doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Dove Hunting 101

Last year, after a 58 year hiatus and only for the second year ever, Ontario had a dove season. I didn't try for any.

This year I'd like to give it a go. And seeing as dove hunting is on so many of your minds, and there is no historical dove hunting lore up here, I am hoping a few of you might provide a bit of dove hunting basics. Theory and Practice.

Included in the regs is non toxic shot only, so any thoughts on steel for this particular bird would be appreciated. I hate steel but at $4 a shell, Kent Tungsten is going to add up fast.

James, most important, you need to find a field that that the doves feed in. Typically, a fully or partially harvested grain or legume field--corn, peanut, soybean, millet, sorghum, wheat, sunflower, etc, is what you'll need. The ground should be mostly weed free or the doves can't reach the feed on the ground. The birds tend to fly better later in the day on a clear, hot day. Early morning shoots can be barn-burners. If allowed, be there in the dark and wait. The hunt can be fast and furious in the morning and over quickly. You'll also need enough hunters to cover the field so that they don't fly down to one end without being shot. If you can scout the field, you can determine the "fly-way". If there is a powerline in the field, birds will often fly to it or bare-limbed trees before landing to feed. The birds tend to shy from motion so there is a lateral transfer of duck hunting skills. They will decoy to clip on decoys on bare limbs. Mojos work great. They work better if up about 10-12' otherwise they will tend to fly in low to a Mojo on the factory supplied stake. Safety: Low birds and those that shoot at them are the bane of dove hunting. Wear shooting glasses. If one can't see sky between the tree line or nearby cornstalks if hunting in a cornfield, the bird is too low. I'd use #7 steel in an open-choked gun if forced to use steel. Good luck and bring plenty of shells.

Steel 7's, which many now use to shoot trap, will work well for Doves. See if any local trap clubs have them for sale. If so they will be your cheapest option. Open chokes and certainly with steel work well. I like pass shooting doves better than shooting them in a feeding field or returning to their roost. But I have done them all and freely admit that fields are more dependable, roost shoots tend to be fast frantic affairs and finding places for long passing shots with ease of recovery often very hard to find at all. I shoot more birds with 20-28 ga early but do use a 12 for late season birds.

A couple of Mojo dove decoys will work wonders. I have had the dove land within two feet of the MoJo decoy. Unfortunately my shooting student Joe Wood frequently gets mixed up and shoots the decoy.

Link to Mojo dove decoy at Cabelas

At $4.00 a shell I would not shoot many shells! Bobby

Thanks for the info guys. None of my older guns have what I would consider chokes open enough to run steel through them. So I think I will be using the Citori 16 gauge.

Mike, I'll check out Cabelas to see if they have those up here. Too bad, I just drove by Cabelas yesterday afternoon. I suspect their dove section will be small.


Gil & Jon, thanks. That's just the kind of info I was hoping for. We'll have to see how my Llewellin, Scout, takes to retrieving doves!

Lol, Bobby, it makes one want to be sure before pulling the trigger.

Rio makes a 12 ga one ounce load that should be fine for doves. Retail for about $8.00 a box or 80.00 a flat. I would look for them first. 16 ga steel will be harder and more costly to find I think.

Mojo decoys are great but they tend to cause doves to fly down near the ground. Sounds like a good thing until someone shoots a a few of those low flying doves. Nasty comments about parents and family back grounds often result. I place two of them on 15 foot high poles in a natural vee in a hedgerow. Draws birds into a field and keeps them high for safe shooting. Did have one male try to mate with one two years ago. The decoy did not stop spinning her wings so nothing happened.

How about less than $7 for 25 rounds?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Winchester-Xpert-12GA-Steel-Shot/16817277

Cabela's
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Winchester-reg-Xpert-Steel-Game-Target-Shotshells-Per-Case/706168.uts

James, I think scout, scout, and scout as much as you can. I don't know what your neck of the woods looks like, but it may look different than the southern US. Roosts may be a good option, if there're a lot ag fields cleared in your area. Look for a gnarly hardwood stand off by itself and see if the birds dump in during the last hour or two of light to overnight. They can concentrate a lot of birds in a short time if your area has them spread out with a lot of food sources. Better take a gun that'll shoot steel, or break open the piggy bank.