Dove Hunting

[TX.shotgun01]

It's that time again, time to get the old shotgun out and load up some shells. I load and shoot 12ga and 20ga, what do a lot of you guys load and shoot for dove

[Hogtamer]

1 1/8 oz #8 shot over 19.5 grn CLAYS , IC for 12 ga. 1 oz in 20 ga, MOd choke. Can't wait!

[longusmc]

1 1/4 oz #7.5 shot over a charge of Longshot with Mod choke for 12GA and 1 oz # 7.5 shot over a charge of Longshot with Mod choke for 20GA.

[beagle]

Got three 870s and 500 rounds for each. 12, 20 and 28 gauge. 1 1/8-7 1/2s in the 12. 1 oz 7 1/2s in the 20 and 3/4 of 8 1/2s in the 28.

The millet/sunflower feed patch has been bush hogged and is attracting birds. Hard to wait for me too.......

Me and the boys at the Marathon have been holding dove hunting meetings all summer. With late silage corn this year, it will be feed patches at the start but the good news is that we have about six between us./beagle

[NSP64]

fastest 7/8 oz load.
I quit hunting dove when they started requiring steel shot.

#6's

[W.R.Buchanan]

I'm shooting my .410 O/U with 1/2oz of #9 shot over 16.3 gr of H110 or simply my skeet load, probably will swap in my full and modified choke tubes.

This is all contingent on finding place to shoot.

If I can't find a farm to shoot at I will get my limit in my front yard with my pellet gun.

Getting harder and harder to find a good place to shoot out here as more and more farmers start to turn away from hunting.

Just another effect of our liberal society in action.

Randy

[beagle]

Well fellers, the day's finally here. Couple of inches of rain last night and that will make things better I'm thinking. Checked the food plot last night and maybe 75 in it then. Checks of local feed plots indicated more or less in them. Maybe we'll get them moving around. No silage chopped yet...too green. That's for later. Guns and ammo are packed and vests are laid out. After church, we'll go see what we can do.
Good luck to everyone and be safe./beagle

[beagle]

We had the same problem here but those of us that own a little property have kinda pooled together and planted feed plots and will share the hunting with the rest and friends. With a little negotiation, you'll be surprised what you can get together./beagle

I'm shooting my .410 O/U with 1/2oz of #9 shot over 16.3 gr of H110 or simply my skeet load, probably will swap in my full and modified choke tubes.

This is all contingent on finding place to shoot.

If I can't find a farm to shoot at I will get my limit in my front yard with my pellet gun.

Getting harder and harder to find a good place to shoot out here as more and more farmers start to turn away from hunting.

Just another effect of our liberal society in action.

Randy

[mtgrs737]

1200 fps trap loads work just fine for me. I like 1 1/8 oz. of 7.5 shot as it hits harder at unknown ranges because I don't like popping heads off if I can help it.

Win AA or Remington STS, Nitro 27, or Gun Club hull, WW 209 primer, 20 grs. of Alliant Green Dot powder, Win. AA12 or Clone wad, and that 1 1/8 oz. of lead shot. Center them in the pattern and they don't know what hit them.

[Firebricker]

I went to the opening day on public land planted with sun flowers. It's always crowded but still a ton of fun. The doves weren't as thick as other years but still not bad. I went with about 8 or 10 guys and we averaged about 8 apiece. On opening day you are usually going to be checked by the DNR on your way out. I was the only reloader out of my group so the guys gave me the hulls I had room for which was a five gallon bucket. The officer had a sense of humour when he saw my six doves and the bucket of empties he said looks like you had to shoot at a few of them twice. I looked at him and said "you know I'm certain my scopes off" that gave him a laugh. It's nice to see friendly officers out in the field. FB

[W.R.Buchanan]

I don't think a Fish and Game Warden should be anything but friendly. They have a job to do and in most cases people treat them with respect.

