Dove Anyone?

tfbirddog2 · Post by **tfbirddog2** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:44 pm

Is anyone else taking there point dogs out to hunt doves in a few weeks.Kansas dove season starts the begining of September. I always feel it is good to get the dogs and your self out to get warmed up for the fall, and the fact that the hunting lodge I work for will start our first hunt in a month. I have also seen more doves this years than in past.

Wireviz_lady · Post by **Wireviz_lady** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 6:29 pm

When we lived in SD we dove hunted. Not sure if leagle here in WI this year. :roll:
It is a GREAT way to work on retrieves!! Hmm I will have to look and see what we have going this year.
Bec

Post by **Ayres** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 6:34 pm

I'm going dove hunting, but I'm keeping Justus at home this year. He's not worked on birds yet, and I think introducing him to dove retrieving (without pointing) wouldn't be the best idea. Next year he'll come with me, though.

12 Volt Man · Post by **12 Volt Man** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 6:41 pm

Speaking of Dove hunting. I was going to start a thread with a question. I figured I might as well ask it here.

I haven't hunted doves before. It sounds like great fun. I saw quite a few today when I took my dog out training. I plan to go this year. I would appreciate some tips on hunting them.

I also wonder about using my dog on the dove hunt. I have been working with him for quail and pheasants and for NSTRA events. I wonder if it will mess anything up to use him for doves. I guess I don't understand how to hunt doves correctly. It seems that your dog won't have the opportunity to point, just to retrieve.

Thanks for your explainations and tips in advance.

Wireviz_lady · Post by **Wireviz_lady** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:05 pm

yeah~pretty much just for working on the retrieve. No pointing involved...
Bec

Post by **Ayres** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 9:32 pm

Tips for dove hunting:

Find places where they might feed (cut bean or corn fields here in the Midwest) and places where they might get water (along creeks) and places where they might roost. Go out in the late afternoon, and sit on a bucket near these places.

I have hunted in the past with a cornfield to my back and a cut beanfield to my front, with a treeline and a creek running alongside the right.

When they fly over, use a modified or improved cylinder choke with #8 shot or so. Store birds under your bucket until you get your limit.

Nowadays there's these fancy buckets that are camoflauge and have a swivel chair on top. They're nice, but they're also about $18. If you get one of those, you can pop off the lid and store the birds in the bucket until you get your limit. G'luck!

seadog · Post by **seadog** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:29 pm

Unfortunately we can't hunt doves in Ont. , but we make a good nursery for you guys, LOL.

I wouldn't use a young pointing dog for this, unless the dog is FULLY trained and finished ,also, running on pheasants would be a no no .

tfbirddog2 · Post by **tfbirddog2** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:53 pm

12voltman finding wild sunflowers or seeded sunflowers for agriculture are also good places too. I have hunted a lot of pointing pups while dove hunting it hasn't hurt them one bit for one it gets them around the gun an alot of it, plus if you can find hunt along a creek with a point dog an the doves sitting the banks will sometimes hold tight. My dogs point dove all the time even walking my in-laws pasture. It is great retreiving time and besides the dog has fun streching out and being with you. If you do try sitting on a bucket on field edges or water spots for pass by shooting like ducks which doves are known for you can teach control to your point dog by making him sit with you and wait for retrieves.Its a good time had by all. Ayers get that dog out with you and learning that hunting is fun, besides its also good time to learn hunt dead.I also don't think pheasants hurt point dogs if you have the dog trained properly.Thats my opinion.

dhondtm · Post by **dhondtm** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:08 pm

If you find the right spot it can eb a lot of fun. Lot of action during a good dove hunt. I look for roosting areas along creek beds since I am in the dry desert. They like a lot of tree cover and along creeks even if the creek is dried up they still favor the same roosting areas it seems.

You don't have to really hike as much for dove hunts once you find that spot. Sit back and let them fly right into you.

The only concern I have for retrieval in my area is sometimes the birds will fall into a thick cacti area and I don't want my dog getting overly excited and ignoring the cacti.

