Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

Early July, probably the most boring time for a sports fan and hunter like myself. No football, basketball, dove hunting, or anything else to entertain me on the weekends. I’ve even caught myself trying to get in to soccer, but it’s not working. The best sport on right now is politics, and I can only stand so much of that before I wanna puke. So what’s a person supposed to do? Here are a few tips to help make for a better opening day.

1. Get your dog in shape. Dogs are just like people, if they lay around for a few months, it’s difficult for them to get out and hunt all day. If you’ve ever had your dog lay down on you in the middle of a shoot, it can be frustrating to say the least. Break out the decoy and scent, and get to training. The small investment of time will pay great dividends come opening day.
2. Get yourself in shape. Whatever this means for you. It could mean shooting shape or physical shape, or both. Join a league, shoot, shoot, shoot. This way your dog is not the only one ready to hunt come September.
3. Get your gun in shape. Clean it, if it’s gas operated, soak it the gas cylinder in mineral spirits for 12 hours. Doing this will dramatically decrease the amount of problems you will have in the field.
4. Get your accessories in shape. Things get old,  wear out, or just need to be replenished. Go out and get that new chair, or camo you’ve been needing. Things like bug spray, flashlights, batteries, shells, and other accessories can be purchased ahead of time. By shopping early, you will be more thorough and you will spread the cost out over a period of time instead of one lump sum.
5. Scout. Early season scouting can pay off big time. It may save you some money by stopping you from buying the lease, save you time by not wasting it on opening day false alarming on dragonflies, or make you look like the hero to your hunting buddies.

Off season sucks, make it suck less by preparing for the on season.

• Migratory Bird Report North Zone Dove: Rain showers last week put a damper on the flight, however, between showers doves were good in corn, milo and along treelines. Fields near Paris enjoyed good shoots in harvested corn and soybeans. Amarillo fields of corn and milo hosted steady shoots. Abilene saw half-limits to near-limits......
• Bird dog training (part I) The following is the first article, written by my brother, in a series on how to train your bird dog. Darla. his lab, is an awesome bird dog. He has trained her since she was a puppy. Not only is she awesome hunting dove, she's great hunting quail also. If you've......
• TPWD Scoping Migratory Bird Issues at Public Hearings News Release Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us April 28, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas — In addition to public comment on proposed fee increases and dove hunting seasons, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is inviting input on a series of scoping issues related to migratory game birds during public hearings......

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• Prepare for Elk Season Hunters who enjoy hunting big game get excited when elk season approaches. One way that you can help yourself if you're aiming for a trophy elk or any elk at all is by practicing a great deal long before the season starts. Too many hunters leave the guns and bows......

Joe Cermele has some good points on not blocking your target with your gun. This is a common mistake usually caused by rushing your mount or excessive gun movement. Follow these pointer below and you will use less bad words and break more targets.

A major cause of baffling misses on the range and in the field comes when shooters block their own view of the target with their gun. Your muzzle should always be below the line of the target’s flight. When you have an unobstructed view of the bird and the gun is in your peripheral vision, it’s very simple to focus on the target, see where the muzzle has to go, and put it in the right place. On the other hand, if you hold the gun up in such a way that you block your view of the target even for a moment your eyes will go to the gun, which then stops, causing you to miss over and behind. On crossing and quartering targets, be sure to start your gun below the line of flight.

On birds that go up like springing teal or fly straight away like the one in this picture, you need to start your gun to one side of the target or the other to keep it from blocking your view. Typically, if you are right handed you want to hold your gun to the right of the target’s line of flight, as the shooter in this picture is doing.

Where you start your gun is as important in hunting as it is in target shooting. And, while shot opportunities come quickly and unexpectedly in the field it’s still possible to train yourself to set up for a shot in such a way that the gun doesn’t block the target. If you’re used to carrying your gun safely with the muzzle pointed straight up, try moving it down until it’s almost parallel with the ground and below the target before you mount the gun and shoot. You will find yourself hitting birds you used to mysteriously miss.

