Dove Hunters, I need your help.

Kreyzhorse · October 3, 2012, 06:16 AM

Last Sunday was my first time dove hunting and while I didn't expect to bag my limit, I at least hoped to take a couple of birds. With that, while I'm a pretty good shot with a rifle, clearly my shotgun skills are way behind where I am with a long gun. Damn those doves are fast.....

So, does any one have any tips or tactics on dove that I might have overlooked? I'm going again next weekend and would like to sooth my bruised ego.... Any suggestions or trade secrets would be appreciated.

Panfisher · October 3, 2012, 07:57 AM

1. Keep your cheek down on the stock. Sometimes shooters have the desire to see the result and actuall will pull their head up as the shot goes off of even just before, causing a miss. Goes along with follow through

2. Try to miss in front. Sounds silly but if you are going to miss make sure it was in front of the bird, you'll be surprised at how many of those ridiculous leads will drop birds.

3. Shoot some skeet or sporting clays. Practice, practice practice.

4. Don't get discouraged, its not a trophy elk, they are doves, they should be fun to hunt, when you miss laugh at yourself and wait for the next shot, don't let them little grey rascals get inside your head.

ron8903 · October 3, 2012, 08:33 AM

cheek down
lead
follow through

have fun.............

jimbob86 · October 3, 2012, 09:08 AM

Fast birds=long leads.

They are fast.

Decoys can bring them in to you. Camo will keep them from spooking.

I like to set up over a water hole with dekes down by the water. It's a whole lot easier to hit them as they flare to land than it is when they have the afterburners on to get somewhere fast.

Doyle · October 3, 2012, 07:03 PM

Best tip of all - bring lots of shells.

Dove can be a bear to hit when they decide to twist and roll.

pbrktrt · October 3, 2012, 08:12 PM

Swing through them until you see 2 feet of daylight. Pull the trigger as you keep on swinging. As mentioned, cheek hard on stock. As also mentioned, Skeet is probably the best practice for this type of wing shooting. Except they are twice as fast.

stumper1300 · October 3, 2012, 08:20 PM

Use the proper choke and ammo.

Mojo decoys rock!!!

Kreyzhorse · October 4, 2012, 06:13 AM

Great tips guys. In hindsight I don't believe I had my form down on those quick shots and I certainly wasn't leading them enough.

I never even thought about decoys. I'm curious, how many do you typically use and where do you typically place them? Close to the wood line, in the open areas?

ZeroJunk · October 4, 2012, 07:10 AM

I remember back when I was about 16 a buddy and I went duck hunting down at the coast . We went to the guys house, his wife cooked us a nice breakfast, and he took us out by boat to a blind. I guess that is what you would call it, a compartment on stilts up maybe 20 feet when the tide was out.

Occassionally some of the little buffle heads would come by skimming the surface and when you shot you could see where the shot hit.

The little suckers were flying probably 50 miles an hour and I was shooting way behind them. I had a hard time making myself lead them far enough, or I may not have been following through. But, I was definitely behind them.

Hunter Customs · October 4, 2012, 08:53 AM

Doves can humble a man.
One time I read that if you shoot a days limit and only use one box of shells you had a good day.

There's been a lot of good advice given from the other posters on this thread.
Besides doing everything they suggested try shooting with both eyes open if you are not doing so already.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

Art Eatman · October 4, 2012, 09:02 AM

Something I learned by accident, after years of not being worth a hoot at shotgunning: I did the IPSC thing for three years before moving out to the desert. The first dove season there, I found that doves were easy: "Front sight, press."

Granted, the old Model 12 fits me. With proper hold, I look right down the plane of the top of the ribbed barrel, barely seeing the front bead.

If you can see the top of the barrel, you'll shoot high. If you have to raise your head slightly to see the front bead, you'll shoot low.

