What's the most awesome dove shot you ever saw/made?

Major Dave (retired) · August 23, 2012, 11:41 PM

Maybe you made the shot, or maybe someone else made it and you were there to witness it.

I witnessed a 14 year old buddy (I was 14, also), shooting a SXS .410 shoot a double on incoming flock of six, then break open, reload, continue to swing with the birds, and hit the 3rd bird. He never even interrupted his swing during the reload. Smooth as silk. It wasn't a fluke, either, as he repeated the same feat on several hunts the same season. He tried for the fourth bird each time, but never got it.

Then there's my awesome shot, at age 14, also. I was shooting a 20 ga pump at the end of a narrow field that had trees on both sides. The field acted as a funnel on a flyway leading to a 40 acre lake. I was at the small end of the funnel, where the 2 treelines joined each other. I was expecting birds to fly down the long axis of either treeline, so was looking toward the wide open end of the funnel. But, I suddenly heard the telltale sounds of a dove flying across the funnel, instead of down the long axis. He sounded like he was behind me, crossing from my left to my right. Knowing he would cross the narrow gap too quickly for me to look to my left for his approach, I swung to my right, the natural direction for a "lefty" to swing, expecting to shoot at his tail. -going away. I made the perfect shot, folding him before he could escape into the treeline only 10 yards to my right! I figured that with his flight speed of about 45 mph, I had a window of opportunity of about a tenth of a second!

Damn, I sure used to be good!

P.S., I never repeated such a feat the rest of my life, so far.

So, let's hear YOUR stories, guys/gals.

LSnSC · August 24, 2012, 06:40 AM

A triple. Three incoming birds. I took the first coming in , the second directly overhead and the third departing. The other fellas in the field started hooping and hollaring. I stood and took a bow. Sometimes its better to be good than lucky.

We have a ton of local birds right now and I cant Wait till next saturday!.

YARDDOG(1) · August 24, 2012, 07:14 AM

A Singel bird with one barrle of my sxs 12ga, Sent bird into my freinds mid section ; ) PS Funny as all get out

oneounceload · August 24, 2012, 08:06 AM

Another for a triple, although not by me, but someone I was hunting with near a large pole barn by a field of ?rye? was a while ago. I think I got one or two for the day with more than enough shots attempted, while he had three for one shot!
Needless to say when it was all over, he bought the beer!....

mavracer · August 24, 2012, 09:10 AM

Had put my 12g down to take a pee and had a single dove flying right at me, while still peeing drew my contender 410 and the dove nearly landed in my puddle. Dad was behind me about 75 yards and I could hear him laughing. He later claimed it was unfair using bait.

tranders · August 24, 2012, 09:18 AM

Some years ago on opening day, the first dove a shot landed 2 feet in front of me. Can't say they all have been that easy.

Saw my father take one out at 60yrds with a 20 gauge browning Auto5.

BoogieMan · August 24, 2012, 10:22 AM

Never hunted dove. I had a flock of black ducks coming in. 3 for 3. First dropped in water 10 yds in front of me. 2nd fell into my hands after I had shot the 3rd which actually dropped into the boat that was just behind me. i was using a borrowed S&W 1000. Unfortunatly I have never had a duck hunt as good as that day again.

jmr40 · August 24, 2012, 04:07 PM

Taking my 10 year old son for the first time. The kid almost limited out and proved to be a bit aggressive on claiming birds he may have not killed. One bird I clearly shot landed right at his feet, in his pile of birds. He claimed it as his own. When we got ready to leave I had already unloaded and slung my gun over my shoulder and had his gun in my hands preparing to unload his when a dove flew over. I killed it with his gun. He claimed it as his too.

I've seen near fights break out over who killed a bird when 2 guys shot. But I sure wasn't going to argue with my 10 year old.

No one particular shot stands out, but the fact that he did so well on his first outing left a big impression.

BigJimP · August 24, 2012, 05:43 PM

...../you said Doves...and I had Quail in my feeble little brain ...never mind..

allaroundhunter · August 24, 2012, 06:07 PM

I have made some pretty good shots on dove, but the one that I laughed about most was when I killed one with a golf ball on a tee shot. I hit him completely by accident, I don't even know which direction he was flying. I just know that as I turned to follow the ball there was a puff of feathers and the bird fell...