• 6 New Texas Dove Leases If anyone has hunted these leases, feel free to leave a review on them. Thanks for posting them, and keep them coming. Below are the details: NAME OF LEASE: Carol Knutson EMAIL: info@muysecoranch.com CONTACT NAME: Carol CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: 830-363-4281 PREFERRED METHOD OF CONTACT: Either LOCATION INCLUDING CLOSEST CITY OR......
• Migratory Bird Report North Zone Dove: Best hunts have been in milo, corn and sunflowers around Abilene, Lubbock and Amarillo, though afternoon rains have limited the flight somewhat. The front forecasted for this week should deposit a new crop of mourning doves to Texas. Hunters around the Red River endured 10-12 inches of......
• A bad mount can ruin your day Mounting your shotgun is vital to successful shooting. It is also vital to being able to shoot numerous rounds. I've found myself with bruises on my shoulder and cheek bone from not placing the gun in the shoulder pocket correctly, or not holding the shotgun tight enough. My article on shooting......

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Bourjaily tried this on his son and he went from 4×25 to 19×25 in trap. I know it’s effective because one time while shooting sporting clays, I got something in my stronger eye and had to shoot with that eye closed the whole round.( Actually, that was how I learned I had a dominance problem).  I usually hovered around the high sixties, low seventies. I busted 86 that day, the best round I ever shot. So, if you are struggling, try this….

From Field & Stream:

Click on the Field & Stream link to read his article.

• Man Fined Over Migratory Bird Treaty From Field & Stream: A Kansas man has been order to pay a fine for beating a Heermann's seagull with a stick at Laguna Beach, Los Angeles. after the gull attacked his wife's ice cream. The $275 fine came after a Fish and Wildlife review of witness statements showed that the......
• How to Find Your Dominant Eye In my readings I found a simple test to determine which eye is your dominant eye. I just found out that I am cross-eye dominant. Damn, no wonder I'm always struggling with my eyes when I shoot skeet or sporting clays. I'm left handed and right eye dominant. Now that......
• New Dove Lease Listing Charlie at the Picosa Ranch has recently listed his dove lease on our free listing service. THANK YOU, Charlie. Our goal at DD&S is to build a free site where hunters can view available listings and read reviews from hunters who have hunted these leases. So Charlie, get some of......

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In my readings I found a simple test to determine which eye is your dominant eye.

I just found out that I am cross-eye dominant. Damn, no wonder I’m always struggling with my eyes when I shoot skeet or sporting clays. I’m left handed and right eye dominant. Now that I know this I can take steps to correct the problem.

Take the test yourself and maybe you will be surprised like I was.

From Field & Stream:

Today we have a test with no wrong answer.

Most introductions to shotgunning begin with the “master eye” test. You hold your arms straight out at eye level, fingers up, palms out, hands overlapping, leaving a small hole between the hands  through which you sight a faraway object. Then you pull your hands back, keeping the object in sight, until they wind up over one eye or the other. That’s your master eye. If you pull your hands back over the other eye, the object you were looking at disappears. You can also keep you arms extended, sight the target with both eyes, then close one eye then the other.  The object will seem to jump sideways out of sight when you close your dominant eye. Try it.

With luck, you will turn out to be right-eyed and right-handed or left-eyed and left-handed. However, you may be cross-dominant — right-handed and left-eyed, for example. The best thing to do is learn to shoot from the dominant eye side. My older son, Gordon,  is left-eyed and right handed. I taught him to shoot left handed from the beginning.

If you don’t want to switch sides, you can shoot with one eye shut, or use a small piece of tape on your shooting glasses positioned so it blocks just enough of your master eye’s vision that the other eye takes over.

I’ve given the master eye test to a lot of new shooters, and I’m learning there is not just right and left eyed dominance. Some people are both-eye dominant or “center dominant.”  My younger son John is center dominant – when he does the eye test his hands wind up over the bridge of his nose, not over one his eyes, but it doesn’t affect his shooting. His friend Nicky, who just joined our high school trap club, is extremely center-dominant. If she puts the gun to her right shoulder, the gun blocks enough of her right eye’s vision that the left eye takes over, vice versa if she tries shooting left handed. The first time she shot I hadn’t figured this out yet, and she broke four targets out of about 100 (she liked shooting and wouldn’t  stop). Next time, I tried making her shoot left handed, but that didn’t work any better than right handed. Then I put a small piece of masking tape over her glasses to block the left eye’s vision,  and she started  pounding targets. Last weekend, her third time shooting a shotgun, she broke a 20×25.

So, how did you all do? “Normal” dominant, cross-dominant or center dominant?

