Rossi Rifleman

Dang it, they don't go on sale until the 15th!


jd

I'm guessin your referring to Hunting/Fishing licenses?

TinMan wrote:I'm guessin your referring to Hunting/Fishing licenses?

you mean to tell me that there is others?


jd

mr surveyor wrote:Dang it, they don't go on sale until the 15th!

Are you going to head out west for dove this year?

I applied for 25 different big game hunts. The first round of drawings for exotics is on the 15th.

Ranch Dog wrote:

mr surveyor wrote:Dang it, they don't go on sale until the 15th!

Are you going to head out west for dove this year?

I applied for 25 different big game hunts. The first round of drawings for exotics is on the 15th.

the 4 of us that seem to be left are wanting too. With what I've been dealing with for the last couple of years, I NEED to. Since half of our group kind of dropped out of the annual dove trip in 2016 (the year I had to miss), there were only five of us that went to a new place last year that was about 30 miles past our normal stomping grounds. Two of the guys are long time "lease holders" on this ranch for deer season, so had the o.k. to take the rest of us last September for dove season. We did spend a good bit of time filling all the feeders, changing batteries, checking all the stands and all the other stuff for their deer season. Since a few of them also take advantage of October archery season, someone was going to make the trip to get things ready in early September anyway. Even though us "non members" were used as free (actually paying day fees anyway) labor, we did get to really scout the ranch. The dove crop didn't amount to much over 25% of what we were used to seeing for the last 10-12 years, the whole week experience was enough to cause us to all agree that place would be our new September normal. Back in the Spring, we were notified that the ranch owner was getting all scared up about liability (his son pushed that issue), and only the few remaining, long time lease holders would be allowed on the ranch. That was about the same time one of our long time running buddies was diagnosed with cancer, so his life has changed dramatically, and our group got a little smaller. Also, one of the guys and his wife were on a road trip last month, and coming back from New Mexico he decided to drive a little out of the way and go through our old haunts in Roby and Rotan (North of Sweetwater) and just have a look around. Absolute drought in the whole area. No crops to speak of, and all the fields we've hunted in the past were just kept plowed under. It may still be in, or on the edge of, the migration route, but you know for a fact they'll be "high fliers" ... maybe just the occasional suicidal straggler dropping down to take a look.

So, to stop the useless rambling and cut to the chase .... It don't look too promising right now!


jd

All is unfortunate JD. We are sure under a drought, about a foot behind in rainfall.

Lots of rain in North Texas over the last four days. Maybe not enough to help this year. Make sure you stop by on your way west. I'm right here at US82 and I35.