Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

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 highly productive and allow you to bag many more dove.

In a perfect world, all you would have to do would be, pick a good spot and wait. Sometimes this works, but it is my experience, if you get off the chair and walk with a purpose, you will be much more successful.

A couple of years ago in Donna about the third weekend into the season  I implemented this strategy and had great success. We were hunting on about 200 acres and the dove were flying but I knew we were missing a lot of them.  With  so much area and only three hunters  the dove had too many places to escape. After watching the the patterns the dove were flying my brother and I went for a calculated walk. The field had goat weed and old corn stalks for food. There were cut-outs or strips mowed out about 20 yards wide the width of the field. We noticed that the dove were landing in these cut-outs. My brother started about 50 yards in and headed down the field and I did the same from the other side. This way we covered as much of the field with two shotguns as possible ( Dad was on the other end ready to take out all the dove we pushed his way). The results for all three of us were fabulous. Almost everytime I crossed from the taller brush into the cut-outs two to three white-wings flew from the ground up. For those that don’t know, a dove makes a distinct but short, low pitched, burst of whistles as they take flight (music to my ears). Sometimes this is  the  best  alarm to locate the dove, mount your shotgun and shoot a dove , who is rapidly approaching MACH 1.  As we crossed the field, the dove that we didn’t get a shot on were heading right into Dad’s Beretta. We effectively covered 200 acres with three shotguns, and everyone limited out. By getting up and walking, we kept the dove stirred up, had a blast, and got shots on dove that would have otherwise never been seen. It’s like a combination of quail and dove hunting. The main difference is dove will take flight earlier than quail but a little slower. However, once they get going, they are gone.  Let’s look at some things to remember before you take off walking for dove.

1. Observe and make a plan: Pick your initial spot to hunt and stay there until the morning flights begin to slow, Pay close attention (when not shooting) to where you see dove leaving flight to eat. Make sure you will not be walking into any one’s gun range, this is a common courtesy as well as a safety issue. Once you’ve observed these things, then establish where you will walk and how you can cover the area you will be walking most effectively. If I’m by myself, diagonals are my choice. If I have a partner, parallels are the way to go. Don’t detour from your path (unless looking for downed birds) , as you will feel better about covering the area if you are not walking randomly.
2. Load properly: For me there are two types of walks; test walks, and full blown walks. On a test walk, you are seeking to learn if it’s worth your while to go on a full blown walk. Usually a test walk is straight line out and back. On these walks there is no need to carry a lot of extra weight, just some shells in case you hit pay dirt. Full blown walks are when you’ve decided it is going to be productive, and will be gone awhile. These walks require almost a full load. Bring plenty of shells, it sucks to have to head back early for lack of shells. Also, bring your water bottle and your dog’s water bottle (if there is a difference between the two). In South Texas, lack of water can cripple a good hunt. Mosquito spray may also be a necessity, depending on your location.
3. Be ready: There is a big difference between walking, and hunting while walking. Dove will fly early and if you are not ready you won’t even get a shot worth taking. Keep you finger on the safety and off hand on the forearm of your shotgun. Stay focused and don’t let your dog get very far in front of you as she will spook the dove up out of your gun range. 

Even though sitting in the back of the truck is more comfortable, walking the field is more productive. If you get out in the field you will find a whole new aspect to dove hunting. Walking up dove presents a challenge to even the most expert shotgunner, but it can make for a better dove hunt, even on days when the  hunting is a little slow.

Time to RELOAD!

• Left-Handed Shotguns Left-Hand Shotguns are few and far between. Finding one that has any style can be hard and expensive. I'm in the market for an over-under 20 ga. or 28 ga. and am getting frustrated. I listen to my brother going over all his options and I'm stuck choosing between plain......
• Hunting South Texas I know we have a page to review hunting land, but I figured since this particular land is where we have our Top Gun competition every year, it deserved its very own post.     Since 2003 we've been hunting opening day of the south zone at the Las Palomas WMA in......
• Shooting Fundamentals Shooting Fundamentals        The fundamentals of shooting a shotgun are vital to becoming a successful dove hunter. There are many things that contribute to actually hitting the target. In our previous article about avoiding mental breakdowns we talked about how to keep your mind from getting in the way of......

• Schoenhut Childs 6 String Guitar User Reviews Send this to a friend Schoenhut Childs 6 String Guitar Manufacturer: Schoenhut Piano Co. Inc. Customer Rating: List Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $27.54 Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Now Product Description This Schoenhut 30-inch Acoustic Guitar is a unique introduction to playing for the aspiring......
• Sony W Series Walkman Wireless MP3 Player Review This is going to be a simple, straight forward review of the Sony W Series Walkman MP3. Let me start off by saying that I own an 80 GB Ipod. Working out with that thing is a pain in the butt. Having to continuously make sure it's secure in......
• Mommy-Muse.com™ Favorites: Gonzo Parenting Zine Check out the newest addition to my blogroll!  Gonzo Parenting is a print zine published and edited by one awesome mother of seven, Christina-Marie Wright.  It provides a must-read forum for sharing stories about parenting in the real world.  Four times a year, Gonzo Parenting prints true stories from real moms......