Colorado Doves?

stinky · Apr 23, 2023

I am thinking of getting out of my area on September 1st for doves.

Is there anywhere in Colorado that is worth driving to for Doves? I am in Grand Junction. I was thinking of the 4-corners area, or the Northwest corner, or the plains.

What about in Utah?

Bluehair · Apr 24, 2023

I live pretty close to a place called Dove Creek (SW, pronounced “crick” around here). Yes, there are lots of doves that nest here in the summer. They are just starting to show up; I saw a flock of 50+ yesterday.

But they* seem to leave about August 28th. I’m only sorta kidding because they just seem to disappear- and especially if we get a little weather disturbance like we usually do.

I think you might do ok if you were to sit a waterhole near a sunflower or grain field for the first few days of the season, but it probably won’t last longer than a couple of days. Maybe the river down by Slickrock would be a good place to start?

*The arrival of the euro doves makes things a little different. They stay here all winter and seem to have a few mornings and white wings hang around with them a little longer than usual. There are starting to be a bunch of euros around here. I believe they’re in season year round, but you want to check that. But it would be pretty hard to tell the difference on the wing.

$.02

1989Cohunter · Apr 24, 2023

I used to hunt them on the western slope a lot as a kid. I mostly sat ponds, by no means was it non stop action. But you could definitely turn some up.

stinky · Apr 27, 2023

I live at the other end of CO-141....about 2 miles from it.

I know what you mean about the Euros. Euros are an Invasive Species....no closed season and no limit....I think.

When I was in AZ, we would get a storm around 9/1, and the heat would break....meaning that 115+* was over with. It would change things up a bit.

I don't think that I have ever seen a flock of 10 here. That is probably an exageration, BUT, I ain't never seen 20 at once, in CO.

I really haven't had the time, or made the time to hunt them here, but I'm retired now.

kilbuc · Apr 27, 2023

Go to Argentina or Mexico or Bolivia.

there are two kinds of people in the world, the day people and the night people, its the night people's job to take the day people's money

elks96 · Apr 28, 2023

There is almost always a cold snap the end of august very first of sept that send them south in a hurry. Especially out of the northern half of the state. I would focus more south, more desert and in warmer areas…

Thill · Apr 29, 2023

Euro's taste the same as doves- Don't be afraid to shoot them.

When I was teenager back in the 80's, we used to shoot a ton of doves just East of Denver. One day I shoot this huge dove and proudly take it to my dad and tell him we got to mount this world record dove. We look it over and over and just determined it was a just a freak of nature. Fast forward 20 years and we found out it was a Euro.

By the way my dad told me no chance in hell he was paying to mount of a Dove and if I truly wanted to mount this thing he would I have to start paying for my own ammo. He knew I was serious about wanting to mount this record size dove.

I was heavily annoyed, but the thought of paying for my own ammo at $1.49-$1.99 box didn't seem like a deal I wanted carry out. One day we were cleaning out the freezer and he found the whole bird still in the freezer and asked me if I still had that stupid idea of mounting a dove - I told him no and told me to clean it and we were going to fry it up with the other doves.

Good memory nonetheless and we still shoot a few Euro's every year. And yes I am glad I don't have a stupid looking Euro mounted hanging in my house or barn.

HntHrdr · Apr 29, 2023

Thrill, great story haha would have made for a heck of a conversation piece though.

I’m jealous just thinking about 2$ box of shells, when I first started dove and target loads were 4/5$ I hope they come back to those prices

littlebighorn · Apr 29, 2023

The first cold front that comes through in August sends them south but if you get a warm August you could have a great time.
Head south of GJ and yes Dove Creek with Bluehair sounds interesting. Besides the Eurasians there are band-tails in that country as well.

Bluehair · Apr 29, 2023

littlebighorn said:
The first cold front that comes through in August sends them south but if you get a warm August you could have a great time.
Head south of GJ and yes Dove Creek with Bluehair sounds interesting. Besides the Eurasians there are band-tails in that country as well.

I have only seen bandtails once down here. There was a HUGE flock (easily 100) working their way thru the oak scrub above my cabin. I stood on my deck with my mouth open for 5 minutes watching it. The rarest of gamebirds in my world (I don’t live around many chuckars so they would be my personal rarest). I’ve seen more ptarmigans than bandtails in my life.

Thanks for the memory. I had all but forgotten.

Grab a 12 pack and watch the sunset sitting at a pond somewhere in the middle of nowhere in dry creek or big gyp or Uravan……who cares if a dove comes in.

littlebighorn · Apr 30, 2023

Bluehair said:
I have only seen bandtails once down here. There was a HUGE flock (easily 100) working their way thru the oak scrub above my cabin. I stood on my deck with my mouth open for 5 minutes watching it. The rarest of gamebirds in my world (I don’t live around many chuckars so they would be my personal rarest). I’ve seen more ptarmigans than bandtails in my life.

Thanks for the memory. I had all but forgotten.

Grab a 12 pack and watch the sunset sitting at a pond somewhere in the middle of nowhere in dry creek or big gyp or Uravan……who cares if a dove comes in.

Rare indeed, but I've seen them a few times around Monticello on the Utah side. There are a fair amount of chuckars along the Dolores river down that way as well, but that's also in Utardville.