dove hunting

[j74snook 0]

dove season opened up saturday and i went for the first time and found out it is exspesive if you miss as much as i did. :wallbash: I was using my 12 guage with a modified choke and 7/8 ounce super speed game loads. Let me tell ya they fly faster than you think. Out of 50 shells I got 8 birds. Lots of fun but seems to be like im doing something wrong. I think I should switck to an improved cylinder choke. Any suggestions?

thanks j74snook :gunsmilie:

[Fred H. 0]

The first thing I would do is pattern your shotgun. Set a newspaper with a dove drawn on it and place it at a distance that would be the same as what most of your shots were this weekend. Put your bead on the tip of the dove's nose and fire. Then take a marker and mark where your shot went thru the paper. This will show you where your shot is going or if you have any holes in your pattern. You can also try with improved cyl. To see what works best.

[bigdewy 0]

Take a bigger lead and be sure to follow through.

[iso18 0]

what fred said and use the same shells you pattern with to hunt with.Also,its really like duck hunting if u think about it,stay hidden and pick a marker in the field,tree,fence,etc,make sure it is an effective range you r comfortable shooting.If the birds r past the mark,let them pass...PICK ONE BIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!and concentrate on that bird only,don't flock shoot,i know its hard not to,but when u start concentrating on 1 bird,your shots to bird ratio will improve dramatically.one last thing,,when there in effective range,bring your gun up in one fluid motion,swing through the bird,the instant you dont see it any more,BOOM.atfer the boom,your gun should still be moving the direction the bird was flying.

hope this helps

shane

[j74snook 0]

Thanks guys. I am an avid deer hunter so i guess i got cocky and thought I could just jump in to dove hunting. I will pattern my shot this weekend and iso thanks for follow through tip cause I did not follow through at all. thanks guys for the tips.

[DrVette 0]

Do what i use to do... Let all the other guys head out in the fields while you lay back behind some cover under dead trees. When they land in the tree from running from the other guys(they do that to watch where the hunters are going) nail em 2-3 per shot. It works pretty good around here. Other than that... just accept that they can turn faster than you can squeeze the trigger.

I just didn't like dove all that much considering the work and all the missed shots so i haven't been since the day i figured out that strategy. It was my fourth time and only the second i actually saw any in range.

The truth is i haven't shot a gun in 10-15 years now...I wonder if the birds have wized-up???

[Fred H. 0]

Dove season has changed here in SW La. over the past few years with many hunters getting together and planting large legal plots of sunflowers and millet. Its usually one hot and heavy weekend and then everyone seems to forget about them and move on to other pursuits. But it is still a good way to introduce a young hunter or young dog to hunting . A low key event with plenty of time to socialize and catch up on fishing stories. And you know us cajuns , we don't do anything without food.It would'nt be a dove hunt if you didn't see a trailer sized bar-b-que pit and a couple of older men tending the cooking while telling everybody how many more doves there use to be.

[DrVette 0]

But it is still a good way to introduce a young hunter or young dog to hunting . A low key event with plenty of time to socialize and catch up on fishing stories. And you know us cajuns , we don't do anything without food.It would'nt be a dove hunt if you didn't see a trailer sized bar-b-que pit and a couple of older men tending the cooking while telling everybody how many more doves there use to be.

 

Now if they did it like that around here i would still be showing up even if i didn't hunt!

The truth is that almost no-one hunts them around here any-more so we have a lot more than we use to. The group that sits around the middle of the intersection down the road gets bigger and bigger each year.... even with the road kills.

[phishtales 0]

A few practice rounds of skeet couldn't hurt. When I lived in Texas, I'd hit the skeet range a couple of times just before dove season. Made a huge difference.

 

Phishtales

[Old Hat 0]

Mourning Dove have wonderful sulfer and dun soft hackle fibers and I rarely see them on flies.