There's More to Dove Hunting...

[Garry L Gordon]

...than just the birds at your feet on opening day (if fortune smiles). I've enjoyed reading of the preparations some of our dedicated dove hunters have and are making for the upcoming season. Our hunting will be a very modest affair in comparison to what Charlie, Mills, and Stan, for example, are anticipating. Elaine and I scouted some of the local WMA sunflower fields this morning and saw decent numbers of birds.

In addition to the scouting for dove, we also surveyed some of our harbingers of Fall -- late blooming sunflower varieties, native thistle, prematurely reddening blackberry canes, and, my favorite, goldenrod, its color set off by the rich purple of ironweed. The goldfinches have gathered and are feasting in the sunflower fields. All is ready and decent weather predicted. We'll give the early morning flights a try, but the real treat will be to have a fine old bird gun in hand on a day afield. The older I get, the more I cherish these days.

Good luck to my fellow dove hunters.

[Mills Morrison]

Looks good! Like most other sporting pursuits, the birds are just part of the overall experience.

[charlie cleveland]

good looking field I hope every one has time to get out and bust a few caps this weekend...be safe and shoot straight.....charlie

[Stan Hillis]

Nice pictures! How I wish we had the native sunflower that grew naturally in GA, like it does in TX. Those are beautiful. I tried, unsuccessfully, to introduce them to some of my land several years ago. I ordered the seed from Turner Seed Co. in TX, after speaking with Jay Mercer there about them. He told me I had a tough row to hoe to get them to grow here and he was right. Planting them was a bust. I only got a few plants up on several acres. It seems they do not do well in sandy soil types.

Good luck to all of you who will be trying to run down some of those little grey rockets Saturday afternoon.

[Garry L Gordon]

We scouted another WMA today on a very pleasant (54 degrees) morning. Found a couple hens with brood(s). I'll look them up come the Fall opener on Oct. 1. Not too many dove at this WMA, but we were a little late getting there.

After Stan's post, I looked to document some of the various sunflowers we normally see here on the edge of the prairie. Compass plant (if you know Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, then you are familiar with this regal member of the sunflower family) blooms in mid-Summer and is pretty much gone to seed by this time of year. It's cousin, the Cup Flower is almost past its prime also (first photo). Tickseed Sunflower (photo 2) is just now coming on, and come Mid-Sept., on an overcast day, it will dazzle you with its rich color and colonizing growth habit. We also find Jerusalem Artichokes (photo 3), a tall sentinel that is often found in good quail and pheasant cover come December. Some folks swear by the nut-flavored root that gives the plant its name. We've tried growing them without success. I can take or leave the roots as table fare.

So much going on this time of year. The dove hunting sometimes gets lost in the season, but come tomorrow morning -- our opener at sunrise -- all eyes are to the sky, and the guns will sound again for the beginning of another season of hunting -- hallelujah!

Again, good shooting and good luck to all.

[Stan Hillis]

I hope for you a day, tomorrow, that will be "one for the books".

Please bring a report!

[Dean Weber]

I have had the pleasure of being invited on a multi-day group hunt for a few years now. It is a family event. The patriarch is 92 and he "manages" the dove fields from spring to harvest. He carves his own decoys, which most of us use. He shoots a 410 and is good with it.

Today, I shot next to him (I used a 28 gauge)....so he walks very slowly to my hay bale hide after I missed a bird. He looks at me and asked why I needed such a big gun. I told him to go ahead and give it a try. He took 2 birds with 2 shots. Hands the gun back and said, I guess it will do. That interaction will stick with me for a while. It is not about the doves.....:)

https://i.imgur.com/ytxDIqE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VjjPZx3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9KU4ve5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ThQzWDO.jpg

[charlie cleveland]

really nice big field and that's got to be a parker gun a nice one....charlie

[todd allen]

This has been a really good thread to get me in the mood for dove season.
I remember back in my younger days, growing up in Las Vegas, we got invited to a family farm shoot in Pahrump NV.
The patriarch of the family managed the food and guest list, and it was really a lot of fun!

[Mills Morrison]

I'm pretty much in final countdown mode now. I seem to be more excited about the opening day than usual and, yes, I think it is these few threads on this forum.

A few more pics from seasons past to set the tone

[Garry L Gordon]

I've read of some very successful opening day dove hunts so far this year. Congratulations to our colleagues who were able to open their seasons on the 1st and best of luck to those hitting the fields today.

We got up early (3:00 am) and got to our scouted field about an hour and a half before sunrise. We were beaten to the field by two other parties(!), and so had to set up at the end of the field. You guessed it -- our end was the only inactive spot on the entire field. Our "neighbors" enjoyed some sky busting fun, along with hollering constantly at an untrained lab. Such are the joys of public ground dove openers.

