In the great state of Texas dove hunters have the opportunity to hunt on over 1 million acres of public land. I have been participating with public land hunting for over 10 years and consider myself somewhat of an expert. I'm going to give you a few tips that should help your next public land hunting trip be more successful.

 Dove hunting across the country is growing and every year more hunters are participating with outdoor activities. I have found that when planning a public land hunt it is important to do a little homework before you decide on which area you would like to choose to hunt. Texas is good about putting up statistics about how many birds were killed at specific public lands units. Also, most areas allow for pre-season scouting to monitor bird flight patterns or look for units that have quality bird habitat. I personally look for sunflowers, grain and roosting trees.

  When you do find an area you are going to hunt it is important to make sure you arrive early at the hunting unit. I have found that choice areas attract many hunters and it is critical to stake out good spots early before the crowd arrives. I recommend on afternoon hunts to enter a field before 3pm, find a good shade tree and wait for the bird flight to begin. Great locations will have bird flights as early as noon time! Arriving early also allows you an opportunity to talk to other hunters about bird flight patterns and let each other know where you will be hunting in the field. It is important to let others know where you are sitting so you would try and prevent any accidents from occurring. Veteran hunters will appreciate and utilize any information on how to strategically set up on a dove field with hunters.

  Finally, once the birds begin flying it is necessary to monitor the movements of other hunters who may be arriving late into a field and decide to position themselves near the sound of shotgun blast. I can't tell you how many times I've been blasting away at birds and hunters creep up nearby to catch left over birds that get away from my bad shooting. Normally I would not have a problem with this if they just take the time to check with me to let me know where they will be sitting and in which direction they plan to shoot. It is extremely rude to sneak up on a dove hunter without asking him if he can shoot nearby. Not to mention this is dangerous and irresponsible on the hunter's part that is willing to disregard safety for a chance to down a few birds.

  On one of my most recent hunting trip to an area just north of San Antonio, I came across two individuals that nearly ended my day in a very bad way. I will call the first hunter "Bubba" to forever hide his identity from shame in the dove hunting community.

  Bubba arrived early at the dove field and decided to walk the entire perimeter of the unit while stalking monster dragonflies. After about two boxes worth of shotgun blasts, Bubba continued to circle back towards my position under a tree in the middle of the dove field. He was unaware of my position and could not see me due to thick cover. The next few moments for me were very nervous because I knew he would eventually fire a shot in my direction if the elusive dragonflies continued to provide a form of entertainment for him.

 Well would you know it Bubba did the unthinkable, he fired a low shot into the horizon straight in my direction from 50 - 60 yards away. Luckily for me the thick Texas brush prevented the next "Dick Cheney" from occurring. Needless to say, Bubba limited out on dragonflies and left the public lands to finish off his twelve pack of beer. The rest of the afternoon was peaceful and I was very thankful that I lived to hunt another day! Until next time, shoot straight and lead those birds.

  Iowa’s pheasant hunters can expect to find more birds this fall when they head to the fields, predict state wildlife experts. That forecast is based on the recently completed statewide population survey of pheasants, quail, partridge, cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits.

  Iowa’s pheasant population increased in every nine county region except northwest where it was similar to last year. The survey counted a state average of 21 birds per 30 mile route which translates to a statewide harvest estimate of 250,000 to 300,000 roosters this fall.

 The August roadside survey is tool used by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to physically record the number of upland game seen while driving the survey routes. It’s a product of 218 30-mile routes across that state that are conducted Aug. 1-15 beginning at sunrise. The survey has used the same routes since 1962.

  “We weren’t sure what to expect from the survey this year because the spring weather was all over the board and it likely impacted some nesting success,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa DNR. April started cold with 10-20 inches of snow across northern Iowa and then switched to warm and dry by the end of May.

  “The take home message is, if you had good hunting last year, you can expect similar hunting or better hunting across most of the state this year,” he said.

  The 2018 count was an increase over the 15 birds per route in 2017. However, Bogenschutz said dry conditions in 2017 likely did not accurately reflect the pheasant population and when adjusted for the lack of dew the population would be similar, but still slightly lower than 2018.

  Another positive for hunters is the quail and cottontail rabbit populations, both at present day highs.

  “Anyone who has ever had an interest in quail hunting or hasn’t hunted quail recently – this would be a good fall to go,” Bogenschutz said.

  Iowa’s quail range is across the southern third of the state. Rabbits are abundant in all parts of Iowa with the highest populations in southern and east central regions.

  Partridge population is similar to 2017 with the highest population in central and northern Iowa. The lone exception is jackrabbits which have seen its numbers fall likely due to a landscape that shifted from producing small grains and fields of short grasses to larger fields of corn and soybeans.

  The August roadside survey and game distribution maps are available online at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey .