Highway to Hondo

Written by David J. Sams

Saturday, 06 October 2007

Whitewing perch atop sunflowers near Hondo. Photo by David J. Sams Drive 800 plus miles to shoot a limit of whitewings. Are you crazy? Yes we are! We found a honey hole near Hondo and took off. While driving, we thought about how frustrating it is to work in an office all week and hear reports of lucky hunters shooting quick limits of doves. Several “dove fields” sit just outside the city limits waiting for the flocks to attack for the afternoon feeding. Sunflowers, the large variety, are a key to survival for South Texas whitewings. At the Nooner Ranch near Hondo, large sunflower fields are managed for dove hunting. Hunters are told to stay out of the field and take their shots from the edges as the birds make their entry and/or exit from the food source. “We don’t disturb the birds while they feed,” Sammy Nooner said. “They will leave the field if disturbed too much, but it doesn’t seem to bother them when they get shot at coming in and going out.” The feeding style of the whitewings differs from the mourning doves. While mourning doves feed on the ground on seeds from fallen plants or seed left over after harvesting, whitewings will perch atop a sunflower plant, often performing a gymnastic-style balancing act after turning upside down to pick the seeds. “You guys park here, they will be coming from that direction in about 15 minutes,” Nonner said. In about 12 minutes the whitewings started pouring in, and the shooting started. In a hot 25 minutes, there were 12 dove in my bag and 24 empty shells. Time for a beer! “Come get in my spot, you will finish up in no time,” I told editor Craig Nyhus. Nyhus put the sites on a few more birds and took them down. I stood next to him, shooting (with a camera now). “Let’s try to pick just one bird and see if we can get a photo of you shooting it,” I said. Nyhus’ twelfth bird came into view and I recorded the action to the ground. “I’m done,” Nyhus said. “It’s time for my beer, now.” Photo by David J. Sams Photo by David J. Sams Photo by David J. Sams Photo by David J. Sams The day's limit was completed with this whitewing. Photo by David J. Sams

Last Updated ( Monday, 08 October 2007 )

 

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