Post by **ezzy333** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 9:39 pm

Pheasants is why we have a pointing dog here in the midwest. they aren't as easy for a dog to pin down as quail but they still do a good job and the good ones handle it great. Do away with pheasant hunting and you will do away with most of the continental breeds. That is one of the reasons they are known as versitle breeds

Ezzy

Post by **Ayres** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:16 pm

tfbirddog2 wrote:Ayres get that dog out with you and learning that hunting is fun, besides its also good time to learn hunt dead.

Justus is only three and a half months old right now, and hasn't yet had any formal bird training. He hasn't been taught "woah" yet, is shaky on "here" when he's distracted, etc. I don't want to get him out around a flurry of gunshots without being able to direct him at all times. He needs more training first, and a little time to grow up and shake off the distractions.

He'll go dove hunting with me next year. This year I'm just sticking to quail with him. Maybe a late pheasant hunt, but those aren't very common around here.

Bird Dog 67 · Post by **Bird Dog 67** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:53 am

Hey Bec,

Congrats on the new litter. Just a FYI for you Dove hunting is a go in Wisconsin this year again. The decision was finalized in April I believe.

Decoy · Post by **Decoy** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:02 am

One more thing --
If you are hunting with a young dog, or a dog that is not 110% steady to shot, get one of those twist in the ground stakes and screw it in the ground next to your bucket/stool and clip the dog to it.
This will help to teach your dog that he can ONLY retrieve when you send him.
This is very important because in a dove field there will be birds falling from other hunters and dove field etiquette dictates that your dog should ONLY retrieve YOUR birds.

superweimer · Post by **superweimer** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:02 pm

Here in texas we have great dove hunting. I take my weimaraner every year, it's a great warmup for the gamebird season. I see it as a good chance to work on his reteiving commands. Plus there is nothing better than being in the field with your best friend!!!

Superweimer
:shock:

sdgord · Post by **sdgord** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:43 pm

Ayres, just a note to let you know that we always take our pointing dogs dove hunting. I like to start the puppies on doves seems like if they will retrieve a dove they will pick up anything. We never take a puppy on a hunt that has not been fired around with blanks or at a distance with a 20 ga.
We will stake the dog out, set up our chair and try to pick our shots so its not constant firing for the pup to put up with. I never go with more than one other hunter. And it should be someone who understands that the session is more about the puppy than killing limits of doves. I think the staking out and releasing the pup after the fall really helps them to mark falls. If the birds happen to be flying well, we try not to stay more than a couple of hours. The older the pup the longer the sessions can be. Just taking the pup and staking him or her out helps to get them searching for birds also. If you are lucky enough to be in harvested oats or wheat you can let the pup search and point doves also.SDGORD

tfbirddog2 · Post by **tfbirddog2** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:33 pm

Ayres, Sorry I thought your pup was 14 months for some reason.I have taken as young as 5 months and been alright. Quail will help very well rather than pigieons and pheasants, is must be the smell that works thier nose better than the other birds. Thats what really brought the pointing out in my half breed.Good Luck. P.S the swivel buckets rock!

Post by **Ayres** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:03 pm

Staking him down might be a good idea so I can include him on a hunt or two this year. I usually don't go out with more than one or two other people either, so I'm not really worried about the flurry of shots, I was just thinking that he's too young and should be started on quail first. But staking him down and then releasing him only to retrieve is prolly worth a try. He'll be five and a half months at the end of the first season here in IL, and he'll be just over six months old by the time the second season comes in.

Thanks for the tip!

tfbirddog2 · Post by **tfbirddog2** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 11:43 am

Wells folks season starts on wednsday,but I can't get out till friday an they up or limits this year 15 aday 30 in possesion. Last few years it has been 8 and 15. It looks like Texas or Mexico around here.I just worry though it got down to 49 last night an for august in Kansas that is low. But I sure they all did not leave.My dogs are chompping at the bit to get out. The last few days they have been whining becasue of the pheasant coming up to the back fence and picking sand an eating bugsout of the draw. If kinda funny they'll be playing an just stop an point for five minutes while the pheasants just strut around outside the back gate.Good luck to those start their season this weekend too.

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