I went to Yuma last year (hot as foooook!!) and heading out again this year.

Looking forward to a mid-week opening day and between that and the lack of shells in the 6, 7.5, 8 and even 9 shot, might cut down on other shooters as well.

I need the time off this year to kill stuff I can eat.

Used to be my favorite time of the year, with regards to hunting.

Unfortunately down here, North and Central zones generally open up September 1 regardless of what day that happens to fall on. I’ve been way too busy to hunt early on which has mostly landed during the week (one exception I think) so I bailed off of my dove lease about 5 years back.

I do miss it though. Just can’t bring myself to hunt them in our property since we try to make it up for Archery Whitetail season and don’t want to blast areas which can disturb the deer.

Best of luck to you and also to everyone else with it. Please post pics, I’ll live vicariously through them!

7.5 & 8 is the only of any caliber or guage my Walmart has had for months. I spose due to skeet shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
7.5 & 8 is the only of any caliber or guage my Walmart has had for months. I spose due to skeet shooting.

I was able get a case of 8 from Brownell's. That plus the case of 8 from last year well, that almost might garauntee me 20 dove this year.

I am LS1, our early goose and teal season starts also but I’d much rather do that when regular season opens. I’ll be in a field dove hunting. I’ve got almost 5 cases of mixed size dove loads I’ve squirreled away over the years in 20 and 12 plus a couple 3 cases of steel shot. I thought I needed intervention when I always bought a few boxes here and there but now I’m glad I did. Dove hunting is one of my favorite birds to hunt.

Southwest Arizona, watch out for Hurricane Nora.

Our weather isn’t looking too good in Mid-TN. Might have to bust out some of my duck gear.

Best day of the year. I'll be shooting my sweet 16 and my dad's old 16 ga Remington 1100 which has spent a lot of time at the doctors office (gunsmith) the last 10 years due to how many rounds went through it on the opening day of dove season the 40 years before that.

This will be my first ever dove opener since about 1987 without my dad and it was our favorite thing to do so it's going to be very bittersweet.

I have about 4500 rounds between 410, 20, 16, and 12 ga so I'm good on shells for awhile.

Driving west on I-70 about 25 years ago I saw the billboards for Russell Kansas, Home of Bob Dole. It was time to stop, so I got a room. The dove hunters were everywhere and assumed I was one of them. Invited me to Meridy's, where the owner selected his cuts of steak right from the side of beef hanging at the butcher's.

Next morning I showed up, ordered the breakfast steak (30 minutes cook time), sat with the oldest local in the place, and chatted (the road to the south was favored over the north). Listened to the buzz. Geez, those dove hunters were a flock of their own!

Went a few blocks north to a genuine farmer's supply and bought a couple of pairs of Key overalls. Checked out, got back on the road.

A few years ago I passed through again pretty early. Cruised Main Street (the mercantile, couldn't find it) and Meridy's for breakfast (it was different). Finally did take the road to the south. Real pretty view.





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Yes. Academy in Houston has shotshells, although not in the amount it would have usually.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Best day of the year. I'll be shooting my sweet 16 and my dad's old 16 ga Remington 1100 which has spent a lot of time at the doctors office (gunsmith) the last 10 years due to how many rounds went through it on the opening day of dove season the 40 years before that.

This will be my first ever dove opener since about 1987 without my dad and it was our favorite thing to do so it's going to be very bittersweet.

I have about 4500 rounds between 410, 20, 16, and 12 ga so I'm good on shells for awhile.

Our local big indoor range ran an add that they had 16 gauge shotshells in stock, looks like about 1 pallet. $15 per box of 25.

16 gauge is pretty much unobtainium. I haven't seen any in quite some time now.

Got hunts lined up for sept 4th, 5th, 11th and 19th…and looking for more.

Did just a shell count and I’ve more than plenty - half factory and half reloads. Can never hurt to have more though. About to go to town to do some scrounging.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Best day of the year. I'll be shooting my sweet 16 and my dad's old 16 ga Remington 1100 which has spent a lot of time at the doctors office (gunsmith) the last 10 years due to how many rounds went through it on the opening day of dove season the 40 years before that.

This will be my first ever dove opener since about 1987 without my dad and it was our favorite thing to do so it's going to be very bittersweet.

I have about 4500 rounds between 410, 20, 16, and 12 ga so I'm good on shells for awhile.

Our local big indoor range ran an add that they had 16 gauge shotshells in stock, looks like about 1 pallet. $15 per box of 25.

16 gauge is pretty much unobtainium. I haven't seen any in quite some time now.

I found high brass Rios on Natchez Shooters Supply for $13.95/ box plus shipping. However I just found 325 rounds of Fiocchi 3 1/4/1 1/8/7.5 on my local classified for $200. I buy it when I find it because I actuality shoot it a good bit.

Haven't shot doves on opening day in WAY too long....Love a good dove shoot. Good luck!

Yes sir, plan to be out around 6:30 opening day on some river bottom we just got access to hunt. We flew over it today and looked it over. I hope it's fun and loaded with birds. I'm ready to get the old 28 gauge cranked up. Hope everyone has fun and much success!

Hope everyone has a good, safe shoot this weekend. Me…I’m hoping the hurricane pushed birds up and in instead of over and out. The weather has been beautiful, blue and temperate ever since the storm blew through here on Monday/Tuesday. If the birds are there we’ll have a great bbq and shoot!

I’ve not hunted Dove but have hunted chucker, woodcock and wood duck. Always enjoyed it. Good luck, stay safe and enjoy!

Had a great morning Saturday for our opener. For the first year in my lifetime, Georgia opened at daybreak this year instead of the traditional noon. Like most things, it was bittersweet. I was very thankful to not have to fight the heat, though. We had a lot of fog first thing and I believe that held the birds off until about 730. We did not have a huge amount of birds but it was decent. I was in a good spot and shot well and ended up with 13 birds between 730 and 930 when they pretty much stopped coming in. Unfortunately, I had prior engagements back in Atlanta for the evening so I did not get to hunt the afternoon with everyone else. I would expect they probably had a decent afternoon shoot.

As I said, I shot Dad's shotgun for most of the day. It did pretty well but did FTE about 3 times. I swapped it out for my Sweet Sixteen and killed the last 3 or 4 with that.

^^^^ Remington 1100, replace the O-ring, that should fix it right up.

The 1100 is a darn good shotgun, and the O-ring is the only weak point. It just wears out. It should just about be an occasional maintenance item to replace.

Plenty of info on the internet and Youtube showing how to replace it. It's incredibly easy and only takes a couple of minutes.
.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
^^^^ Remington 1100, replace the O-ring, that should fix it right up.

The 1100 is a darn good shotgun, and the O-ring is the only weak point. It just wears out. It should just about be an occasional maintenance item to replace.

Plenty of info on the internet and Youtube showing how to replace it. It's incredibly easy and only takes a couple of minutes.
.

The O ring is brand new. It has been replaced numerous times. Two gunsmith have worked on it and even Remington has worked on it.

It is not the O ring.