Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

Do you miss a lot? Have you ever wondered what the difference between a Modified cylinder and an Improved Cylinder is? What about the difference between a 7.5 or 8 shot load? All these questions can be answered with a couple of boxes of shells, some paper, and time. Patterning a shotgun can be very valuable to any bird hunter. Let’s look at how.

First off let’s be clear, I’m not trying to show you how to pattern for gun fit, I’m trying to help you identify how to make your gun, as it is, the most effective when dove hunting.

1. Get set up: Find a place that you can shoot without being pressed for time. Acquire some 4′x4′ poster board or sheets of paper (no less than 40″ squares) and put one on a sheet of plywood for a backstop. Make sure to bring the chokes and shells for the type of game you will be patterning for. Set yourself up at a distance that you normally shoot from. For dove, probably 20-25 yards will be your best bet.
2. Start Shooting: Unfortunately, you can’t do this by shooting one time with each variation and think you are done. You can shoot the same choke and same load five times and each will be different, but there will be significant patterns to pay attention to. Label each shot and mark the area where the pellets are most concentrated and then draw a large circle around the rest of the pattern (12-15 inch radius depending on how tight a pattern you are shooting). Shoot at least four to five times for each variation you wish to evaluate, i.e. four shots with modified 8 shot , modified 7.5 shot etc. etc. After you’ve wore out the plywood, it’s time to study the results.
3. Evaluate: As you begin to look at these pieces of paper look for consistency. Everyone will be a little different but there wiil be patterns in each variation. Imagine or make an outline of a dove a put it inside the circle in various places to see if you have places that would have only landed one or two pellets or  missed completely. If so, use smaller shot, or a heavier load. When looking at the difference between chokes, pay attention to how deadly the pattern is on outer quadrants. Chokes can go bad. If you notice a significant void in the same area of the shot, shoot a few more times to be sure. If it’s still there, replace the choke. Better to replace the choke than miss the dove and start the mental war that comes with missing. For more on shooting, click here

I know. this sounds like loads of fun, yeah right. However, you might thank me on the next hunt if you find a problem before you go. Knowing how your gun shoots is vital to being consistent in field.

 Time to RELOAD!

• Dove Hunting - It's More Than a Sport On our first trip to South Texas dove hunting my dad, brother, and I had a hair-brained idea to head south at 8:00 P.M.. The plan was to make the six hour drive, get four or five hours of sleep and hit the field for the morning hunt. Let's just......
• Finding Good Dove Leases - Easier Said Than Done There are hundreds of dove leases advertised on the Internet and in newspapers. Just about everyone tells you that they have the best dove hunting in Texas. How do you know which ones actually have dove on them? IF you have a large bank account and can afford to hunt on......
• Walking the field Perhaps my favorite way to hunt dove is to walk the field for those dove that  have lighted in the field. Of course, if you are in a big shoot with many other shotguns, you can't do this for obvious safety reasons.  However, later in the season this method can be......

• How to Load Your Own Shotgun Shell Hunters and sportsmen alike that would like to save money should look into reloading their own shotgun shells. Not only can shell loading be a hobby within a hobby, it will also give the hunter or sportsman a chance to make their own custom shells to match whatever game or......
• 'Who Do You Think You Are Bidding, Mr eBay? 'Who Do You Think You Are Bidding, Mr eBay?' Auction site eBay has backed down after banning the sale of a rare Dad's Army board game for promoting "hatred" and "racial intolerance". The game, originally released in the mid-70s at the height of the much-loved TV series' popularity, was deemed......
• Understanding what Birdshot Is Birdshot can be described as a type of metal shot that was designed to be packed into shotgun shells. Birdshot consists of a number of metal spheres that are milled so that they are all the same size, and so that they can be easily packed together into a shotgun......