October 3, 2012, 06:16 AM	#1
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	Dove Hunters, I need your help. Last Sunday was my first time dove hunting and while I didn't expect to bag my limit, I at least hoped to take a couple of birds. With that, while I'm a pretty good shot with a rifle, clearly my shotgun skills are way behind where I am with a long gun. Damn those doves are fast..... So, does any one have any tips or tactics on dove that I might have overlooked? I'm going again next weekend and would like to sooth my bruised ego.... Any suggestions or trade secrets would be appreciated. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

October 3, 2012, 08:33 AM	#3
ron8903 Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2005 Location: south florida Posts: 217	cheek down lead follow through have fun............. __________________ eyes,ears open. mouth closed

October 4, 2012, 06:13 AM	#8
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	Great tips guys. In hindsight I don't believe I had my form down on those quick shots and I certainly wasn't leading them enough. I never even thought about decoys. I'm curious, how many do you typically use and where do you typically place them? Close to the wood line, in the open areas? __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

October 3, 2012, 07:57 AM	#2
Panfisher Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,337	1. Keep your cheek down on the stock. Sometimes shooters have the desire to see the result and actuall will pull their head up as the shot goes off of even just before, causing a miss. Goes along with follow through 2. Try to miss in front. Sounds silly but if you are going to miss make sure it was in front of the bird, you'll be surprised at how many of those ridiculous leads will drop birds. 3. Shoot some skeet or sporting clays. Practice, practice practice. 4. Don't get discouraged, its not a trophy elk, they are doves, they should be fun to hunt, when you miss laugh at yourself and wait for the next shot, don't let them little grey rascals get inside your head.

October 3, 2012, 09:08 AM	#4
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	Fast birds=long leads. They are fast. Decoys can bring them in to you. Camo will keep them from spooking. I like to set up over a water hole with dekes down by the water. It's a whole lot easier to hit them as they flare to land than it is when they have the afterburners on to get somewhere fast.

October 3, 2012, 07:03 PM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Best tip of all - bring lots of shells. Dove can be a bear to hit when they decide to twist and roll.

October 3, 2012, 08:12 PM	#6
pbrktrt Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2008 Posts: 313	Swing through them until you see 2 feet of daylight. Pull the trigger as you keep on swinging. As mentioned, cheek hard on stock. As also mentioned, Skeet is probably the best practice for this type of wing shooting. Except they are twice as fast.

October 3, 2012, 08:20 PM	#7
stumper1300 Member Join Date: June 18, 2012 Posts: 55	Use the proper choke and ammo. Mojo decoys rock!!!

October 4, 2012, 07:10 AM	#9
ZeroJunk Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2006 Location: Browns Summit NC Posts: 2,589	I remember back when I was about 16 a buddy and I went duck hunting down at the coast . We went to the guys house, his wife cooked us a nice breakfast, and he took us out by boat to a blind. I guess that is what you would call it, a compartment on stilts up maybe 20 feet when the tide was out. Occassionally some of the little buffle heads would come by skimming the surface and when you shot you could see where the shot hit. The little suckers were flying probably 50 miles an hour and I was shooting way behind them. I had a hard time making myself lead them far enough, or I may not have been following through. But, I was definitely behind them.

October 4, 2012, 08:53 AM	#10
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	Doves can humble a man. One time I read that if you shoot a days limit and only use one box of shells you had a good day. There's been a lot of good advice given from the other posters on this thread. Besides doing everything they suggested try shooting with both eyes open if you are not doing so already. Best Regards Bob Hunter www.huntercustoms.com

October 4, 2012, 09:02 AM	#11
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Something I learned by accident, after years of not being worth a hoot at shotgunning: I did the IPSC thing for three years before moving out to the desert. The first dove season there, I found that doves were easy: "Front sight, press." Granted, the old Model 12 fits me. With proper hold, I look right down the plane of the top of the ribbed barrel, barely seeing the front bead. If you can see the top of the barrel, you'll shoot high. If you have to raise your head slightly to see the front bead, you'll shoot low.