Dove season to usher in endless stream of activities

There will be an endless stream of activities for all of us in Yuma to get in on come the dove opener Sept. 1, with the No. 1 top spot on the list the early dove hunt that we’ve been waiting for. Predictions are for dove to be flying at most areas nearby where habitat and water are available. This means most anywhere we chose to hunt in Yuma and surrounding areas.

Watch for the dove special section of the paper later this month covering the dove season completely from the hunt and where to hunt, our agriculture lands and why we need to keep farmer/hunter relations in good shape to ensure we will always be welcome to hunt on their private property where dove love to be and much more. The special section will also include dove recipes for barbecuing, baking and cooking in a slow cooker, all fairly easy for putting on a delicious meal making an enjoyable hunt not only fun and exciting but worthwhile as well.

And remember, the hunt is a necessary tool for keeping the dove populations in check. There are some people who actually feel anyone who hunts dove is killing just for fun. They don’t understand dove hunts are necessary to keep the dove from eating up all the grain and other foods we grow for human consumption. They feel hunting of any animal is not appropriate. They feel we should not teach youngsters to hunt because it’s merely an excuse for having them shoot a firearm.

Hunting has a real purpose, it isn’t “blowing a hole” in an animal, let alone a dove. Shooting a firearm in the harvesting of any game animal or bird during a specified season with the proper license and tags (which a lot of money is spent for) is appropriate and serves a real purpose. It’s called management of the species.

With game animals, there is no birth control and populations (in the case of doves); the number of birds can become far too many to be supported by the land they occupy. Once their food sources are exhausted because of their numbers, they have to find food elsewhere and that’s where human food crops come in to play.

Should the birds and any wild game animal be allowed to eat the food that would ordinarily feed humans? If there wasn’t hunting of the different species of wild game (including game birds such as dove), they would soon outnumber their food sources and would be forced to either go after human food as a last resort or starve to death. Neither is a good alternative to a controlled, well managed hunt season to keep the populations of game under control.

A good example (in this case) is bird populations out of control one year a while back concerned a farmer in Somerton. By August that year, a large population of doves had found the farmer’s food crop that was being grown to fill the farmer’s needs and they did their best to leave the poor farmer struggling to rescue any of what was left of the crop. With the help of outdoors organizations in Yuma including the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club along with Game and Fish who were all working in a variety of ways during this early dove season that year, the dove population at the farm was opened to hunters (hunting lawfully) who, by their hunting, brought the dove populations under control while stopping damage to the crops as well. This is just one of the ways hunting is for a good purpose.

There are a few who feel that teaching youngsters to hunt is morally reprehensible. The outdoors organization, Rod and Gun Club with the assistance of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Yuma region IV will once again, as they do every year, host a free Clint Curry Memorial Youth Dove Hunt for kids 16 and under with many of the youngsters ages 13 and under who will be accompanied by their parent(s) to learn about hunting under safe conditions, to learn about hunter safety and caring for the game along with why we hunt, how to keep it a safe and educational dove hunt and learn to respect the animals (doves) they hunt by learning the need for being a true sportsman and woman and ethical human beings. These boys and girls learn a necessary sport and will experience becoming decent, ethical hunters not to mention feed their families with the results of their hunt.

This will be an ideal opportunity for anyone who feels hunting is wrong to actually attend the dove hunt as a welcome spectator to learn what it is all about. You’d be welcome to come to the Moore Farm in Dome Valley (we’ll be starting at 5 a.m.) Sept. 2 to see, firsthand, what goes on and why and stay for the free lunch. We’d love to have you. Call me if you might be interested for directions and details at (928) 247-4450 or Mark Brooks at 210-7627.

Hunt happenings

• Practice makes perfect: Take advantage of the indoor shooting range at Sprague’s Sports for some good and needed practice with your firearm prior to getting started on the dove hunt beginning Sept. 1. For range hours, call them at 726-0022.

Adair Park shooting range facility northeast of town, approximately 15 miles from Yuma off Highway 95, is open to the public from dawn to dusk for getting some good practice in. The Yuma Trap and Skeet club holds matches weekends for great practice. Be sure to get in on the practice shoot Aug. 27 prior to the dove opener at the Trap and Skeet range beginning at 7 a.m. with prizes to the round winners.

• Become an outdoors woman Sept. 8: One way to describe BOW is by a YouTube video http://youtube/ Lic1kxCrJ1Y by Mike Rolfe. Also see what BOW is all about on Facebook Arizona Becoming an Outdoors Woman.

The Arizona Wildlife Federation (AWF) conducts Becoming an Outdoor Woman twice a year at Friendly Pines Camp outside Prescott, Ariz., in the spring and late summer. AWF also hosts a deluxe BOW in the desert at Saguaro Lake Ranch in January or February. The three-day workshops begin at noon Friday and end shortly after noon the following Sunday.