I'm not saying they should be complacent, because there is also the bad ones they must deal with, and they are usually alone, so being able to go from nice to "whatever it takes" is something they should be able to deal with.

I once had two of them approaching me just as a three bird flight approached me. I turned away from them and dropped all three birds in between us. The A5's bolt was locked open and the older F&G guy said "I guess we don't have to check for a plug." I said, no it's in there, and as I walked up to pick up the birds which were within 10 feet of each other the other officer, a female, said "Nice shooting."

This is the kind of guys I want to see in the field.

Randy

[Firebricker]

Randy, I think most of the time you hear bad things about the game wardens it comes from somebody caught violating the regs. I was kind of surprised because this officer was alone usually on the dove opener they are in pairs but the one checking us on the way out was alone. And their usually is one posed as a hunter. The ones posed as hunters are usually looking for shooting before legal time and blatant safety issues.

One thing I noticed I didn't care for was a guy unloading his shotgun as he waited his turn to be checked and didn't seem real concerned about the muzzle while he did. I don't think it's illegal but bad judgement either way. It's a long walk out and you are walking through a hunting area but most guys (including the one in question) have a gun bucket or back pack so safely putting everything down getting away from others and dropping the suicidal dove that gives you that much time seems unlikely.

I enjoy the dove hunting because it's one of the few time you can go with friends be able to move around talk and still have a successful hunt. FB

[AricTheRed]

All,

My Pop and I drove from Southern California out to Tucson on 8/30, Scouted with a buddy and the three of us tuned up with a couple o boxes of hand thrown clays on Sat 8/31. Then we shot Sunday morning in Marana (Seven of us), and again Monday in Eloy. Everyone limited out Sunday morning (which in AZ is any combined number of Mourning and White-wing up to ten) as the spot we were at is a little tight with brush and trees so a bunch of fast, short shooting. BBQ Sunday night! Monday in Eloy was a much more open area just trees there next to the stubbble fields, so many more longer shots. My Pop and I limited out in a bout an hour but everyone else of the group (four other hunters) had at most 3 birds a piece when we started our drive back to CA. Those longer shots were really fooling them, plus some of the birds were hit but not hard and would glide a ways before landing and possiby be coyote chow that night if we couldn't find them.

Most folks here in California think we are crazy driving 6 1/2 hours to meet some friends to shoot 10 or so of the avian symbol of love and peace and BBQ them every day. I think they are crazy for not wanting to.

Next year we are going to do a full 3-day hunt with our buddies in Tucson. Opening day is on a Monday, so it should be a little lighter on hunters. Would be nice to get together with some board members if anyone is interested next year.

AricTheRed

[Hogtamer]

Opening day here yesterday, shot in 100 acre corn field with about 40 other guys. Smoked doves for Sunday supper, my all time favorite. Reloaded #9s, 1 1/8 oz, over 19.5 grn CLAYS did the job as always. Also killed a nice hog Wed. with my recurve bow, so got some sausage to make this afternoon. Life gets especially good this time of the year!

[hicard]

I tried my new Beretta O/U 28 ga 686 Onyx Pro this year and fell in love with it. I may never try anything else.

[45 Bravo]

Ok, I am a little different.


I shoot 70gr (by volume) of 2F Goex black powder, topped with 2 homemade lubed cardboard wads, and an equal volume of #6 shot topped with a cardboard wad cut from a shoe box.

Fired by a number 11 percussion cap.

Left barrel cylinder bore, right barrel modified choke.

45 Bravo

[waksupi]

Ok, I am a little different.


I shoot 70gr (by volume) of 2F Goex black powder, topped with 2 homemade lubed cardboard wads, and an equal volume of #6 shot topped with a cardboard wad cut from a shoe box.

Fired by a number 11 percussion cap.

Left barrel cylinder bore, right barrel modified choke.

45 Bravo

Pretty hard to beat that. I use a bit more shot than powder volume, get good patterns to 35 yards.