An actual hunting shot would be when I was trying to get my 12 bird limit in 12 shots and I missed my 11th shot. The next bird that came by was an easy 20 yards flying left to right. As I pulled the trigger on him I noticed that another bird had crossed the shot path from the right about 50 yards out and I ended up getting my 12 birds with 12 shots after all

Sent from my HTC One X

Major Dave (retired) · August 25, 2012, 12:11 AM

Dove, quail, duck, goose it's all the same - tell us about how awesome you were/are.

TxGun · August 25, 2012, 03:27 AM

Shot a dove whistling across a sunflower field when I was about 10 years old...with a Daisy BB gun! He folded up immediately but sailed about 30 yards or so. My friend and I ran over and found him after searching around a while...stone dead, head shot. Season? What season?

Crosshair · August 25, 2012, 08:22 AM

My friend shooting my suppressed 223 rifle at a gravel pit. 200 yards and the dove was in the air slowing down to land.

Not shotgun, but still cool. He admitted that there was no way he could pull that off again.

PawPaw · August 25, 2012, 01:01 PM

Years ago I was hunting Fort Knox, KY and we drew an area that we had never hunted, but the wildlife guys said was full of doves. We drove out and found the dove field, hard on the shore of a little lake, complete with picnic area. So, we set up in the picnic area. The doves were coming in to get sand for their craw and we popped them as they came over a small stand of cedar trees. I was 12-for-12 that day. There were four of us in the party and we shot our limits in about an hour.

DennisCA · August 25, 2012, 01:37 PM

Double; I was using a mossberg 12 ga pump, a friend and I was walking to our spot when all of a sudden two doves flush to my left. I pulled up shot one, jacked another and downed the other before my friend could get his gun up. There was no time to think, it was all reactive.

.300 Weatherby Mag · August 27, 2012, 01:03 AM

I stoned one at 65 or so yards directly above me in right to left direction ... Due to the speed and direction of the wind and the bird, its trajectory put it on a collision course with my brother some 50 yards away from me as he was retrieving a bird... It hit him in the back and he cussed up a storm

I tried to warn him but he couldn't hear me with his ear protection on

Another year I shot three birds with three shots out of my 870 wingmaster 20 gauge... All of them landed within about a five foot circle about 25 yards in front of me.. All of this happened in about 8 seconds...

offroadTRD · August 28, 2012, 04:09 AM

70 yard shot that rang his bell and plummeted down to earth. No lie. I think the dove actually died from a heart attack from the gun blast. I rarely think about shooting deer at this range at times with 00 buckshot

eastbank · August 28, 2012, 05:48 AM

i shot a incomming and it hit my friend on the head, this friend shot 9 at one time at a mud puddle getting a drink, we told him that was not to sporting and his reply was i came to get a few doves not just to wear funny clothes. eastbank.

Jeremiah/Az · August 28, 2012, 07:15 PM

I was hunting with friends. One to my left, about 15 yrds., another same distance to my right. A dove came straight at me. We all 3 fired at the same time. It sounded like one shot. We must have all hit it. Doveburger!

scotts_4x · August 30, 2012, 02:23 PM

I remember as a kid just starting out hunting with my uncle, I would often shoot at stuff way outside my range just becaue I liked to shoot. I remember one September out in bakersfield when I was about 12 or 13 and I wasn't getting much action. Here come 4 dove crossing our layout and my first shot was a complete miss. Shortly after my first shot the 3 other people that were there all knock one down. Dismayed at my poor shooting I throw the gun back up and fire off a hail marry. Lo and behold that dove came crashing to the ground 50 or so yds out (seemed like a mile back then) to everyone's surprise.

-scott

cornbush · August 30, 2012, 09:40 PM

I hit a high passing dove, did a nice smooth spiral dive....... and bounced off the hood of the county sheriff as he came around the corner

, he sat there for a minute and then laughed, I sat there for a minute and let out a huge sigh of relief.................

wizrd · September 4, 2012, 11:39 PM

Tripled on pheasants with a Mossberg 20 ga. BOLT ACTION gun, when I was 16.
If only I could go back to 1963 & have those young eyes & quick reflexes again.

