Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

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?

• What is gun fit? I was doing some research on gun fit and came across this article at shotgunworld.com. It contains an excert from an article in The Caller, from Corpus Christi. I'm positive I couldn't explain it any better, so here it is... Anybody who thinks a new shotgun might be the answer for......
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• Clay Sports Online As of late, I've been running into some fabulous sites about dove hunting and shotgunning on twitter. Today I found ClaySportsOnline. The site is a forum about everything that has to do with shooting clays. Sporting clays, trap, skeet, and much more are all topics you can talk shop about.......

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

• Layla's Progress at 18 Weeks 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......
• TPWD seeking dove leases Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is seeking to lease some more dove land for its public land. Landowners interested can click HERE for more information or call 512/389-4505. This a great opportunity for farmers to make some short term cash. The state generally pays about $5 per acre of land......
• Farmer vs. Lawyer From Field & Stream: Farmer vs. Lawyer joke. (Bird Hunting)  A big city lawyer went duck hunting. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer drove up on......

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.

• Good News for Houston Bird Hunters Of course the tree huggers don't like it, but it looks like some one is going to get to have some fun in Waller. Luckily, Waller is only 20 minutes from my front door, I will be investigating what exactly this means for hunters and will keep everyone posted. From......
• Do Dove Decoys Work Every year I see hunters placing decoys around the dove fields. I've always wondered if they were worth their salt. Let's find out... Ducks, Geese, Turkeys are all susceptible to decoys. With ducks being the most social of the game birds. These flock oriented birds find safety when they spot......
• Layla Learning to Fetch Layla has rapidly became a part of our family. She is spoiled and loved by all four of my boys and my wife. My youngest son, who is 15 months, has a playmate. They fight and play just like siblings. Make no mistake about it though, she is my dog.......

• The Positive Reinforcement Training For Your New Puppy Psychologists have been promoting positive reinforcement as a way to change undesirable behavior to acceptable behavior in humans for some time. The method can be described simply as rewarding behavior that is considered acceptable and ignoring behavior that isn't acceptable. Animal trainers have learned lately that this same method......
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• How to Use Hunting Decoys Learning how to make use of hunting decoys can be a very important part of your hunting experience. Regardless if you are new to hunting, or if you are a seasoned veteran of the fields and forests, learning how to use decoys as part of your hunting can advance things......

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

• 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......
• Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report North Zone Dove: Dove hunters saw fair to good shoots around the Panhandle over cut corn and milo. The region has received rain during the summer so there are plenty of watering holes and playa lakes. Lubbock and fields north of Abilene were good for morning shoots of mourning doves.......
• 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

• 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......
• Effects of Drought on Dove Hunting 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......
• 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......

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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

• Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report Sept. 9th Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February. North Zone Dove: Plowed corn fields along the Red River in Lamar County held limits of mourning doves. Birds are coming into soybeans as well. Clay County hunters set up along treelines in the morning......
• Texas Migratory Bird Report North Zone Dove: Drier conditions have helped dove hunters the past few days. Grain fields of milo and corn continue to produce in the Panhandle north of Amarillo. Mourning doves have been best in the afternoon on the edges of fields. Abilene hunters have had good shoots in sunflowers. Red......
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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......
• TPWD seeking dove leases Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is seeking to lease some more dove land for its public land. Landowners interested can click HERE for more information or call 512/389-4505. This a great opportunity for farmers to make some short term cash. The state generally pays about $5 per acre of land......
• 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......

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Since Layla came in my life, I’ve been told one hundred different ways to train her.

I’ve read articles on positive reinforcement training, clicker training (which is positive reinforcement training with a clicker), negative reinforcement training and everything in between. Hell, last night I read an article that recommended putting your dog in time out for mis-behaving. How does a person know what to do?

I’ve came to a realization, it’s not how you train, it is that you actually train. Whether you want to give your dog treats for good behavior or punish for bad, just do something.

Time is the key. I have four kids, a 50+ hour a week job, a blog, three other dogs, and now Layla. So I have my own time restrictions. It is just like anything though, if it is a priority to you , you will make the time. Here are some tips to finding more time with your puppy.

First of all, we are not talking about hours a day, in my opinion, thirty minutes of concentrated time with your dog will go a long way in the long run.

Get up a little earlier than the rest of your household on the weekends. My family sleeps in to around eight in the morning, so I’ve found getting up around seven is a great time to train. Layla is raring to go in the mornings and having a good hour before everyone is up to spend with her is priceless. I might mention that having a good plan on what you want to work on is vital to making the most of the time you have.

