I'm in the military and just got stationed back in Texas (spent the last 15 years in SoCal) I have an area to hunt on the family ranch west of Fort Worth but the drive is around 4 hours so it is not real convenient for those before work and after work hunts. What I am looking for is somewhere to hunt within and hours drive of San Antonio, east, west, north or south does not matter.

If anyone has a lease area or knows of a lease that meets those requirements drop me an e-mail at ossdoc2000@yahoo.com.

No takers yet? Is this board dead or are all the hunters north of san antonio?

If you take 1604 past RAFB and right before you hit I10 to your right are a bunch of fields for day hunting and every year just about every one who goes gets their limits. Great dove in that area. If I remember its about $25 a day.

SOunds like something to check out, do you have any idea about a point of caontact for the fields?

Navdoc,
I sure dont ,but I will try to drive out there soon and see if there are any signs with a number on them. I dont think there will be any. This guy or group of landowners have not had a problem getting people out there in the past years (word of mouth) so they may not put forth the effort to make a sign, but I will check for you if I get a chance.

I would surely appreciate it, just let me know who to contact and I'll be all over it.

Well I went to Academy last night to get my $64 Super Combo Lic. and while im in line I hear a group of guys talking about the Dove day lease I was talking about. So I stoped and asked them about it. They said there was no sign posted and no contact info that they knew of. They said people have been going there for as far back as 8 years to day hunt. he raised his price to $40 for the full day and each day he sits at the gate and hands you a new item everyday ie (poker chip, token, penny with a hole in it etc..) and if you dont have it that day he kicks you off. They talked about how everyone gets their limit within 30 min to an hour. They said you cant miss it because it is so popular that people have trasilers parked all down the acces road of 1604 bi I10 to get into his place. Literally hundreds of people go there and the place is packed. That was the only complaint was the volume of people that show up. But the birds are plenty. So I was not able to get you a number but you cant miss it and you know it cost $40 for a full day.

Pros: lots of birds.
Cons: Lots of people to deal with.

Thanks for the heads up, but after hunting the last 15 years in Southern California on the Arizona border I can live without the hassel, not to mention danger of hunting in confined area with complete strangers. We always had plenty of birds but also had plenty of complete idiots also who could and did make some of those hunts fairly dangerous and extremely volatile at times. the only good thing was that most of them came out for opening day and never returned after that so from then on out it was actually fairly enjoyable. Maybe those fields by the 1604 are the same and the crowds will thin out after the 1st.

Yes they will. id give it a week and then start driving by to see how many people are showing up.

Nav, are you looking for a private dove lease with a set number of people or a day lease operation like the one out at 1604 and IH10? There are a lot of day hunt operations just west and south of S.A. from outside of Talley road all the way over to IH10 East. Lots of places between 410 south and 1604 on the south side.
If your looking for day leases, let me know I know a few in the Bexar area.

TOO,

Message sent!!!

TOO,

I would like info as well.

I've heard the hunting around Hondo is awesome, but I don't know who you can call. If you find a contact I would really like to kow too, as I want to head down there this year.

I hunted in Hondo 2 years ago through a guy named Layton Chambers (Spelling) and I lost his card. That was the best dove hunting I have ever done in my life. It was $50 a day and he put you on several harvested corn fields. Everyone who went limited within 30 minutes. They were everywhere. But I cant find his number. I feel like an idiot for loosing his info.

Leighton Chambers # is (830)426-2570. He has a good reputation.
Sammy Nooner at (210)415-7171 had some Hondo dove hunting areas in the past.
You might want to look up the Medina County chamber of commerce on line they got a lot of places on the hunting section of the website.
Check in with the new guy on here, "steveo", he's got a lot of good hunting places in the Uvalde area.
Also might try David Smith(830) 569-3949 Office (210)827-3571 Cell He's got central and south zone hunts but they run about $75 a day for both birds.
Also try "Ultimate Hunts"c/o Scott Rankin (210)260-3355, they had a lot of land around S.A. in the past. I've always had a hard time getting a hold of U.H. so I don't try to contact them anymore, but that may be because of our business, but that's just a guess.
A bit further out is Kenneth Dudley near Dilley(830) 965-2463 he's got a lot of dove every year and is honest as can be.
Just wondering if y'all S.A. guys have looked in the Express-News classifieds? Saw a lease there on Sunday off Zarzamora 10 minutes from Downtown it. 300 acres? Just a warning a lot of those places in the paper are the pack 'em and crack'em type places. They crowd the fields or you'll see few birds after the first few days. So be careful, ask questions and scout the place. Expect to pay $75 a day or more for a good place, maybe $50 for a good place that is unknown(that will change as will the price), close in cost more, almost always. Hope this helped.

Too,
Thanks for the info. Leighton Chambers was the guy I was looking for..

I saw the places listed in the paper and am trying to avoid anyplace that is gonna be packed in with opening day only hunters, did that route for the last 15 years in Southern California and am not looking to repeat it again this year. If I can get on a season lease that will keep the number of members down to a manageable number then that will be the best route for this year.

Thanks for the info posted and the contact numbers, I will get to calling and let you know how it works out.


///Doc

no problem Sy.
Nav, the Zarzamora listing is for a season lease if it's who I think it is that is offering the place. But I could be wrong on that. Problem is that folks realize they can make $1,000's in a few weeks on day hunting the ww's around S.A.
I do agree, I wouldn't do it where it's sardine hunting, but usually David Smith doesn't pack them too tight. But that's also a matter of opinion on what's packed and what's not packed. Private dove leases are a bit hard to find close to S.A.

I had the opportunity to hunt a David Smith tract last year late in the season. It was one of the best late season hunts I have been on.

Nav,

There's a big dove operation at the intersection of Hwy 90 and 1604 going towards Castroville. The fields are off of 1604 going north. I dont know the daily cost but I do know alot of hunters swear by them. When you go you'll know you're there when you see the trucks.

I live in Cibolo (near Randolph AFB) and TXPWD has several Public Hunting areas off of Green Valley Road/ Wiel road and Engel road (total about 1000 acres between 3 properties). You have to buy the state TPW permit ($48...but if you are active duty military, you licsense is free). Havn't scouted them (work nights and had to take leave for opening dove days), but my hunting buddy has. Should be pretty good. Check out TPW website for locations of land.

Is Tilden to far? I have a ranch down there and your more than welcome to come join us-NO CHARGE! We have tons of dove on the place(2,000 acres)...PM me if your interestead.

Kellie

That is a generous offer for the SA folks.

I watched a hunting show the other night and they were quail hunting in Tilden. How is it down there? Finally a wild quail hunt on TV!!! I was at my friends ranch in Dimmitt county and they have a ton of bobwhites now. But the only way to hunt them is to bait the roads. Brush is impossible to hunt without doing some clearing.