DOVE HUNTING PRIMER
Preseason Scouting
The two specks on the horizon were not my imagination playing tricks with me in the blazing hot sun. The birds dipped and dived and zigzagged recognizedly as only doves (and pigeons) do
when they are headed toward you as if they were
expecting someone to shoot at them.
The doves kept coming straight at me, and I
eased back into the edge of the trees to help
break my outline. I was wearing a camoflage
T-shirt and blue-jeans. My legs were partially
covered by the tall grass.
As I waited for the two birds to cross the open
field, I looked back to the partially harvested
field out in front of me.
I could see a few birds trading back and forth
in the distance as they picked up and moved
from one feeding area to another. These were
mourning doves and I realized that I might have
just hit on a bonanza of birds.
The two doves I had been watching made a last minute turn and came
almost directly overhead.
I did not make any sudden moves and the two
birds came very close to me. If this had been two weeks later,
I am sure I would have been able
to get at least one and maybe both birds. But
today the birds were safe, at least as far as
I was concerned.
This was the middle of August and I was unarmed. What was I doing
in the middle of a wheat field two weeks before the September 1
opening day?
I was scouting the doves the same way deer hunters scout for
deer prior to the season.
I have been hunting doves for over a quarter of a century,
and every year I make my annual scouting trip to the place I
intend to hunt the first weekend of the season.
I usually spend the opening weekend of dove hunting in East
Texas, where doves are not as plentiful as the birds located
in west, central and south Texas.
I am not alone in scouting the area.
I usually see some of the same people in the fields during
my scouting trips that I see during the actual hunt. These
people have learned that scouting trips in the middle of
August can mean the difference between getting a couple of
birds and limiting out on opening day.
The main reason I scout the area, is to locate the fly ways of the
doves, in order to get a good shooting position on opening day.
Doves are very predictive in their movements. If you find a
concentration of birds a couple of weeks before the season opens,
there is a very good chance that they will still be there on
opening day.
Once you locate the birds, the second thing is to pattern the
birds so that you know where to hunt in the field you are working.
Doves fly the same flyway in the field over and over again.
If you see a dove fly along a fence row and turn at a certain
corner and fly over a certain tree line, you can almost be certain
that other doves will use the same path, almost as if they were
following each other.
Why is this important? If you watch several doves cross a
field or follow a tree line, you can get in the path and
you will get lots of shots that you would otherwise not get
50 or 100 yards from that spot.
Even if you don't get to scout early, the first thing you
should do when you get to the fields to hunt is to watch the
field and let the birds show you where to get for the action.
If you have picked a spot, and the doves seem to be crossing
somewhere else, you need to pick up and move to the spot
where you see birds crossing. Sometimes this will be a
corner of a fence line, a tree line corner, or maybe just
a opening in a bunch of trees.
I don't know why doves pattern their flights like they do,
but I do know it works. One of the biggest mistakes I see
dove hunters making is to pick a spot, and stay with it all
afternoon. At the end of the hunt, you ask them how they did,
and they say not too well, the doves just didn't fly within
range.
If the doves are not coming to where you are, move to where
the doves are crossing and set up there. You still need to
use clothing that blends in with the area you are hunting, and
usually that means camoflage. Never.....Never wear white,
unless you are hunting in snow! and that doesn't usually
happen in September.
Doves are hard enough to hit when you can get a close shot,
and wearing the proper clothing and hunting in the crossing
area will help you even the odds a little better.
Another tip, is to get in a few rounds of clay pigeons before
the season opens. There are lots of places now that you can
go and shoot clay pigeons. If you know of a place where
sporting clay pigeons are shot, visit there a few times and
bust off a few boxes of shells. Not only is this fun, it will
definitely improve your shooting on opening day.
If you get to know the people who own the shooting club,
they will probably let you shoot certain shots that are more
like dove hunting. For instance, shooting the clay running
rabbit is probably not going to help you much with the doves.
But most of the other shots, except maybe the springing teal,
will help improve your dove hunting tremendously.
While we are talking about shooting, be sure to use the same
gun and loads you are going to use opening day. This may
sound like unnecessary advice, but I have seen people practice
with different guns and loads than they used opening day.
One last bit of advice. Don't over exert in the heat.
Heatstroke can be deadly. Wear a hat, and drink plenty of
fluids, expecially water and the gatorade type drinks.
Stay in the shade during the hottest part of the day.
The doves will be in the trees during the middle of the day,
and you will get just as many shots in the motel room or the
cafe as you will out in the fields. The birds will not start
flying until the middle of the afternoon, so you might as
well rest yourself.
If you don't have a good place to hunt, now is the time to
start looking. If you use an outfitter or guide, you need to
book early. People in Texas are serious about their dove
hunting and good outfitters fill up early.
I have hunted in West Texas for over twenty years, and that
area is some of the best dove hunting in Texas!! Especially
the area around Sweetwater. One of the best outfitters
in the country is Robert Echols, with Echo Leisure Sports.
If you contact Robert now, he should be able to book you
in a hunt. I have been on hunts with Robert from opening
weekend, middle of the season, end of season and every
other available time he had. We have never had a bad hunt
with his group. The reason, he has a lot of land to hunt,
and he hunts different areas every trip. This gives the
birds a chance to regroup after you bust them up.
If you want to book a hunt with one of the best dove hunting
outfitters in Texas, give Robert Echols a call.
or look him up on his website:
Echo Leisure Sports-Best Dove Hunting In Texas.
or call Robert Echols at: Phone: 903-663-9181 Fax: 903-663-6707
Wayne Hartt