• 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......
• The Three Methods of Obtaining Lead when Shotgunning Whether you are wingshooting or clay shooting, establishing which type of lead shooter you are will improve your consistency and accuracy. There are three methods of obtaining lead on a moving target. The "swing through" method, the "pull ahead" method, and the "sustained lead" method. All of which have there......
• Tips on Starting Kids Out Shotgunning Starting a youngster out with a shotgun can be a great experience for both of you. If you follow a few guidelines, you can help ensure that you pour a solid foundation. A foundation that will be the basis of a lifetime of hunting and shooting. I'm not going to......

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Enjoy the collection of Layla growing up set to Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’.

• Shotgunning Tips I was looking through some past articles on Field & Stream's website site and came across an article with some very good tips on five tough shots for dove hunters. It covers: The Incomer You See Forever The Dove With Its Jets On The Long Crosser The Dove That Comes......
• Save the Bob Whites   Texas' wild quail numbers continue to decline     Its sound is distant as it whistles out its name: Bob-White. but the sound is becoming increasingly muted as the quail population across the state decline.  "The landscape for quail has changed very significantly over the last 40 years," said Dale......
• A bad mount can ruin your day Mounting your shotgun is vital to successful shooting. It is also vital to being able to shoot numerous rounds. I've found myself with bruises on my shoulder and cheek bone from not placing the gun in the shoulder pocket correctly, or not holding the shotgun tight enough. My article on shooting......

Okay, it’s been almost two months since Layla’s last video. I’m no expert trainer, but I am one proud papa. She aims to please. Notice the distance has increased and she has graduated from a toy to a camo decoy.

I spend 15-20 minutes on training a day (or most days) and Layla does the rest. Positive reinforcement has worked well. She has been sitting since she was 7 weeks, retrieving since 8, and actually is hunting the decoy when she loses sight of it.

I think the next step will be using some scent on the decoy. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. For now, I couldn’t ask for a better dog.

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-21 Using positive reinforcement training yo train your hunting dog. http://bit.ly/Zt81d # Tips on Starting Kids Out Hunting http://bit.ly/jdFYt # Just broke 100 followers, THANKS to everyone. # Good night tweeters # An interesting article on dreams http://bit.ly/dWX4Z # 96 pound catfish!! http://bit.ly/Q1ITZ # Just broke 200 followers, THANKS EVERYONE,......
• When To Start Training I'd like to introduce you to Layla. She's six weeks old and I just brought her home two days ago. Soon she'll be retrieving my dove but for now I have to start the training process. Let's face it, at six weeks old her attention span is short and......
• Bird dog training (part I) The following is the first article, written by my brother, in a series on how to train your bird dog. Darla. his lab, is an awesome bird dog. He has trained her since she was a puppy. Not only is she awesome hunting dove, she's great hunting quail also. If you've......

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Blistering heat, dead or failing crops, dead lawns, and burn bans pretty much describe this summer here in Texas. Most say this year’s almost fourteen inch shortfall of rain is a curse, but I say it’s great news for dove hunting. Before you call me crazy, let me explain.

“In my opinion for doves and most avian species, the drought doesn’t affect them,” said Jeff Makemson, a state biologist.

Makemson goes on to say that drought doesn’t necessarily help dove as much as rainy, stormy weather hurts them.

“A dove will typically build a nest in a pine tree about 12 feet off the ground,” Makemson said. “It is a fragile nest that will blow down easily. Storms, heavy rain and wind will affect their nesting success.”

Nesting is critical to hunting success. Especially early in the season, when the population of dove is local birds. Heavy rain and storms limits a dove’s ability to nest and reproduce, therefore populations decline. The later migration of northern dove happens later in the season as cooler northern air forces them south in search of food and shelter.

In short, a good opening day is dependent on local dove populations ability to nest and reproduce. In a drought the mortality rates in nesting dove goes down and the reproduction rates go up. Therefore, populations are higher in a dry season. All this leads to great dove hunting during these years, and this year has all the conditions in place and should be phenomenal.

Another note worthy point about the effect of drought is that the hunting around good watering holes is better. In a wet year the dove can water at any puddle around and will not be found concentrated around large bodies of water. When you take the puddles away it forces them to head to the stock tanks and ponds, playing right into a smart hunter’s sights.

Dove don’t like watering where there is a lot of brush or high grass. They prefer sandy, flat shores with shallow water. In a drought, water levels drop creating perfect watering holes, and perfect hunting spots. Set up a few decoys and have plenty of shells, because you will need them.