On days that I work, getting up earlier is not an option seeing how I’m off to work at 5:00 A.M., so I make the time as soon as I get home. I greet the family and Layla and we go outside for twenty to thirty minutes to train. My kids and wife usually come out with us so the training isn’t as focused but better than nothing.

Making the training a family affair really helps. If everyone gets to see Layla’s progress then it is easier for them to understand what it is I am doing. The kids are great with her, but it is as important to train them on how to interact with her as her with them. By teaching them to use the same commands and not letting them gorge her with treats, I have four extra trainers.

Layla is already making huge progress in becoming a well minded hunting dog. By following these simple steps, I’ve been able to find time in a very busy schedule and if I (the worst at budgeting time) can do it, so can you.

Dogs are like anything, the more time you put in to them, the more reward you get out of them. When you step out into the field, having put the training time in, and your dog is head and shoulders above the others around, you will have a sense of pride so big your hat won’t fit on your head.

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• 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......
• 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......

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According to Phil Bourjaily of Field & Stream. Phil is a well known writer/gun expert and has some really good points on improving your kill ratio.

I’ve always felt that skeet was a great warm up for dove season. I always start with my shotgun a little lower than most shooters to give the effect of preparing for an incoming dove, bur Phil recommends to start with your shotgun completely dismounted in order to “work on mounting it in synchronization with the speed of the target.”

One point omitted by Phil was that skeet shooting not only improves your fundamentals, but prepares you mentally also. For those of you that have not suffered through a bad round of skeet or an off opening day, there is not much difference. They both suck, tremendously. Learning to put together a complete round of 25 (especially after some early misses) can really toughen your mind up for those misses in the field. Unfortunately, we all can’t be like Kobe Bryant, able to shoot without a conscious. For most of us, developing mental toughness when shotgunning is an acquired skill. Skeet shooting can help you avoid pressing in the field and make for a much more fun and productive hunt.

Phil has some more tips for wingshooters here.

Time to RELOAD!

Dove, Dogs, & Shotguns

• 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......
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• Two Men Struck By Lightning While Skeet Shooting From The Greeley Tribune A Loveland man suffered serious injuries when he was hit by lightning Monday afternoon while skeet shooting east of Lucerne. Josh Renuch, 32, was one of two men injured in the incident shortly after 2 p.m. Monday, said Margie Martinez, spokeswoman for the Weld County Sheriff’s......

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Well, Layla’s growing like a weed. Already weighing in at 22 pounds.

I’ve been trying to mainly use positive reinforcement during all of her training, and believe me, she knows which behaviors call for a treat or other reward.

I try to reinforce basic commands at least twice a day, and fetching at least once a day. I think the progress in tremendous.

If you remember the first training video, it took like five takes to get her to bring the sock back correctly. I’m proud to say that today, it was only one take. Forgive the camera work, as I’m not the best producer (yet).

You can view Layla in action right here.

• 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......
• Skeet Shooting is Best Practice for Dove Hunters According to Phil Bourjaily of Field & Stream. Phil is a well known writer/gun expert and has some really good points on improving your kill ratio. I've always felt that skeet was a great warm up for dove season. I always start with my shotgun a little lower than most shooters to......
• Upland Bird Country Review Recently my brother did a little quail hunting courtesy of the folks at Upland Bird Country. He had a blast and I asked him to write up a review for all you bird hunters who live near Dallas, TX. Thanks bro. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upland Bird Country Review Location: Corsicana, TX (~60 miles......

• Reader Email Makes My Day Last week I got a nice email from a reader that went like this: I just wanted to email you and let you know I think your blog is great!  I just stumbled across it by clicking the link in a comment you made on MyDollarPlan (mainly because I was curious about the......
• How to Really Correct Your Dog [caption id="attachment_59" align="alignleft" width="205" caption="Correcting Behavior"][/caption] When it comes to dog training, perhaps the most overlooked aspect of working with a dog is understanding how to correct it. It takes more than simply knowing the right way to do something; you have to be able to "translate" what you know......
• Learn How to Speak 'Dog' [caption id="attachment_205" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Talk Dog."][/caption]Because dogs work so well with humans and seem to give an understanding eye when it comes to our behaviors, we often forget how little dogs understand. Some people even suspect that their dogs believe themselves to be humans, part of the family! When it......