The following is a report from last year’s hunting and expected hunting this year.
2023 and Early 2024 Hunting:
Last year was THE BEST dove hunting we have had around Abilene, Texas in many years. The first weekend of dove season in September was pretty good with limits by many people. Then, surprisingly, EVERY WEEK AFTER THE FIRST WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER FOR ALL OF SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, the hunting kept getting better. In December (i.e., the second dove season) we were still killing limits of dove.
Thankfully, the dove hunting was still really good around Winters, Texas in December as the sandhill crane did not come down in their normal numbers to Runnels County. I cancelled all sandhill crane hunts and sent hunters to about 1 hour north of Abilene (Crane Creek Outfitters – Grayson Black, Blayze Walker and Blaine Kasberg) and also to south of Lubbock (West Texas Safari – Nathan Williams and/or Dust Devil Outfitters – Austin and Hunter Daughtry). I want happy hunters, and we did not have the numbers of sandhill crane last year to chase crane around Winters, but boy did we have OUTSTANDING dove hunts.
2024 and Early 2025 Hunting:
I am speculating that the milo I planted will be good for dove and sandhill crane hunts. See picture below for winter wheat, then milo then wild sunflowers (behind power lines) in the fields below the hill. I will be planting winter wheat in early December, which the sandhill crane will hammer. The sandhill crane know where a freshly planted winter wheat field is located and will hit it the day of planting or the next day, for a few days. You have to be in the field where the sandhill crane are going (i.e., freshly planted winter wheat, left over hay grazer, milo, and sometimes cotton) to have a real chance of limits, not next to the field they are going.
Based on the abundant rain this spring, I expect very large and massive amounts of wild sunflowers, left over winter wheat (hard to harvest in mud), hay grazer fields and a few really good milo fields. Thus, I fully expect another great dove season with ample food and water all around Abilene. I pray we have good numbers of sandhill crane return to Runnels County.
We have access to around 15,000 acres of fields, and several stock tanks, around Winters, Wingate, Clyde, Abilene, Eula, and Potosi for dove, sandhill crane and duck hunts.
Bookings:
Don’t think because you came hunting with us last year that I have you down for this year. I say the same thing every year and still people get upset with me on bookings from year to year. Book with us now if you are wanting to go. We already have some bookings for the first four weeks in September.
Hope to see you this year.
