Dove Round?

[Ian2005]

I have my trusty Autoloader I went Duck hunting with #2 last fall, but need a good round for Dove - what is the "most commonly used" round ? -Thanks

[Scorch]

For dove, 7-1/2 or 8 shot will work wonders.

[wolverine350]

A good 1 1/8 ounce load in 7 1/2's work great

[castnblast]

Stay away from the super speed rounds. They have less shot. I prefer a 7.5. w/ 1 1/8 oz of shot. for 12, and 1oz for 20. Pattern density is key over speed for doves.

[lockedcj7]

I love a 1oz 12ga load of #8s. It mimics a standard 16 ga. or heavy 20ga. Perfect IMHO. I actually like the Remington Game Loads that Wally-World sells. I've shot them for years and have no complaints. $4.19/box where I live.

[Ian2005]

Noone mentioned Steel Shot or Lead - ? The guide told me Lead but that goes opposite to both environmental and digestive converns I have. Advice ?

[lockedcj7]

Unless steel is mandated for the field you are on, use lead. Hunters have been shooting (and eating) fowl for hundreds of years and I have yet to hear of a single case of lead poisoning among hunters due to accidental ingestion. I have bit down on a pellet, but then I spit it out.

I participated in a study of lead poisoning in Doves at a public dove field that has held annual hunts for over 30 years. NO evidence of any significant lead levels was found in any bird.

I love the environment and I have a Bachelor's in Wildlife Management with a Master's degree and 21 graduate hours in Ecology but the Environmentalists often make mountains out of mole-hills. Since they can't seem to pick their battles wisely, they just come across as the nut-jobs that they are.

JMHO, of course.

[FirstFreedom]

You guys running with cylinder bore, improved, improved-modified, or modified this year for doves?

I'm going with 7.5 shot & 20 ga, and probably improved.

[tube_ee]

I loves me some dove shootin'. Dove eatin', too. And the coolest part is, my 8 year old daughter loves to eat them, too. 2-3 more years, and she'll be heading into the field with me.

Anyhoo, as to loads:

I like a 1 1/8 oz, ~1200 fps 12 gauge load, #7.5 shot. I've tried #8s, and they just don't kill birds as well. I had to twist way too many, even with 2 or 3 chest and side hits. Heck, I had to twist one that I'd hit in the head! The bigger shot gives a much better DBI (Dead Before Impact) percentage. I like the mid-velocity load because my gun and I both shoot it well, it kicks very lightly, and kills birds dead. I'm not really convinced that more velocity is as big an advantage with a shotgun as it is with rifles and pistols. I haven't researched that, though, it's just a field impression.

I don't shoot cheap promo loads at anything, game or clay, unless I have to. Been there, done that, and I hit noticeably better with a quality handload or premium factory shells. Cheap shotshells suck.

Dad shoots a maximum velocity 1 1/4 oz #7.5 load (WSF powder), but he's 6" taller than me, and outweighs me by at least 80 pounds.

I pretty much stick with IC choke, but we usually hunt in a gully between several farms that's only about 60 - 80 yards wide. Birds beyond the midpoint are for the guys on the other side.

Doves seem hard to kill for such a small bird, and they are definitely tough to hit. Sure are fun, though!!

--Shannon

[Blake]

I like a 1 1/8 oz. load with 7 1/2 shot out of my 12 guage. I reload my shells with red dot powder 32 grains I think. This could be way off but I think thats right. Even when I buy factory ammo I buy the 1 1/8 oz. 7 1/2 size loads. They always seem to work good
Blake

[castnblast]

Heck, take your 8 year old now...You wait 2-3 years, she'll loose the desire...Train em early....Besides, they make great bird dogs... I take my 4 year old, and he loves it...My 2 year old daughter gets to go next year...

BTW. I like improved cylinder...Works great...again, 7.5, like above seems to kill em better...If I'm hunting an area w/ a lot of whitewings, I go to 6's, because they are a lot bigger than morning doves, and tend to fly w/ their oxygen masks on...

[Ian2005]

Dove report - day after opening -
Up at o-dark-thirty, met up with fellow hunters who told stories of doom and gloom on opening day (out of some 30 people, only 12 dove were taken). Undeterred but worried I just wasted $$ and time, and sleep, I went on and followed the guide who dropped us on our stretch or road which was told looked good yesterday morning; Well we watched & waited, and walked, and waited some more, eventually going to new area's to check as well - I saw 3 total this morning. Three. And off they went before I could walk in close enough.

Apparently, there has been so much rain as of late that the farmers are waiting to harvest the rice, so there's not food all over the ground on the road as there would normally be if they had hauled it in. Also if there is a thunderstorm the night before your hunt, chances are the dove don't want to be wet either (or so I'm guessing).

Yes the dove hunting for Katy Texas has been horrible this opening weekend and I can only hope things dry up around here as I certainly would like to say at least I have "tried" dove hunting. Also note, if it was duck season, we would have reached out bag limits on teal before 7am. Crazy.

[dbgun]

A good 1 1/8 ounce load in 7 1/2's work great.

+1

I've had a lot of luck with #8's as well. When using my 11-87, I'll use a hi-brass shell (7-1/2, 3-3/4dr., 3-1/4oz) for my third shot.

I hunted NE of Houston (Mont Belvieu area) and limited out by noon. Hunting was great. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good, but with dove its feast or famine.

[Fat White Boy]

I use the Remington game loads for my 12 ga- 1 1/8 oz of 7 1/2 shot with 3 1/4 dram equivalent bought at Walmart, 100 round pack for $16.00 more or less. I got a limit of 10 dove by 8:00AM at Blythe on the Colorado River. I use a Remington 1100 with a 26" barrel and Improved cylinder choke. I use this same set up for quail, chukar, pheasant and waterfowl including geese. I change to #4 shot for mountain quail, chukar, pheasant and waterfowl(Steel). For geese, I use T or F steel shot if legal. The IC choke works just fine for all.

[sm]

Fixed chokes in Skeet, or IC, in 12, 20 or 28 ga with target loads of #8 shot.

28 gauge is my preference.