doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parkerized Doves Today

You are quite correct that invasive species need a very different management plan from native species. Those European dove really could create a large problem in the ecosystem if the numbers continue to grow at the current pace. I say great shooting. Looks fun too!

Mike, I was not aware that these things were as bad of a problem out West as you all have described, so I did overstep in my reply to the op post and pictures.

Have to admit I was into the Old Turkey when I did so, and was a little too pointed with the words I used, so please forgive me for offending you, or anyone else here. That was not my intention.
JR

Please tell us more about the Parker

Thanks
Mike

Personally I don't think they hurt the population. I wish we had them here in N.C in numbers you guys do.

John I certainly understand the Wild Turkey and typing.

I was not arguing that the collared dove were a problem and so needed to be eradicated. What I wrote about killing rats was in counter to gunut's humanitarian argument against taking collared doves during breeding season.

The collared dove may become a problem but nobody knows. As far as I know no Game and Fish Department or researcher has stated that they are a problem. Certainly the invasive pigeons have become a problem.

I see the collared dove as a resource to be exploited. If the US decides it is good for them to be here and they want to conserve them for hunting then hunting seasons make sense.

Best,

Mike

Well, the only thing I will add to this august body of wisdom is once upon a time there were numerous mourning dove around our house in the city. Now, with the invasion of both whitewing and collared dove the mourners have become a minority. Just my observation alone and doesn't need any potshots.

Ten years ago a CA DFG wildlife biologist told me that they were worried about the Euros interbreeding with the native dove species. I have shot one that I suspect was a hybrid. Numbers of Euros around Yuma are way up in the last three years, as you might observe with a geometric progression. Open season on Euros may be affecting the mourning/whitewing hunting in the early season because so many guys are shooting at Euros that the other doves are spooked before the September 1 season opens. Personal observation, sample size = one.

[quote=skeettx]Please tell us more about the Parker

1911 VH 28in barrels almost cylinder bore in ea barrel.
No factory records exist and I cannot tell if the barrels have been cut. Had real ugly wood so I refinished the wood. Have $800.00 invested not counting my own refinishing work.

Dealing with invasive birds or fish can be a real problem. With no local natural controls they will quickly rise in numbers until they start to or completely push other native birds out of their place in local environments. Killing a few hundred of might make a minor dent in local population for a short while but they will be back. I have no problem with this shoot other than the fact I was not there.

If you think all the doves you shoot September 1 are done nesting you are wrong. Migratory birds are certainly not nesting but locals will breed multiple times per year and may still have their last clutch in nest as the hunting season approaches. To those too concerned about shooting birds that may still have young I suggest they delay hunting until mid October just to be safe.

We've had the collared doves here for years. I first noticed the plague they can become when our little town went through a gentrification of our downtown in a project known a 'street-scaping' where sidewalks were dug up and replaced with brick pavers with landscape trees planted every few yards.

The collared doves moved in, displacing the pigeons in the process and began a colonial roosting program in the bushy little trees. You did not dare park your car under a tree after dark on a visit to one of the new bistros in the downtown area.

I feed the birds in my back yard and have noticed that when the collared birds move onto the feed, the mourners move out...Geo