My dad loves to get out early in the afternoon hunts, but with record temperatures, you might want to take a little longer nap. Dove will typically enter a field to feed in the afternoon between 3:30 and 4:00 P.M., but when it’s extraordinarily hot they will wait until closer to 5:00 P.M..

Just another way that an effective hunter can maximize his time in the field, spending more time reloading instead of false alarming on dragonflies.

Here’s to good hunting this season!

Time to RELOAD!

Dove, Dogs, & Shotguns

• Another Great Dove Hunt in Dilley The dove were plentiful again this weekend at Mimosa Fams, #2378. In two half day hunts five of us shot close to 100 dove. That's pretty good considering two of the hunters were my sons. Both were on their first real dove hunts. It was pretty awesome having three generations of my family......
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When you think about it, there is a lot of items that need to be accumulated to have a successful dove hunt. I’ve made a checklist to help make sure you don’t forget anything before opening day. Print it, and check it off before you leave, you’ll be happy you did.

• Place to hunt
• Place to stay
• Shotgun
• Spare Shotgun (just in case)
• Ammo
• Gun oil
• Hunting license
• Dog
• Dog kennel
• Electric collar
• Leash
• Dog treats
• Dog’s water bottle & water
• Dog food
• Flashlight
• Camo clothes
• Hunting boots
• Shell bag
• Game bag
• Shooting glasses
• Ear plugs
• Extra clothes
• Snacks for the field
• Water bottle for the field
• Drinks
• Ice
• Cooler for birds
• Cooler for drinks and food
• Mosquito spray
• Suncreen

• 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......
• Getting Started How to get started Dove Hunting A step by step guide to get you in the field! Dove Hunting is a great sport for all ages. Whether you are 12 or 50, it can be rewarding. I started at age 17 and haven't missed an opening day since. As the......
• Texas Migratory Bird Report Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February. North Zone Dove: Wet weather continues to plague the dove flight, making access to fields tough. Muddy roads and soggy fields have not been conducive to hunting. Most of the birds have left the bottoms and staged......

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• Cold Weather Deer Hunting Tips If you're serious about hunting, you're going to end up out in the woods before dawn more often that most people care to think about! And you'll be out there scouting for deer in weather that would send most of us running into our dens with fuzzy slippers and hot......

I can’t believe it is already July 21st. In a little over a month I will be waiting for the sun to come up over a field in North Texas. As my plans get finalized, I thought I would put together a checklist to get you ahead of the pack come opening day.

1. Determine where you are going to hunt. It may be that you go to the same place every year, but if not, make this choice within the next two weeks.
2. Scout, scout, scout. Did I mention scout? Probably the most important item on the list. By beginning early you will allow yourself time to find another lease if your first choice turns out to be a dud. For more tips on scouting go here.
3. Practice. If it has been a while since you shot anything but a coral snake in the front yard (took me three rounds), it would be wise to squeeze in a few rounds of skeet. Shooting skeet works out the bugs that can develop after a few months of inactivity. I might also mention that shooting skeet really gets your engines revving for opening day. For some tips on shotgunning go here.
4. Make the necessary purchases. Things like a hunting license, public land permit, your lease, shells, mosquito spray, shooting glasses, ear plugs, and any new accessories you would like to add to your arsenal. By starting early, you can spread the expenses out over a few pay checks, instead of postponing September’s mortgage payment.
5. Lodging arrangements. Don’t wait to the last minute on this one or else you might be crashing in your pickup. If you are hunting with a dog, make sure where you stay allows them. It can get expensive if they don’t.
6. Exercise fido. If your dog has laid around for eight or ten months, you probably want to break out the old decoy and get him a little exercise before you ask him to go retrieve in the 100 degree weather.
7. Clean your shotgun. For me this is a night before ritual, but it definitely needs to be done. A cleaned and oiled shotgun performs much better than one that hasn’t been taken care of.

If you knock these things out early, all you will have to think about the night before is who is going to get their limit first.

My friends at Impact guns can help you with all your preparations.

Time to RELOAD!

Dove, Dogs, & Shotguns

• 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......
• Time to Gear Up !! With 84 days until the 2010 dove season, it's time to inspect your geat and begin to make any purchases needed before the season. So I thought I'd make a blog post of my findings. First up for me is a shell/field bag. Currently, I'm using a 3 pouched belt......
• Only in Texas .... Apparently some of the people moving out to the country are surprised during dove season. I came across this article from WFAA, and couldn't help but see some humor in it. Lori Castoldi awoke last week to the sound of gunshots near her Prosper home.      "It was all around......

