Dove hunting.

[66chevelle]

I hav been seeing dove all over my yard for a few weeks and decide I was going to try. Well I walked outside and sat in the chair. 5 minutes later a dove flew over and I shot it. My first though was heck this is easy. I have been sitting here now for 2 hours and killed 5 birds. But I have shot 18 shells now.

 

[dekeshooter]

Doves look east until it’s time to pull the trigger. Mrs. dekeshooter and I shot doves at Mississenewa yesterday. We both went through our allotted shells but it took us right up to the end of shooting hours to do it. I killed 14 and she killed 9. We both lost one cripple apiece. Our bird/shell fired ratio was a lot better a few years back when we were both shooting 3000+ sporting clays targets a year but it’s still some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

I’ve been chasing those little gray rockets for better than 25 years and September first is a holiday in our household.

 

[snapping turtle]

“Maybe I’m just like my mother”
“She’s never satisfied “

Just thinking about this song when I dove hunt.

 

[66chevelle]

Doves look east until it’s time to pull the trigger. Mrs. dekeshooter and I shot doves at Mississenewa yesterday. We both went through our allotted shells but it took us right up to the end of shooting hours to do it. I killed 14 and she killed 9. We both lost one cripple apiece. Our bird/shell fired ratio was a lot better a few years back when we were both shooting 3000+ sporting clays targets a year but it’s still some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

I’ve been chasing those little gray rockets for better than 25 years and September first is a holiday in our household.

Yea i had a lot of fun. I shot 7 birds total. Most were from 7:30-10ish. From 10:30-11:30 I only had 2 birds fly over. Do you find morning hunting is better then evening hunting? Like I said I am new to this so I’m going to try tonight but I was just curious.

 

[Magyars]

5 birds out of 18 rou do sound about right to me.
Doves are hi speed acrobats

 

[ghuns]

We don't hit 'em hard around here until farmers start cutting corn for silage.

Saw a few test cuts this week, but nobody chopping down whole fields yet.

 

[66chevelle]

5 birds out of 18 rou do sound about right to me.
Doves are hi speed acrobats

I ended up shooting 25 rounds and killed 7 doves. I thought that was bad till I read an article that said the average is 5-7 shots per bird.
What choke do you use? I was using a 28” barrel fixed full choke.

 

[Winamac]

If I may ask? Did anyone get drawn for and hunt the Winamac FWA dove hunt? If so how was it? Just curious. Thanks.

 

[BigRed]

I was using a 28” barrel fixed full choke.

You like a challenge!

 

[Hookeye]

Back when lead was legal on strate ground I ran an 1100 magnum or 1100 Trap, full choke 12 ga w 1250 fps 7.5s.

Worked great. THE set up back in the day IMHO.

Steel sucks, and that's being polite.

 

[Hookeye]

BTW in the lead days I thought the avg was 3 shots per bird ( maybe up to 5 ).
Never heard 7.

But shotshells have gotten cheap/ crappy LOL

 

[dekeshooter]

Yea i had a lot of fun. I shot 7 birds total. Most were from 7:30-10ish. From 10:30-11:30 I only had 2 birds fly over. Do you find morning hunting is better then evening hunting? Like I said I am new to this so I’m going to try tonight but I was just curious.

I prefer to hunt later in the day. I find the birds are active near watering areas and food sources from 3:00 pm or so until near dark. Ponds with open May d flats between the water’s edge and the surrounding vegetation and gravel bars on rivers and larger streams are good places to look for them. Doves ofter will use the same flight patches so if the birds don’t seem the be passing in range, don’t hesitate to move.

 

[dekeshooter]

I ended up shooting 25 rounds and killed 7 doves. I thought that was bad till I read an article that said the average is 5-7 shots per bird.
What choke do you use? I was using a 28” barrel fixed full choke.

I usually start with an improved cylinder choke tube in a single barrel gun or if using an over/under I will have skeet 1 and IC tubes in. If the shits are going to be outside of 25-30 yards a modified tube will go into the gun.

With modern shot shells with plastic wads columns, older fixed choke guns tend to pattern much tighter than what the choke stamped on the barrel shows. I hunted doves for a long time with a Model 12 with a fixed modified choke and I was more confident taking a shot at a 40 yard bird than I was taking a shot at a 20 yard bird.

As far as steel shot being mandated on state land these days, I’ve been very pleasantly impressed with how it performs. I don’t see any difference between how good quality one ounce steel #6 factory ammo performs versus my one ounce # 7.5 lead target reloads, other than a box of steel is almost twice the cost of my own loads.

 

[brdhntr37]

I usually start with an improved cylinder choke tube in a single barrel gun or if using an over/under I will have skeet 1 and IC tubes in. If the shits are going to be outside of 25-30 yards a modified tube will go into the gun.

With modern shot shells with plastic wads columns, older fixed choke guns tend to pattern much tighter than what the choke stamped on the barrel shows. I hunted doves for a long time with a Model 12 with a fixed modified choke and I was more confident taking a shot at a 40 yard bird than I was taking a shot at a 20 yard bird.

As far as steel shot being mandated on state land these days, I’ve been very pleasantly impressed with how it performs. I don’t see any difference between how good quality one ounce steel #6 factory ammo performs versus my one ounce # 7.5 lead target reloads, other than a box of steel is almost twice the cost of my own loads.

Where do you find 2 3/4" steel? I can't find any anywhere

 

[Hookeye]

Found some at a northern shop and they were in short supply. Was 16 or 17 bucks a box.

Had almost 2 boxes from a couple yrs back but if the shootings good will do 2 trips.

Steel I run Imp Cyl, fixed or choke tube and shorten my distance

 

[dekeshooter]

Where do you find 2 3/4" steel? I can't find any anywhere

I thought I had a couple hundred shells in my ammo stash but when I was getting my gear together on Tuesday I realized I only had a box and a half. I checked Meijer, Walmart and Dunhams in Kokomo with no success. I found some Winchester shells at Bullseye and paid $14.99 for them. I was painful but I had to have them. Trust me, I will be looking for more during the off season and I will have plenty on hand before September first, 2023.

 

[DragonGunner]

If I may ask? Did anyone get drawn for and hunt the Winamac FWA dove hunt? If so how was it? Just curious. Thanks.

I just saw Winamac DNR responded to a guy who got shot by a dove hunter.

 

[brdhntr37]

I thought I had a couple hundred shells in my ammo stash but when I was getting my gear together on Tuesday I realized I only had a box and a half. I checked Meijer, Walmart and Dunhams in Kokomo with no success. I found some Winchester shells at Bullseye and paid $14.99 for them. I was painful but I had to have them. Trust me, I will be looking for more during the off season and I will have plenty on hand before September first, 2023.

Same here. I'm finding the 3"duck loads everywhere

 

[patience0830]

Same here. I'm finding the 3"duck loads everywhere

3" shells will kill doves.

 

[Mij]

Dove season will get you in shape for upland game season fer sure. Get between food n water shoot all day.