Just around the corner

[Darron]

Before we know it SEpt 1 will be here and it will be time to bust a few honkers, teal, and dovies. I've all ready been out scouting and getting access to new farms this fall. Seeing lots of geese and ducks. Should be a great early season. Last season I had my best early goose season taking 23 geese in 3 hunts off the same farm. I wish now I would have hunted it a little more but was afraid I would shoot them out. This year I'm going to try and spread my hunts out and get atleast 4, if not 5 hunts off the farm. Nothing like shooting geese in the early season. Oh yeah seeing lots of doves this year as well. If the geese don't cooperate the doves will be here for sure to play with. Bring on the 1st!

[Spring fever]

I can hardly wait till the dove season arrives. Last year we saw fewer birds than normal, and had a pretty slim year in NW Ohio as compaired to previous years (at least I did). I always start my hunt at Killdeer Plains and then move on to private ground as the season progress's. Last year we were told that the legal shooting time was to be 12 noon at Killdeer, the same as it was the year before. We arrived around 10:00, plenty early enough to get set up and talk about the hunt before the shooting began. As we were getting ready here comes a guy from the field with a bag full of doves. I told him that the shooting time was 12 noon and he replied that it had come in at daylight. I wasn't the only one that had been missinformed as most of the people there thought it came in at noon. Needless to say I was a little upset as the good shooting was already over by then. On a normal year they seem to fly pretty good all day on the first day but that didn't happen last year. Hopefully this year the legal shooting hours will be correctly reported in advance so everyone will know.

SF

[10Gauge]

Darron,

Got those food plots in KY finished this past weekend and plan to visit Vinton County later this week to see if it will be dry enough! I doubt we will be able to disc due to the wet weather and may have to wait until early next week?!?!

Did you get with that farmer in the "burg" on that goose hunting tract you and I talked about? He has beens in there this year I believe as does the field I'm hunting just up the road. We should get together on some hunt dates, I usually hunt solo but have permission to bring a friend on this farm. I'm also working on a new place (alfalfa hay field) a little further up the road that should be a super dove hunting place (planting oats in a week or two there).

[Darron]

10ga,
I don't know about which "tract" you are talking about but the one farm I hunt on right next to you there is in corn and should be a hammer this year(one of the closest corn fields there to the pits). All ready stopped in and talked to the guy and he said I could hunt again this year. Yes you are right the one field is in beans on the corner, but I can also hunt the field that backs up to that one which is in corn:D Last year when the field which is now in beans was in corn we did well. So the corn field backing up next to it which I can hunt as well should be just as good since we'll only be about 150 yards away. We'll have to see about joining up, I can't say for sure. The owner is a funny guy and told us not to be in there every day hunting. So I try not to hunt it more than 3 days a week to keep peace with him. I've all ready sent him thank you letters and even gave him a little of the green stuff so I'm slowly but surely getting in good with him. The surprising thing is when I got permission last year he told me nobody has ever asked to hunt geese there before :confused: Oh well, my gain. The reason for that is he stays gone. I rarely catch him at home. I have asked every field around there and that is the only one that doesn't get hunted by someone else. The next time I see him I'll ask if I can bring someone with me.

[critterhunter]

I also can't wait for the early dove and goose season. Two years ago I kept seeing tons of geese in a farm field as I drove to my spot. I figured this farm must not allow hunting as it's near a major state route and is easy enough for other hunters to see all those birds and ask permission. Anyway, last year on a whim I decided to stop and ask. I was surprised that they gave me permission, stating that only one other guy they know hunts the property once in a while. Just my luck, now that I had permission last year the geese hardly used the field, opting for nearby ones instead...although I did get a few birds. The other day I took a homemade apple pie out to the house for letting me hunt last year and they gave me permision again for this season. I'm excited, and hope the birds choose this field like they did a few years ago. It's a major flyway anyway, so the sky action is good regardless for both geese and ducks.

A friend purchased land is Harrison county last year that I planted a food plot for deer on. I plan to kill a few birds with one stone, by mowing, spraying, and fertilizing it this August. Also plan to spray a new section of this grass meadow with roundup to prep it for a no-till fall planting. I'll arrive early before sunrise and scout it for waterfowl activity. Since it's on top of a ridge and there are various strip pits on other land nearby I'd expect some kind of flyby shots. I also want to see how the doves fly, as I expect numerous birds as most of the surrounding land is grass fields...perfect for doves. Might even be able to decoy some geese or ducks into my clover plot. Thinking of trying a blue tarp on the ground to look like water in the middle of this field. Anybody ever try that? Anyway, also plan to hand my deer stand while I'm on this scouting/plot maintenance trip. Can't wait.