Hunting House » Hunting Clothes » Dove hunting strategies
Dove hunting strategies
Question:
>Anybody have any tips for hunting dove? We found a couple of nice >fields where there is sorghum planted. We can either walk between rows >or set up near the trees (some pine, some hardwoods) and wait. Does >anybody use decoys or a dove call? I don’t know how popular either one >of these items is, so I thought I would ask. >First time for me and my boy.
1. Get in some practice at a skeet range. You’ll need it when a dove suddenly blasts out from behind a tree at 50mph. 2. Dove generally fly over "landmarks." If there’s a single tree on an empty fenceline, they’ll fly over it. Or a change in the terrain, whatever, something that "stands out" in some way. 3. Try to get still, and wear camo or dull brown clothes. Don’t wave your gun around like a flagpole. Dove get pretty jumpy after they’ve been shot at for a couple of weeks, and if they see something moving up ahead, they’ll detour around it. 4. Forget dove calls, but decoys can be reassuring to spooky dove. 5. Best times to hunt are the first and last 3 hours of the day. In the mornings, they’re mostly on the way to feed. In the evening, they’re on their way home, with a quick stop at a water hole. There’s one exception to this: If they’re spending the day feeding, sometimes they’ll roost in a neaby tree, "taking a break" in midday. This is usually in trees along a fence line bordering a feeding area. Watch them a long distance and see. You can walk down the fenceline and the doves will shoot out of the trees in front of you.. Lastly.. dove hunting can be VERY dangerous, especially with a kid. Doves fly so fast, sometimes in a big loop right around you, it’s VERY easy for a novice, caught up in the heart-attack excitement, to swing his gun right into you and blow your head off. It happens all the time. Good luck! Ron M. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
—– Original Message —– Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 6:46 PM > Anybody have any tips for hunting dove?
SNIP Doves readily come to decoys and calls. Try to get the decoys up high, and visable. A call works wonders at times. I’ve had them come to me after other guys have shot at them. Practice, and listen to the wild calls. Doves usually head for food plots first thing in the morning, then alternate between gravel pits, water sources, and food. Their last stop in the evening is usually for grit and water, then they head for their roost in evergreen trees. If you find the right spot, you can get some fast ‘pass’ shooting at the end of the day. Always be aware of other hunters, when hunting fields. NEVER take low shots! Have fun, and keep safe! Bob Without the Second Amendment, how will we keep the others? Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Michels asksk: Anybody have any tips for hunting dove? We found a couple of nice fields where there is sorghum planted. We can either walk between rows or set up near the trees (some pine, some hardwoods) and wait. Does anybody use decoys or a dove call? I don’t know how popular either one of these items is, so I thought I would ask. I would "set up" and let the birds come to me. You can jump-shoot doves, but unlike quail, doves usually flush out of shotgun range. Both decoys and calls are effective, particularly decoys. You’ll also probably get a lot better shooting once that sorghum field is harvested. Good luck with what I personnaly think is the finest wing shooting there is. Dave LeGrande YOU’RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today – there’s no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
>Boy that strategy would never work around here (Virginia) other than >maybe about the first hour or so on opening day! Every dove hunter I >know (at least the successful ones) seems to opt for full camo and as >much concealment as possible. >Dave LeGrande
Same here in central Texas. These dove get VERY jumpy after the first week of the season. What they’ll do is sit in a tree or bush and watch an area 200-400 yards in front of them, and if they don’t see anything moving, they’ll go ahead and come in. If they see something moving, however, they’ll turn 90 degrees, and you’ve got a dove hunter whining, "jeez, I saw a bunch of dove, but they were too far away!" Camo is really necessary, but you need dull clothes. Browns, grays, old blue jeans can be ok. Stay away from bright red or bright blue. Don’t sit out there with a bright red ice chest or a chair with a shiny metal frame (I spray-painted an aluminum lawn chair in dark earth colors, as well as the little ice chest I keep the dead dove in). And, of course, don’t move around or wave your gun around like a flagpole. A cluster of decoys can be helpful, also. Clip groups of dove decoys on a bush or rock several feet off the ground, in plain view, and when they dove see them from a distance, they’ll assume "the coast is clear" and come in. Ron M. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
decoys work but there are a couple of rules dove always face the wind so they can get airborne quickly- they need to be placed on a fence line or in the lower limbs of a tree that has limbs with no leaves- they should usually be grouped, at least two very close to each other the best thing to do is go to the field and watch the birds and how they move, they will pattern themselves- usually fly at some kind of structural change tallest tree- tallest hill- tree line- that sort of thing Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
John Robbins wrote (snipped): If you know the flight patterns, you can wear bright orange and stand in full view in an open field and still do well. Boy that strategy would never work around here (Virginia) other than maybe about the first hour or so on opening day! Every dove hunter I know (at least the successful ones) seems to opt for full camo and as much concealment as possible. Dave LeGrande YOU’RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today – there’s no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Few tips: 1. Scout: flight patterns vary year to year. Not to discourage you, but this is best done prior to opening day (I’m assuming this has past in your region). 2. Go opening day, or opening weekend. Although it will be crowded, there is no substitute for the number of dove on opening day, not yet conditioned to being shot at, etc…. 3. Look for water tanks, and/or agricultural terrain. We’ve had good luck well into the season going to more remote areas around water tanks. The less visited, the better your chances. This includes the late season (afternoon dove hunt – Nov. I believe). I’ve never heard of anyone use dove calls, or even having to hide much. If you know the flight patterns, you can wear bright orange and stand in full view in an open field and still do well … not that I would recommend it. You can always plan early for next year 
John, AZ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Anybody have any tips for hunting dove? We found a couple of nice > fields where there is sorghum planted. We can either walk between rows > or set up near the trees (some pine, some hardwoods) and wait. Does > anybody use decoys or a dove call? I don’t know how popular either one > of these items is, so I thought I would ask. > First time for me and my boy. > Before you buy. > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Anybody have any tips for hunting dove? We found a couple of nice fields where there is sorghum planted. We can either walk between rows or set up near the trees (some pine, some hardwoods) and wait. Does anybody use decoys or a dove call? I don’t know how popular either one of these items is, so I thought I would ask. First time for me and my boy. Before you buy. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/