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Whether you are wingshooting or clay shooting, establishing which type of lead shooter you are will improve your consistency and accuracy.

There are three methods of obtaining lead on a moving target. The “swing through” method, the “pull ahead” method, and the “sustained lead” method. All of which have there advantages and disadvantages. Let’s examine the three.

A “swing through” shooter allows the target to pass the barrel of the shotgun and follows the target until just before pulling the trigger accelerates the barrel past the target, generating the lead. When you hear people coaching “follow through” when shooting, this is the method they are teaching. Much like a golfer or a bowler, even after pulling the trigger, the shooter continues his swing until the target breaks(or not).

I am a “swing through” shooter. I do not see lead, as most “swing through” shooters don’t. Of course this is only perceived, as there is a lead on any moving target, especially crossing shots. By following behind the target and then firing as the barrel moves past the target it gives the shooter the perception of shooting directly at the target. I like this fact because trying to maintain a lead for me seems unnatural.

Critics of “swing through” state that this method puts the shooter behind from the beginning and forces the shooter to wait until the last minute to obtain the proper lead. I find it can cause for “riding” a target too long which makes the shot more difficult and puts me out of position for the next shot.

Next, we have the “pull ahead” method. In my opinion, this is very similar to the “swing through” method. The main difference being that with the “pull ahead” method the shooter points the barrel directly at the target and moves with the target until time to shoot, the shooter then “pulls ahead” of the target to obtain lead and fires. Where in the “swing through” method the shooter trails the target.

Many experts believe this helps to solve the most difficult aspects of shotgunning, target speed and direction. By pointing at the target your brain automatically calculates these variables, enabling you to accurately decide the proper lead.

The third method is the “sustained lead” method. Preferred by many target shooters, “sustained lead” matches gun speed with target speed but instead of pointing at the target, the shooter stays in front of the target at all times.

The idea here is the shooter always stays ahead of the target and is in the right positiion longer, giving the shooter a better chance of hitting the target earlier and more consistently. I’ve also heard this type of shotgunnng referred to as “window shooting”. Basically the shooter leads the target to a particular “window” or predetermined spot and fires.

If I had a recommendation for a beginner it would be the “sustained lead” method. This method teaches to obtain the proper lead early and gives the shooter the most control over each shot. Also, when shooting doubles, it allows for early breaks on the first target , leaving ample time to locate and break the second target.

As for me, I’ve been “swinging through” for years and trying to change that would be like trying to make myself right handed, just not going to happen.

Which ever method you prefer, stick to it and be consistent

I’d love to hear from you which method you prefer, leave a comment and I’ll post the results in a later post.

Time to RELOAD!

Dove, Dogs, & Shotguns

• And the Season Begins Today, in central and north Texas, thousands of hopeful dove hunters seek to bag their 15 dove. Stores like Academy and Bass Pro have pallets of shells and dove decoys on the floor seeking to entice last minute buyers and me I'm stuck at work. A mild cool front set......
• Only in Texas .... Apparently some of the people moving out to the country are surprised during dove season. I came across this article from WFAA, and couldn't help but see some humor in it. Lori Castoldi awoke last week to the sound of gunshots near her Prosper home.      "It was all around......
• A Disgrace to Hunters If you haven't seen the following video, let me warn you, what you are a about to watch contains graphic images of stupidity. These guys are dumbasses and probably couldn't hit a low flying airplane with a shotgun, so they shoot sitting ducks with semi-automatic rifles. They need to be......

• To Advertise or Not to Advertise? When it comes to creating and writing in a blog, one of the most important questions that a lot of first time bloggers find themselves asking is whether or not they should do any advertising. The truth is, there is never really a situation where advertising is bad, as long......
• 1 Big Advantage And 1 Big Disadvantage Of Multi-Level Marketing Social media has gotten me taking a closer look at multi-level marketing. Having done that I have come to the following conclusion. There is one big advantage and one big disadvantage of starting a network marketing business today. The big advantage I am talking about is how you can easily......
• Foreign Exchange Trading: The IvyBot Trading Program If you are involved into such well-known currency trading market as Forex you most likely have heard about various automated systems and robots. The IvyBot trading program is one of such programs. This robot is one of the most popular automated systems of 2009 in currency trading sphere. The robot......