in Brazil. Way better IMO than the stuff you find up here.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Packout said:


> That is true-- those are the best to hunt because no one has a fence to keep them in and they are wilder than elk.
> 
> Dunk- talking cows is more fun for some of us than lamenting over that poor dove hunt.


Ya but I'm afraid that when I die I'm gonna have to put all those cattle that I've cut up back together again:shock: (not to mention all the wild game)

EDIT-- TOP O THE PAGE! WAHOO.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Packout said:


> Dunk- talking cows is more fun for some of us than lamenting over that poor dove hunt.


Where does hunting doves while looking for your lost cows rank? :mrgreen:

-DallanC


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Hands down, the best steak I've ever had was in Argentina on a dove hunt! 

Dunkem - go to Argentina one time and shoot until your arm falls off. After Argentina, going out and shooting a handful of doves around here will seem ... meh.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I often wonder why we have to hunt doves with the dates we have. If the dove population can handle the unlimited bag limit in Argentina why can't we have a hunt a few weeks earlier? 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

swbuckmaster said:


> I often wonder why we have to hunt doves with the dates we have. If the dove population can handle the unlimited bag limit in Argentina why can't we have a hunt a few weeks earlier?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Probably the same reason we can only harvest 1 Pintail a day this season, and why the Scaup season dates are so whacked too.:-x Feds :noidea:

Sept. 1st opener for doves is nationwide set by Federal regulations.

The other thing I don't quite understand is that the U.S :usa2: and Canada:canada: dump a ton of money into waterfowl conservation. We have conservative bag limits, yet our South of the border friends have generous limits. I know that they have their own species of waterfowl too, but I imagine they get a bunch migrators out of the U.S and Canada. So we get restricted to 1 Pintail, but they get to pound the whizz out of them.


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## Goshawk (Sep 7, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Sept. 1st opener for doves is nationwide set by Federal regulations.


It's even worse than that, Sept. 1st is the earliest the U.S. can open any migratory bird hunt. This is set by a 3 way international treaty between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. So the feds can't even move the date up without reopening and renegotiating the international treaty.


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