BOW gives women (18 and older) the opportunity to learn about hunting, fishing and related activities in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Skills such as gun safety, shooting, angling (including fly fishing), camping, Dutch-oven cooking, map and compass reading, marksmanship with rifle and bow are taught. A complete list of courses which you may find at BOW can be found at BOW class descriptions.

In addition to the various classes, there are a number of evening events for women to enjoy that may include “hawk talks,” nature hikes, fashion shows, fly tying and wild game tasting. The weekend schedule would be similar to BOW sample schedule.

Instructors, who volunteer their time to teach these classes, are experts in their field. Some are employed in the fields they teach; others are experts in their subjects, including archery and rifle marksmanship. Still others are Arizona Game and Fish and U.S. Forest Service employees with years of experience in the flora and fauna of Arizona.

Registration for the Friendly Pines BOW weekends covers meals, lodging in a rustic cabin, and most miscellaneous expenses related to the workshops. Enrollees need only personal items, bedding, and/or sleeping bags. The accommodations at the deluxe BOW are more upscale, as you would expect. Information and registration forms can be obtained from the Arizona Wildlife Federation Office, or on this website when they become available.

Fishing clubs

• Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club: Anyone interested in the outdoors is welcome to attend any club meeting for not only fishing but hunting and wildlife conservation information as well, at 7 p.m. 1st Wednesday each month at American Legion Post 19, 2575 S. Virginia Drive. Call Becky Mae Pope at 502-0121 or email maybhunting@gmail.com for club information. The Sept. 6 meeting will include information on dove and quail hunts as well as the Youth Quail and Small Game Camp coming up Oct. 13 as well as any other hunting activities.

• Desert Bass Anglers “the fun way to fish”: It was a “butt kicker” as Mac put it when he gave results from the latest Colorado River tournament out of Fisher’s Landing/Martinez Lake. 33 boats launched to join the fishing with 21 limits weighed in. The team of Matt Cheste/Dustin Driscall took the top spot with 22.29 followed by Ken Howden/Gary Understiller weighing in 20.62 pounds of largemouths caught. Lynn Domby/Jeremy Salzoni took third place with 18.88 while Jon Fugate/Mike Gaither weighed in 18.36 pound. Big fish did well with Kalib Lund winning first place honors with a 6.34-pound bass while the team of Glen Hooker/Alfanso Zavala taking second place big fish with a 6.23 pounder (10 bass in the 5-6 pound class were caught during the competition). The junk fish option was won by Robert La Londe/Mike Mesa with a 1.34 pound catfish. Out of the money but winning an oil change was Charles and Cameron Litchner. Mac said it was a great turnout for this time of year. Mac shared his fishing findings for stripers biting good at Betty’s Kitchen and above with the top water bite for largemouth and stripers good up above Laguna Dam. The next bass team tournament will be Sept. 9. Call Mac or Bobbi McDermott at 726-1984.

Be sure to carry a lot of water and sports drinks, towels, long sleeved shirts, sunscreen and hats to keep you cooler. It’s hard to guess where the water levels will be this time of year. Be prepared for hot temperatures and boat and jet ski traffic. The sandbars have really moved around so be aware of your surroundings and be careful.

• ABA American Bass – Yuma division: If you haven’t fished the Yuma area ABA tournaments, they will begin when weather cools. Call Jeff Woods at (952) 824-0553 for information on becoming a member and get signed up to fish.

• Yuma Draw-Series/Pro-Am Bass Club is gone: A new club Desert Draw Series Bass Fishing Club is being formed by Michael Obney and will hold the first competition in January. He will hold a meet and greet soon. Call Mike at (928) 750-7081.

• Yuma’s High School Bass Fishing Club: A great way for any youngster to learn all about fishing for bass. Members of both the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club and Desert Bass Anglers assist the kids in providing boats and equipment as well as guide the youngsters, both guys and gals, in gaining a good share of fishing knowhow’s. Call Terry Hurt, school sponsor, at 580-6567 or visit StudentAnglerFoundation.com to get started. Any interested high school student will be a part of an exciting year for our next generation of anglers at Fisher’s Landing at Martinez Lake.

Shooting sports

• Yuma 4-H Shooting Sports: The 2017-18 training season for 4-H youngsters ages 9-19 will begin Sept. 21 at the 4-H extension office with a 7 to 8 p.m. class to sign-up and take a safety class with questions/answers about the year’s project. At that time, the youngsters will pay a one time $10 fee for consumables. Actual training will begin 9 to 10 a.m. Sept. 23 at the west gate of the Yuma County Fairgrounds with other training times to follow. If you have a youngster who is interested in being a part of a 4-H club in order to get into their shooting sports program, call the 4-H office in Yuma at 726-3904 or Stanley Gourley at 344-0740 to learn what they offer. Contact Jean Wilson at jeanrenegade@ gmail.com or call 247-4450.