Picher · September 7, 2012, 09:08 AM

I once used a bolt-action Mossberg without the magazine (lost it) to get three teal with two shots. I was hiding behind a tree and tall grass beside a beaver pond and three teal swam up without my seeing them. Peeking over the high grass, I saw them swimming about 25 yards out.

Having only a single-shot at that point, I lined two of the ducks up and shot them, then, with the next round wedged between the middle two fingers of my right hand, loaded that round and shot the third as it flew to my right, about 30 yards away.

AllenJ · September 7, 2012, 09:26 AM

A friend and I were hunting a fence line opening morning years ago. A dove came floating in right over us at about 8 yards high. I did not shoot since there would be little to nothing left if I made a solid hit but my buddy's gun went up and BANG, the dove fell. I scolded him for wasting meat to which he replied, "I head shot him". Now I really thought he was making a joke but when we retrieved the bird, sure enough the doves head was gone and not a single pellet was in the breast!

BarkeyVA · September 7, 2012, 05:04 PM

I shot a barn swallow on the fly with my Crosman .22 pellet gun when I was about 12. It was a crossing shot at about 15 yards. Must have tried it a 100 times more after that and never hit another one.

My best on doves that I can remember was a right to left crossing shot flying at full speed over a sunflower field. I pulled the back trigger on my 16 ga. Model Marlin Model 90 (top barrel choked IM) shooting 1 oz, #7-1/2 Remington Game Loads. The dove hit the ground 55 paces from where I was sitting.

August 23, 2012, 11:41 PM	#1
Major Dave (retired) Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2008 Location: Between Dallas and Shreveport, LA Posts: 569	What's the most awesome dove shot you ever saw/made? Maybe you made the shot, or maybe someone else made it and you were there to witness it. I witnessed a 14 year old buddy (I was 14, also), shooting a SXS .410 shoot a double on incoming flock of six, then break open, reload, continue to swing with the birds, and hit the 3rd bird. He never even interrupted his swing during the reload. Smooth as silk. It wasn't a fluke, either, as he repeated the same feat on several hunts the same season. He tried for the fourth bird each time, but never got it. Then there's my awesome shot, at age 14, also. I was shooting a 20 ga pump at the end of a narrow field that had trees on both sides. The field acted as a funnel on a flyway leading to a 40 acre lake. I was at the small end of the funnel, where the 2 treelines joined each other. I was expecting birds to fly down the long axis of either treeline, so was looking toward the wide open end of the funnel. But, I suddenly heard the telltale sounds of a dove flying across the funnel, instead of down the long axis. He sounded like he was behind me, crossing from my left to my right. Knowing he would cross the narrow gap too quickly for me to look to my left for his approach, I swung to my right, the natural direction for a "lefty" to swing, expecting to shoot at his tail. -going away. I made the perfect shot, folding him before he could escape into the treeline only 10 yards to my right! I figured that with his flight speed of about 45 mph, I had a window of opportunity of about a tenth of a second! Damn, I sure used to be good! P.S., I never repeated such a feat the rest of my life, so far. So, let's hear YOUR stories, guys/gals. __________________ Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be but a vulgar brawl. Last edited by Major Dave (retired); August 23, 2012 at 11:51 PM.

August 24, 2012, 07:14 AM	#3
YARDDOG(1) Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: GATOR COUNTRY HA HA HA! Posts: 721	A Singel bird with one barrle of my sxs 12ga, Sent bird into my freinds mid section ; ) PS Funny as all get out __________________ There's a GATOR in the bushes & She's Callin my name >Molly Hatchett<

August 24, 2012, 05:43 PM	#9
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	...../you said Doves...and I had Quail in my feeble little brain ...never mind.. Last edited by BigJimP; August 24, 2012 at 05:50 PM.

August 25, 2012, 12:11 AM	#11
Major Dave (retired) Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2008 Location: Between Dallas and Shreveport, LA Posts: 569	BigJimP Dove, quail, duck, goose it's all the same - tell us about how awesome you were/are. __________________ Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be but a vulgar brawl.

August 25, 2012, 08:22 AM	#13
Crosshair Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2004 Location: Grand Forks, ND Posts: 5,333	My friend shooting my suppressed 223 rifle at a gravel pit. 200 yards and the dove was in the air slowing down to land. Not shotgun, but still cool. He admitted that there was no way he could pull that off again. __________________ I don't carry a gun to go looking for trouble, I carry a gun in case trouble finds me.

August 24, 2012, 06:40 AM	#2
LSnSC Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2010 Posts: 514	A triple. Three incoming birds. I took the first coming in , the second directly overhead and the third departing. The other fellas in the field started hooping and hollaring. I stood and took a bow. Sometimes its better to be good than lucky. We have a ton of local birds right now and I cant Wait till next saturday!.

August 24, 2012, 08:06 AM	#4
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	Another for a triple, although not by me, but someone I was hunting with near a large pole barn by a field of ?rye? was a while ago. I think I got one or two for the day with more than enough shots attempted, while he had three for one shot! Needless to say when it was all over, he bought the beer!....

August 24, 2012, 09:18 AM	#6
tranders Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 233	Some years ago on opening day, the first dove a shot landed 2 feet in front of me. Can't say they all have been that easy. Saw my father take one out at 60yrds with a 20 gauge browning Auto5.

August 24, 2012, 10:22 AM	#7
BoogieMan Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2012 Location: South Jersey Posts: 2,217	Never hunted dove. I had a flock of black ducks coming in. 3 for 3. First dropped in water 10 yds in front of me. 2nd fell into my hands after I had shot the 3rd which actually dropped into the boat that was just behind me. i was using a borrowed S&W 1000. Unfortunatly I have never had a duck hunt as good as that day again. __________________ Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it. Milton Freidman "If you find yourself in a fair fight,,, Your tactics suck"- Unknown

August 24, 2012, 04:07 PM	#8
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	Taking my 10 year old son for the first time. The kid almost limited out and proved to be a bit aggressive on claiming birds he may have not killed. One bird I clearly shot landed right at his feet, in his pile of birds. He claimed it as his own. When we got ready to leave I had already unloaded and slung my gun over my shoulder and had his gun in my hands preparing to unload his when a dove flew over. I killed it with his gun. He claimed it as his too. I've seen near fights break out over who killed a bird when 2 guys shot. But I sure wasn't going to argue with my 10 year old. No one particular shot stands out, but the fact that he did so well on his first outing left a big impression.

August 24, 2012, 06:07 PM	#10
allaroundhunter Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2012 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 1,670	I have made some pretty good shots on dove, but the one that I laughed about most was when I killed one with a golf ball on a tee shot. I hit him completely by accident, I don't even know which direction he was flying. I just know that as I turned to follow the ball there was a puff of feathers and the bird fell... An actual hunting shot would be when I was trying to get my 12 bird limit in 12 shots and I missed my 11th shot. The next bird that came by was an easy 20 yards flying left to right. As I pulled the trigger on him I noticed that another bird had crossed the shot path from the right about 50 yards out and I ended up getting my 12 birds with 12 shots after all Sent from my HTC One X

August 25, 2012, 03:27 AM	#12
TxGun Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Family ranch - Central TX. Posts: 467	Shot a dove whistling across a sunflower field when I was about 10 years old...with a Daisy BB gun! He folded up immediately but sailed about 30 yards or so. My friend and I ran over and found him after searching around a while...stone dead, head shot. Season? What season?

August 25, 2012, 01:01 PM	#14
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	Years ago I was hunting Fort Knox, KY and we drew an area that we had never hunted, but the wildlife guys said was full of doves. We drove out and found the dove field, hard on the shore of a little lake, complete with picnic area. So, we set up in the picnic area. The doves were coming in to get sand for their craw and we popped them as they came over a small stand of cedar trees. I was 12-for-12 that day. There were four of us in the party and we shot our limits in about an hour. __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

August 25, 2012, 01:37 PM	#15
DennisCA Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2012 Location: Union City CA (a.k.a. Poople's Republik of CA) Posts: 451	Double; I was using a mossberg 12 ga pump, a friend and I was walking to our spot when all of a sudden two doves flush to my left. I pulled up shot one, jacked another and downed the other before my friend could get his gun up. There was no time to think, it was all reactive.