I carried an 1889 DH 12 with 32 inch barrels (this is a very early hammerless, "three dog" DH). I've had this gun for many years. I purchased it at a local auction in very rough shape. It was the first gun I took to Brad Bachelder and I had him bring it back entirely. Many would say that I put too much into the gun to ever be able to get it back, but I would say that I've gotten more from this gun than money could ever buy.

Later in the afternoon, I went back alone and did some walk-up hunting. I managed to scratch down some birds -- as many as we could eat in a sitting, and was satisfied to have opened the hunting season; my 61st. It's a far cry from my early hunting with Pop after squirrels where I eagerly served as his "dog." Sitting in a slow dove hide, you get a lot of time to reflect on your own personal hunting life. It's one of the things I do like about stand hunting.

Here are some photos from our hunt. I can't believe Elaine voluntarily came to sit with me, but it was nice to have a good buddy to chat with and admire the sunrise. The photo of her was inspired by Georges de La Tour and his famous use of tenebrism (you don't spend your life in the arts and not see connections: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_de_La_Tour). A nice irony to have Orion greet us before dawn as we listened to the hum of mosquitoes, thankfully warded off by our thermocells.

I'll go again a couple of times (including one hunt inspired by Stan, carrying a gun of a caliber he might like), hopefully before the birds move on, but will shift gears to the teal season which begins at the end of next week. The best parts of the hunting year are to come.

[charlie cleveland]

that's a fine looking gun ....early morning is a blessing....charlie

[John Marscher]

Opening day of dove season is treated as a holiday down here. We are blessed to have a great group to share it with on a friends old family farm. I love watching my pup slowly put it all together.

109720

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[CraigThompson]

The farm across the road from me that was a dairy farm for the last seventy years stopped the dairy operation this past January so there was no early chopped corn this year . Some die hard still went there and stood around the edges of the to be picked cornfields . I heard exactly six shots , whether they hit any and whether they found them if hitting them I dunno . Pretty sad we used to have over a dozen working dairy farms in our county now there’s supposedly one left .

[Stan Hillis]

My pastor and I had a good local hamburger lunch yesterday then drove over to the field. There was assembled some 20 shooters at the lodge where we usually have a lunch cooked to enjoy, but not this time.

Went to the field about 2:45 pm and birds were already feeding. Cloudy, with spurts of sunshine. Temps in the mid 80s, with thunder rumbling occasionally off in the distance. Birds flew well until about 5:30, allowing all there ample opportunity for shooting. I was using my FAIR Iside Tartaruga Gold .410 S X S, 30" barrels, with 11/16 oz. Remington loads (leftovers, I won't be buying any more of them, much preferring the WW 3/4 oz. load in my guns).

Went 3 for 5 right off the bat, then the wheels fell off and I slid into a slump. Finally realized I was over leading those birds badly, cut my leads back, and ended the afternoon with 13 for the pan/grill. Hoping for two things at the same time for tomorrow afternoon.......... fair weather so we can combine and haul corn, and rainy weather so I can shoot doves instead. I just need to be two persons at this time of year!

[Ed Norman]

great pictures and story as always Garry

[Mills Morrison]

Our opening day hunt came with much anticipation and did not disappoint

[Garry L Gordon]

Ahhhh...hunting season again! No better smile than on young hunters with their prize.

[Garry L Gordon]

I've read with great interest Stan's accounts of taking dove with a .410. I thought I'd like to try the same. After taking birds with my DH, I decided to break out my new-to-me H&H that has a set of .410 barrels (to go with its original 28 bore barrels). Yesterday I tried some walk-up hunting -- our WMA dove fields were empty of hunters(!) -- and was quickly humbled, taking only a couple of birds.

I went back today with a chair and sat for an hour or so and had some slow, but steady action -- and shot better. I'm still getting used to shooting this gun, but was surprised when I walked off a clean kill at 37 steps (farther than I estimated the shot). It was fun. Thanks, Stan, for the inspiration. I'll never shoot the scores on dove that you have:bowdown:, but it was a nice change and challenge.

[Stan Hillis]

What a beautiful gun to get your feet wet with a .410 on doves with! Be careful ........... they're addicting!

My next goal with a .410 is a limit of 3 woodies. I'm about to load up some tungsten, like the guys are using now for turkeys, and give it a go this duck season. If it'll flatten a 25 lb. gobbler at 60 steps, like I know it will, it will be dog nuts on woodies. Probably shoot clean through them.

[Garry L Gordon]

Oh, no! More inspiration...:eek: I'll wait until you report on your hunt before I even think about reloading for .410:corn:

[Stan Hillis]

I consider 37 steps a long shot for a .410, with any load. Well done!

