Rights, and Privileges, are not synonymous. We have the Right to Bear Arms. As soon as the Government mandates firearm registration, and permiting, then that Right becomes a Privilege, and may be taken away at our Master's discretion.
This was a SLOW dove shooting year
7 1/2 shot or smaller used
01 Sept 23 11 Doves, Daly 410 3” 7 ˝ reloads
02 Sept 23 13 Doves, Daly 20 gauge
04 Sept 23 15 Doves, Browning Superposed Chisled 20 IC/Mod
05 Sept 23 01 doves, L.C.Smith Q3 (1893) with Briley 20 ga tubes
06 Sept 23 11 Doves, Rem 3200 with 20 gauge barrels
NO HUNT HOT 105 degrees
09 Sept 23 15 doves, Browning Superposed 20 ga IC/Mod LTRK
11 Sept 23 15 doves, Remington 1100 16 gauge with cut barrel no vent
12 Sept 23 03 doves, Superposed 20 4 digit, farmer plowing field
No hunt for three days, wet roads
18 Sept 23 15 doves, Citori 16 gauge
19 Sept 23 8 doves, Zamacola 12 gauge, short hunt,
23 Sept 23 15 doves, Remington 3200 with special barrels
25 Sept 23 10 doves, Bernardelli Gamecock Premier 12 ga, use light ammo
30 Sept 23 10 doves, Rottweil Olympia 12 ga
02 Oct 23 10 doves, GECO 16 gauge WINDY and Cold
03 Oct 23 05 doves, Daly Superior, 20 ga, VERY WINDY
09 Oct 23 06 doves, Amercan Arms Brittany 20 gauge, FEW DOVES
15 Oct 23 00 doves, Liege a Feu 16 gauge, was 32 degrees yesterday
24 Oct 23 00 doves, Citori 12 gauge, NO DOVES, SEASON OVER
163 DOVES
NRA Benefactor 2004 USAF RET 1971-95
I use #7-1/2 shot in my 12 ga but don't use it much anymore for doves. I prefer to hunt doves with my 1100 .410 with 3" shells & 1/2oz or 5/8oz of #6 shot. I find that I get a lot less cripples to chase down. If one or two #6 pellets hit, they usually drop like a rock! JIMHO...
Last edited by pertnear; 04-16-2024 at 07:24 PM.
"I haven't shot a 1,000 deer, but I've sat around a 1,000 Texas camp fires. I'm a happy man." - pertnear
Teal season Runs concurent with dove season here in the second half of September. I used 1oz of steel 6's for teal and dove on a hunt years ago. Soon after It became my go to dove load. Lots of pellets in an ounce of STEEL 6s.
8s or 9s for me. My press shot die said 1 1/4 oz but only held 1 3/16 oz. I used 6s for ducks and pheasants. I haven't hunted much of anything except grouse with a shotgun in quite a while. For grouse its 9s or a 22lr from a Savage 24 in 22/410.
410
Shoot Sporting Clays a couple times a week, mostly sub gauge, 20,28, 410, Quail and doves in FL, AL, TX, OK, SD , ND, Argentina a dozen times, Chile, Paraguay, 10 day trips, South Africa pigeon shooting 14 day trip. A load 7 1/2 shot will break a flying clay at 75 yards and a #9 out to 50. I alway specify 20ga #8s for my trips, and is what ai shoot at the range and on hunting trips for quail and doves. In Dakota in late November, one time, had to go to #4s on the fully filled out winter coat, ditch chickens. Like armor plate, go big or stay home, on late in the season pheasants.
Early on Doves, I shoot my Browning 28ga. Best to have a dog if you use a 28.
In South Africa the day after we got our guns in, I shot 1,750 Rock piegeons in one day with the 32" Ultra XS 20ga. It took three 65 Gal nylon bags to pinck them all up. PH said it looked like a pigeon war had happened on my stand. Gun got so hot you could not tuch the metal, fore arm, was smoking. Millions of pigeons come in to the sunflower harvest in April. We went with Grassland Safaris, a wing and plains game outfit, in Orange State, RSA.
“There is a remedy for all things, save death.“
Cervantes
“Never give up, never quit.”
Robert Rogers
Roger’s Rangers
There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
Will Rogers
When I was young, decades ago, I used a 20 gauge pump with a modified choke. The location I hunted was a huge field that could only be hunted one one side. The dove would feed across the field from us. By the time they flew over/by us the would be out of range of 12 gauge high brass 8’s. Having just one box of 8’s low brass I wouldn’t shoot. My older brother took me to the store with him during the first season one year and bought me a box of 20 gauge high brass duck and pheasant 6’s. Immediately I started hitting what I was shooting at. I never looked back. Ducks and dove but not quail. Number 9’s.
16 ga 7/8 oz#8. handloads smokes'em. shoot where they're goin', not where they've been!
When I hunted doves, it was 6's, quail, I used 7.5's, crows , I used magnum #2's and squirrels were #4's out of a 410.
I prefer 7.5 for doves out to about 40 yards. Really hard to find, and the best for 50 yard dove killin', is #7 shot. I picked up a case a few years ago of some Winchester 1 1/4 oz 3 1/4 dram (so 1220 fps, not 1330 fps) #7 called White Wing or High Wing or something.
I think hunting doves over decoys is super boring and borderline unbearable in the peak of mosquito season. I like to pass shoot them. I like to use dove season as practice for other game birds. There is no satisfaction like putting a 7 foot lead on a 40 yard bird and watching it fold a split second later. Or taking a poke at a 50 yard bird with a 15 foot lead and watching the bird crumple a quarter second later.
With all that said, I got like 5 or 6 cases of Herters #6 for the 16 gauge a few years ago on clearance at Cabelas. I killed a few doves with them this year because there was zero chance I was gonna pay $15 per box for low brass 16 7.5s. Okay I lied - I bought a few boxes and regretted it when they were gone in 2 days because I have lots of paid for ammo at $5.20 a box. The 6s worked fine in my old 311A which is choked tight and tighter.
this was years ago, but i used 12, 16 and 20ga and 7 1/2 was used, but i use #6 if the 7 1/2 were gone. i would not be handicapped with #6s. they are good for dove, woodcocks, quail, grouse, pheasant, rabbit, squirrels, groundhog, foxes, coyotes, crows and turkey. #6s are "everyman's" shot choice.
Prefer #6 in west Texas desert, but often use 7.5.
If I do my part, either works fine.
Salvaging old Marlins is not a pasttime...it's a passion
well truth be told I was good at bagging quail using 12ga #6shot but I could NEVER hit dove.....never as in not ever. Quail(#6) and pheasant (#5) I had great success....but dove, no way. Maybe it was he Sacrament valley heat that affected my aim with dove?
best
atr
Death to every foe and traitor and hurrah, my boys, for freedom !
Works like a champ .
Grumpy Old Man With A Gun....... Do Not Touch !!
Good and clean reclaimed shot will give a good mixture of different sizes.
The sooner I fall behind...the more time I have to catch up with
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |