Let’s face it, with the ever-expanding cost of big game hunting, bird hunts are becoming more and more desirable as hunting alternatives. For the most part, bird hunting offers more opportunities and more action than big game hunting, and hunters can be rewarded with memories that last a lifetime. Here are our top four bird hunts.
1) Uvalde, Texas: Dove Hunting
Uvalde is the hands-down nerve center of dove hunting in North America. White wing and mourning doves manage to blacken the sky in this Texas dove hunting mecca where the limit is 15 per day and the action can be non-stop. This is a great place to start out a new hunter as he or she will have a pile of opportunities at these juking and jiving migrants with wings. As a bonus, the entire town is welcoming to hunters and your patronage is well appreciated.
2) South Dakota: Pheasant Busting
If you have an aggressive sense of adventure, South Dakota offers great pheasant hunting. However, a mobile hunting team can set up near the Nebraska or North Dakota border and hit two states for double bag limits. There is nothing more exciting than the comradery built by walking fields full of ringnecks and watching dogs work their magic.
Pheasant hunting is another good entry-level hunt for new hunters and it offers plenty of exercise and plenty of shooting action. Many lessons can be learned in a field of pheasants, and there is not a more handsome bird for the wall.
3) Oregon: Duck Hunting
With hundreds of miles of ocean and freshwater lake coastlines, mild weather and great waterfowl counts, Oregon is a must-hunt for ducks. With over 35 species of waterfowl being represented, Oregon offers a serious smorgasbord of quackers and honkers. If you have a boat, there is no limit to adventure. For the waterfowl collector or the novice just hoping for some wing shooting action, Oregon has it all. Scull boat hunting is a best-kept-secret that can get you into thousands of resting puddle ducks with plenty of leg bands to be had.
4) Central California: Bigtime Goose Hunting
The central valley of California hosts the largest gathering of wintering geese in the country. With 5-7 million birds hanging out for the mild winter, there are tons of hunting opportunities. Although California is known for its private duck clubs, there is plenty of great public hunting on national wildlife refuges and state wildlife areas that are intensely managed for waterfowl success.