I have been insulted, chastised and belittled for using a .410 on game birds ......... dove, quail and woodcock. I don't do it to get attention. I do it to prove a point (to myself), which is this. Density and pellet energy is what kills game birds, whatever the species. If I can, by choosing the appropriate choke, create a pattern at a maximum distance that has the same density as a larger gauge using a more open choke, what's the diff? A no. 8 lead pellet out of a .410 has exactly the same energy as a no. 8 pellet out of a 12 gauge, at the same velocity. The number of those pellets on target determines the outcome. Tighter chokes put more pellets on the target (density), IF ....... you can hit the bird with the smaller pattern.

The other side of the deal with .410s is that so many of them are super-lightweight, which changes the dynamics of handling. Shooting one enough builds muscle memory, which is remembered by the subconscious when the gun is shot at game. Some of the best shooting I've ever done with a .410 on game birds was with a Yildiz 28" barreled S X S that was gifted me by a friend. A $489 gun. The little thing has an aluminum alloy action and weighs 4 lbs. 14 oz. Don Amos spun it on his turntable many years ago, at my request, and found that it had basically the same MOI as a 12 ga. English "game gun", because of how the weight in the little Yildiz was distributed, in the butt and in the barrels, with very little in the action.

I am a bit enamored of .410 double guns. I have five. And, I love them all. Lord, help me.

[Mills Morrison]

That tungsten is deadly

[Daryl Corona]

I consider 37 steps a long shot for a .410, with any load. Well done!

I have been insulted, chastised and belittled for using a .410 on game birds ......... dove, quail and woodcock. I don't do it to get attention. I do it to prove a point (to myself), which is this. Density and pellet energy is what kills game birds, whatever the species. If I can, by choosing the appropriate choke, create a pattern at a maximum distance that has the same density as a larger gauge using a more open choke, what's the diff? A no. 8 lead pellet out of a .410 has exactly the same energy as a no. 8 pellet out of a 12 gauge, at the same velocity. The number of those pellets on target determines the outcome. Tighter chokes put more pellets on the target (density), IF ....... you can hit the bird with the smaller pattern.

The other side of the deal with .410s is that so many of them are super-lightweight, which changes the dynamics of handling. Shooting one enough builds muscle memory, which is remembered by the subconscious when the gun is shot at game. Some of the best shooting I've ever done with a .410 on game birds was with a Yildiz 28" barreled S X S that was gifted me by a friend. A $489 gun. The little thing has an aluminum alloy action and weighs 4 lbs. 14 oz. Don Amos spun it on his turntable many years ago, at my request, and found that it had basically the same MOI as a 12 ga. English "game gun", because of how the weight in the little Yildiz was distributed, in the butt and in the barrels, with very little in the action.

I am a bit enamored of .410 double guns. I have five. And, I love them all. Lord, help me.

I feel the exact same way Stan, only about the 28ga. To me, the perfect gun for 90% of my clay/game shooting.

[Mills Morrison]

I am going back out Thursday afternoon. This time with a new to me 0 frame VH 16. I have high hopes it is going to be a good one. Our friend claimed he had 700 birds with more coming every day.

[charlie cleveland]

mills it sounds like your going to have lots of fun with that many birds...charlie

[Mills Morrison]

I have my fingers crossed that they stay put. Will definitely have a report.

[Dean Weber]

I hope I am not hijacking this thread but here are couple pictures of the hunt. BTW, this field produced about 750 doves taken on a 5 day hunt. It will now be the site of a threshing exhibition/competition in the near future. Best!

https://i.imgur.com/mldU0hq.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Zh0HYYu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/q8DCsUn.jpg

[Stan Hillis]

Nice looking field, Dave. The only thing I can see that might improve it is more cover non the edges for the shooters to hide in. I'm a nut for having a good camouflaged "hide".

[Garry L Gordon]

I hope I am not hijacking this thread but here are couple pictures of the hunt. BTW, this field produced about 750 doves taken on a 5 day hunt. It will now be the site of a threshing exhibition/competition in the near future. Best!

https://i.imgur.com/mldU0hq.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Zh0HYYu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/q8DCsUn.jpg

So, Dean, what was in those fields? BTW, I love the skies in those photos. Ya get some time to appreciate nature while waiting for birds.

[Daryl Corona]

Nice looking field, Dave. The only thing I can see that might improve it is more cover non the edges for the shooters to hide in. I'm a nut for having a good camouflaged "hide".

True Stan. And finding a treeline to provide shade for me and the dogs. I always sit with my back towards the sun so incoming birds to the decoys have the sun in their eyes, not mine.

