I survived


hammerforged

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Am back home from my annual trip to west Texas to try and reduce the Dove population.  Trip was a huge success, though very WET and MUDDY.  85 hunters put 3,687 Dove in the freezer over the course of 4 days - 328 of which were mine.  18 rattlesnakes were killed, largest was 8 feet in length with 14 buttons, smallest was 5 feet with 9 buttons.  All but two of these snakes DID NOT rattle!  Talked with a Texas Department of Wildlife Rep and they said the snakes have all but stopped rattling because they have learned that the wild hogs hear the rattle and come eat them.  If this is true then that is SCARY indeed.

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2 hours ago, Adjam5 said:

Glad your trip was a success Ross. That is one heck of a amount of birds! Hope you had a nice Benelli or Beretta to ease that recoil.

Interesting info about the rattlers. That survival process they have adapted means trouble for humans.

Hunted with my old Browning 425 over and under.  Texas has a bad situation with those Eurasion Doves (Ringneck doves) moving in and displacing the Mourning and White Wings, open season year round on the Eurasions and no bag limit.  The Rattlesnake situation scares the heck out of me.  I am better at listening than I am at looking especially when I am concentrating on finding a downed bird.

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Good to hear you had a good time Ross. 

Interesting that the rattlers are adapting from their instincts.  Don't see many rattlesnakes here, but we do have some timber rattlers.  Cannot tell you how many times I have had cottonmouths here shake their tails against leaves giving them away, while they have no rattles, it does give them away and has probably kept me from walking on top of more than a few.  

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On 10/1/2018 at 9:05 AM, MUDRUNNER said:

Wow that's load of doves! I don't know that I've ever eaten anything better than a grilled dove breast wrapped with bacon and stiffed with a jalapeno pepper. Sounds like a great time minus the snakes lol.

Add some extra sharp cheddar cheese next time - dang that is some good eating.

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