August 27, 2012, 01:03 AM	#16
.300 Weatherby Mag Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Posts: 1,777	I stoned one at 65 or so yards directly above me in right to left direction ... Due to the speed and direction of the wind and the bird, its trajectory put it on a collision course with my brother some 50 yards away from me as he was retrieving a bird... It hit him in the back and he cussed up a storm I tried to warn him but he couldn't hear me with his ear protection on Another year I shot three birds with three shots out of my 870 wingmaster 20 gauge... All of them landed within about a five foot circle about 25 yards in front of me.. All of this happened in about 8 seconds...

August 28, 2012, 04:09 AM	#17
offroadTRD Member Join Date: February 17, 2012 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	70 yard shot that rang his bell and plummeted down to earth. No lie. I think the dove actually died from a heart attack from the gun blast. I rarely think about shooting deer at this range at times with 00 buckshot

August 28, 2012, 05:48 AM	#18
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	i shot a incomming and it hit my friend on the head, this friend shot 9 at one time at a mud puddle getting a drink, we told him that was not to sporting and his reply was i came to get a few doves not just to wear funny clothes. eastbank.

August 28, 2012, 07:15 PM	#19
Jeremiah/Az Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2009 Location: Az. Posts: 509	I was hunting with friends. One to my left, about 15 yrds., another same distance to my right. A dove came straight at me. We all 3 fired at the same time. It sounded like one shot. We must have all hit it. Doveburger!

August 30, 2012, 02:23 PM	#20
scotts_4x Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Posts: 71	I remember as a kid just starting out hunting with my uncle, I would often shoot at stuff way outside my range just becaue I liked to shoot. I remember one September out in bakersfield when I was about 12 or 13 and I wasn't getting much action. Here come 4 dove crossing our layout and my first shot was a complete miss. Shortly after my first shot the 3 other people that were there all knock one down. Dismayed at my poor shooting I throw the gun back up and fire off a hail marry. Lo and behold that dove came crashing to the ground 50 or so yds out (seemed like a mile back then) to everyone's surprise. -scott

August 30, 2012, 09:40 PM	#21
cornbush Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: The retarded place below Idaho Posts: 1,408	I hit a high passing dove, did a nice smooth spiral dive....... and bounced off the hood of the county sheriff as he came around the corner, he sat there for a minute and then laughed, I sat there for a minute and let out a huge sigh of relief................. __________________ The best shot I ever made was an accident

September 4, 2012, 11:39 PM	#22
wizrd Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2012 Posts: 232	Tripled on pheasants with a Mossberg 20 ga. BOLT ACTION gun, when I was 16. If only I could go back to 1963 & have those young eyes & quick reflexes again.

September 7, 2012, 09:08 AM	#23
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I once used a bolt-action Mossberg without the magazine (lost it) to get three teal with two shots. I was hiding behind a tree and tall grass beside a beaver pond and three teal swam up without my seeing them. Peeking over the high grass, I saw them swimming about 25 yards out. Having only a single-shot at that point, I lined two of the ducks up and shot them, then, with the next round wedged between the middle two fingers of my right hand, loaded that round and shot the third as it flew to my right, about 30 yards away.

September 7, 2012, 09:26 AM	#24
AllenJ Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,766	A friend and I were hunting a fence line opening morning years ago. A dove came floating in right over us at about 8 yards high. I did not shoot since there would be little to nothing left if I made a solid hit but my buddy's gun went up and BANG, the dove fell. I scolded him for wasting meat to which he replied, "I head shot him". Now I really thought he was making a joke but when we retrieved the bird, sure enough the doves head was gone and not a single pellet was in the breast!

September 7, 2012, 05:04 PM	#25
BarkeyVA Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2008 Location: Southeastern Virginia Posts: 123	I shot a barn swallow on the fly with my Crosman .22 pellet gun when I was about 12. It was a crossing shot at about 15 yards. Must have tried it a 100 times more after that and never hit another one. My best on doves that I can remember was a right to left crossing shot flying at full speed over a sunflower field. I pulled the back trigger on my 16 ga. Model Marlin Model 90 (top barrel choked IM) shooting 1 oz, #7-1/2 Remington Game Loads. The dove hit the ground 55 paces from where I was sitting.