Season Begins
Phil Taunton
Friday, August 31, 2007
In my younger days, I might be thinking about the upcoming football season, the camaraderie, cheerleaders, the band, the contact and clash of pads, the smell of damp turf torn up by cleats when players dig in, bodies colliding and participants disassembling themselves from the “pile” on a cool autumn evening.
Other than just being a fan, participation in that sport is only a memory now.
It’s been many a year since I even thought about running, much less sprinting 100 yards or tackling anything other than a roast turkey or ham sandwich!
The season I am talking about opens Saturday and marks the beginning of fall for most hunters — the opening of dove season.
I hope to get actively involved in this exciting type of hunting once again. The sight of doves coming into a roost, feed field of weeds and wheat stubble or watering hole, the anticipation of hitting my mark and laughing when I don’t, the breathtaking Kansas sunrises and sunsets, the enjoyment of being outdoors and being one with Nature and the smell of burnt gun powder is what dove hunting is all about.
And believe me, I do a lot of laughing. Dove hunting can be most challenging and is wing shooting at its best. Scoring one bird in seven shots is about average.
Doves — including mourning, white-winged, Eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves — are thought of as early migrants. Other early migrant seasons that open Saturday are Rail (Virginia and Sora only) and the common or Wilson’s snipe.
Yes, Wifeus, there is such a thing as going snipe hunting.
As with hunting any quarry, scouting the area you own or have permission to hunt is one of the keys to success. Knowing where and when the birds fly, where they feed, roost and take water is very important when developing a game plan, no pun intended.
Don’t have a place to hunt? Don Patton, wildlife manager at Melvern Wildlife Area, reports there are five fields of sunflowers totaling just more than 50 acres available for hunters on the public wildlife area this year. These fields have strips mowed through them.
Don also reports he’s seen very few doves in the area, and other sources tell me the hatch seems less than spectacular. For more information about Melvern Wildlife Area, give Don a call at (620) 699-3372.
Another resource concerning places you can hunt is the 2007 Kansas Wildlife and Parks Walk in Hunters Access (WHIA) atlas. This and the 2007 Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary will be available soon at Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) offices and license vendors around the state.
The early teal season, which in our area is known as Low Plains, runs from Sept. 8-23. I found a male mature blue-winged teal dead this past week in the railroad switching yards. What a grand little bird it was!
I really wasn’t concerned that its demise was a result of avian influenza. As of yet, the Asian strain of the bird flu has not been detected in North America, so the chance of hunters encountering the virus are extremely low.
However, it’s a good idea for hunters to take several precautions when handling any wild game. I would not handle or eat sick birds, and it might be a good idea to wear rubber or disposable latex gloves while handling and cleaning game. You for sure want to thoroughly clean knives, equipment and surfaces that come in contact with the animals you clean, and be sure to cook all game thoroughly.
So what killed the teal? I have accused a certain cab driver I work with of being a poacher from time to time, and I have tried to get him to participate in hunter education classes so the new students can identify one, but I can’t even pin the demise of the duck on him.
This bird simply flew into the high wires in the railroad yards and suffered a broken neck.
Know your ducks!
Is it a redhead or a canvasback? A widgeon, gadwall, mallard or merganser?
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks offers a free waterfowl identification booklet called “Waterfowl Identification in the Central Flyways.” Call (620) 672-5911 for this free booklet.
Grilled dove
Excellent for tailgate parties!
dove
sliced pineapple
jalapeno peppers
thick sliced bacon
pepper and garlic powder
Pluck doves and use game shears to split up the back. Place 1 inch or so of pineapple in body cavity along with one-half of a jalapeno pepper. Wrap a single strip of bacon around the dove and secure it with a toothpick. Pepper and powder to taste.
You can cook it outdoors on the grill or broil indoors. Cook until the bacon is crisp and turn at least once. You might also alternate dove, peppers, pineapple and bacon, place on skewers and grill shish-ka-bob style.
Serve with Spanish rice and sugar snap peas for a sure crowd-pleaser.
• If you have an outdoor adventure, hunting or fishing story you would like to share, Phil Taunton can be reached at 342-5016 or e-mail ptaunton@cableone.net. Your favorite wild game recipe also would be appreciated.