[Garry L Gordon]

True Stan. And to provide shade for me and the dogs. I always sit with my back towards the sun so incoming birds to the decoys have the sun in their eyes, not mine.

If you don’t hide well in our public dove fields, you’ll watch birds flare far out of range. Also, after the first day, I think motion decoys spook more birds than they draw.

…And, Daryl, I also put my vote in for the 28.

[Daryl Corona]

I only use the Robo decoys in the late season Gary, when we have big flocks of migratory birds in. I use pigeon decoys I cut out of 1/2" plywood and painted flat gray with splotches of black and white. Used to shoot loads of pigeons and found that they work well for doves, especially the young birds in the early season. I neglected to take a picture of the 28 with yesterdays birds. Forgot the camera.:banghead: Yeah, 28's and birds(doves) go together like PBJ.

[Dean Weber]

Responses:
We use the wheat straw bales as our cover. They familiar to the doves. Sit on the shady side. Not many trees in SD :)
The crop is a cut wheat field.
https://i.imgur.com/ThQzWDO.jpg

[Garry L Gordon]

Responses:
We use the wheat straw bales as our cover. They familiar to the doves. Sit on the shady side. Not many trees in SD :)
The crop is a cut wheat field.
https://i.imgur.com/ThQzWDO.jpg

So is the wheat broadcast and not drilled? Just curious.

[Dean Weber]

It was drilled spring wheat. Swathed and baled.

[Jerry Harlow]

Virginia is always stuck in the past. While most states now allow hunting at daybreak for doves, we still must wait until 12 on the first day only. Must have been 100 in the sun so I left poor Mosby at home, who was begging to go. Got my limit with a Beretta o/u 20 shooting 7/8 oz of 9s after a bad sunburn of four hours. After my limit I brought my cousin's grandson to my spot to coach him, using the 12 Trojan I had given him. He couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a base fiddle as the saying goes, and after three boxes had only thirteen. I went Labor day morning at daybreak and got 10 with a 20 Parker VH shooting the same 9s. Birds after being shot Saturday were much farther away so I was undergunned.

Keeping with my rule of using a different gun each time I took my semi-custom Winchester 24 12 ga. Heavy as a log, stiff to open as if it just left the factory, but choked perfectly with IC and Full. Made the same year I was born. Shot 15/30 but changing guns, gauges, and shot sizes each time takes some getting used to. To show how people don't know much about dove hunting, my favorite pole which is usually covered with pokeberries which one can hide in, had all been cut down by the previous idiot hunters. Perfect camo was gone and I'll bet every dove saw the two guys that were setting there (one shooting a 20 and one a 12 by their hulls I had to clean up). So I used the cut down plants for a makeshift blind. Anyway, Mosby had fun and so did I.

[Garry L Gordon]

Virginia is always stuck in the past. While most states now allow hunting at daybreak for doves, we still must wait until 12 on the first day only. Must have been 100 in the sun so I left poor Mosby at home, who was begging to go. Got my limit with a Beretta o/u 20 shooting 7/8 oz of 9s after a bad sunburn of four hours. After my limit I brought my cousin's grandson to my spot to coach him, using the 12 Trojan I had given him. He couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a base fiddle as the saying goes, and after three boxes had only thirteen. I went Labor day morning at daybreak and got 10 with a 20 Parker VH shooting the same 9s. Birds after being shot Saturday were much farther away so I was undergunned.

Keeping with my rule of using a different gun each time I took my semi-custom Winchester 24 12 ga. Heavy as a log, stiff to open as if it just left the factory, but choked perfectly with IC and Full. Made the same year I was born. Shot 15/30 but changing guns, gauges, and shot sizes each time takes some getting used to. To show how people don't know much about dove hunting, my favorite pole which is usually covered with poke berries which one can hide in, had all been cut down by the previous idiot hunters. Perfect camo was gone and I'll bet every dove saw the two guys that were setting there (one shooting a 20 and one a 12 by their hulls I had to clean up). So I used them for a makeshift blind. Anyway, Mosby had fun and so did I.


Jerry, that’s great shooting. Glad Mosby got to go.

[Mills Morrison]

Back at it again today with a new to me VH 16. Got 12 which was the limit set by our host. That was fine with me and I got the 12th bird with the last shell I had. They flew steadily the whole hunt. The rain held off until we were leaving and then it poured. All in all a great day and one for the record books

[Garry L Gordon]

Back at it again today with a new to me VH 16. Got 12 which was the limit set by our host. That was fine with me and I got the 12th bird with the last shell I had. They flew steadily the whole hunt. The rain held off until we were leaving and then it poured. All in all a great day and one for the record books

You guys are having some great hunts — congratulations.