killing doves and shot size

[Chris Robenalt]

Good job Jerry! I posted this earlier, but my buddy and I shot 410 on Labor Day. We each shot less than a box of AA 2 1/2 #9, 1200FPS. No lost birds, I even shot a couple Eurasions. Something about a 1/2 ounce of #9 or #10 that gives us the perfect recipe for bringing these critters down. These loads are deadly year around. I'm going to do an Eurasion only hunt here in a couple weeks with 410.

[J. A. EARLY]

Originally Posted by Chris Robenalt

Good job Jerry! I posted this earlier, but my buddy and I shot 410 on Labor Day. We each shot less than a box of AA 2 1/2 #9, 1200FPS. No lost birds, I even shot a couple Eurasions. Something about a 1/2 ounce of #9 or #10 that gives us the perfect recipe for bringing these critters down. These loads are deadly year around. I'm going to do an Eurasion only hunt here in a couple weeks with 410.

Chris,

I also use a .410 in a skeet gun with 9s or a 28 with 8.5 if it is opening day and there are lots of stupid young doves flying like crazy and coming in close. Use the smaller shot because not enough 7.5 or 8 for good patterns at 25 or 30. I've even killed my limit with the 1/2 ounce 9s in January when it was so cold one could not stand it and the doves were flying like crazy to decoys. But now they are flying like jets over the freshly shelled cornfields and I don't want to cripple them so I have stepped up the gauge and load to a gun that reaches out to thirty-five yards, sometimes a little more. Going again in the morning as it is cold now and the birds (all males) are here in good numbers. We can hunt until October 27. Then two more seasons later. We have nothing but Mourning Doves here.