Find the dove buffet

The best wing-shooting on Labor Day weekend will usually be in fields where doves have discovered a solid food source. You need to join them.

With an estimated population of 275 million in North America, the mourning dove is one of the most-abundant and recognizable birds in the land. In the south, Labor Day weekend brings hunters from all walks of life into fields for the opening day of the dove season.

While some hunters target deer and turkey, and others painfully anticipate the arrival of the first wave of blue-winged teal, every shotgun-carrying Mississippian goes dove hunting, even if just on the opening weekend. Across the Magnolia State, the opening day of dove season brings more hunters out of hiding  than any other single hunting day.

For diehard dove hunters, the opening day festivities are scheduled well in advance with a local dove club membership, where the fields are prepared and ready for the opening day blitz. For many others, a good shoot is just a short drive away from home on both public and private lands.

Learn how to find a good field and where the best places to set up are to reach a quick 15-bird limit during the first season.

Even though doves are considered migratory birds, the dove migration is considered less dramatic than the big move south by waterfowl, according to Michael Hook, a small-game biologist with a wildlife agency in one southeastern state.

Dove hunters surrounding cut grain fields are bound to get some good shooting on Labor Day weekend.

“Doves tend to get a lot of focus in our … department,” Hook said. “We started banding doves in 2003 in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The band returns are giving us more information than we would otherwise know — like harvest rates, population estimates and migration data.”

Banding program

Between 30,000 to 50,000 doves are banded annually across the country. According to 15 years of band-recovery data, the overwhelming majority of the annual dove harvest is resident birds, not those migrating from northern states.

“Field collection from the banding program runs between July 1 and Aug. 15,” Hook said. “Most of our band returns come from 5 to 10 miles from where initially captured. The birds aren’t moving a whole lot this time of year. We had 110 band returns last year; only eight were killed out of state, and they were all from adjacent states.

“However, the birds may certainly migrate regionally to the south into neighboring states if they survive the initial season. More often, birds from the north migrate into our area due to harsh winter conditions, and that isn’t generally until November or December. Our resident flocks will remain local if the food remains available and if the weather remains favorable.”

The bottom line is, the majority of the birds available for the first part of dove season live fairly close to where they were hatched. For the best opening day opportunity, hunters need to pay close attention to where doves have been all summer. The best habitat will attract and keep the largest flocks around.

Power lines and other above-ground structures that line or cut through dove fields will attract plenty of birds, which often land on the lines to survey their feeding grounds.

“Doves need food, water and cover,” Hook said. “If they have everything they need, they aren’t going anywhere, but doves will not think twice about traveling long distances to find a more-stable food source or if hunting pressure increases.”

Food

Doves need a solid food source; they aren’t choosy when it comes to food, with seeds making up 99 percent of their daily intake. From native grass seeds and pokeberries to common agriculture grains, doves will stay around any available food source. Manicured crop fields filled with corn, watermelons, sunflowers or millet are a jackpot for doves seeking a reliable food source. Hunters should scout and find fields with abundant grain and a clean surface down below.

“A clean surface with seeds all over the ground makes it easy on them, since they can’t push through the heavy stuff with their small legs,” Hook said. “Keeping it clean is huge. They will not think twice about flying a long way if they need to find a better food source.”

For doves, size does matter, according to Doug Howell, migratory gamebird coordinator for another state wildlife agency in the southeast. Larger fields in heavy agriculture areas are typically the ones that will receive the most usage.

“Doves are strong fliers and prefer large expanses of open area for daily movements,” Howell said. “Fields that are 10 acres or (larger) tend to have the best potential for concentrating huntable numbers of birds — and the larger the better.”

Crops

Doves like to stay on a good food source when they can. Birds that have found one early in the summer will remain on it until the season opens or the groceries dissipate.

“If possible, cut the corn early and condition the birds to feeding early,” Hook said. “You will draw them in from a long distance, providing a solid food source before other fields mature.”

A good dove hunt is a great way to introduce youngsters to the sport of hunting.

Unfortunately, dove hunters don’t always have complete control over when crops are harvested and dove food becomes available, but they can scout to see what fields are cut early and ask permission to hunt. These fields will bring the birds in early and ensure a good hunt on opening day. And as long as the opening day pressure isn’t too severe, the birds will remain local, not having a reason to leave.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 14 million doves are harvested, the large majority during the first segment of the season. If there was ever a time to get a piece of the action, the first season is by far the best time to set a target on a limit of doves.

Dove field-ology

The best dove hunts always begin with a solid food source, from native grasses and forbs to carbohydrate-rich grains in agriculture fields.

But it takes more than just a seed buffet to have a good dove hunt. Where there is strategy to tag a Boone & Crockett buck, dove hunters have proven tactics they can utilize to get a quick 15-bird limit for the crock pot.

The best dove shoots are generally in fields 10 acres or larger. The bigger the fields, the more hunters needed to keep birds flying and off the feeding grounds. A general rule of thumb is one hunter per 1 to 1 1/2 acres. Hunters should be placed in a grid system, and if extra hunters are available, they should be placed along the perimeter, no closer than 50 yards apart. As long as enough hunters are available to cover the field, the action should keep the birds moving and flying off the ground enough to have a good shoot.

But hunters aren’t always as abundant as needed especially when a very large field is selected for a hunt. While doves will fly into the field and swoop down to land, they will often fly to a high perch first to scout the area out for predators before they land. These high perches can be deadly positions to hide hunters. Look also for power lines, interior tree lines, individual trees, rooftops or anything adjacent to the food where birds can perch before landing to feed. High perches can be deadly places to take a quick limit.

The right spot

Water sources are also perfect places to draw in birds, especially when the weather is seasonably hot. Small ponds or depressions in a field can be hot places. The best water sources are ones with exposed mud banks that provide a clean landing and drinking area for doves.

Every hunter who has invested hours in a dove field in September notices that some people are always in a better place than others. Doves will travel along a familiar flight path to a food source. When hunters are lucky enough to be in the right spot, they will tend to get their limit much earlier than hunters several rows away. When hunting with a large group, successful hunters should leave the field when they fill their limit, allowing other hunters to move to the hottest spot. If a small group of hunters is covering a field, and they notice a predictable flight path, they should try to move to better cover that pattern.

The best way to maximize a field’s potential is to scout the field before opening day and draw out a diagram/map. While winging it can bring intermittent success, strategic planning can make a better experience for the entire group.

Dove Field Hunting Tips

  • Utilize one hunter per 1 1/2 acres.
  • Hunt near perching structures: power lines, ditches and tree line.
  • Monitor flight patterns and reposition as needed.
  • Hunt near water holes with exposed mud banks.
  • Keep all shots above a 45-degree angle from the ground to ensure safe hunting.

Don’t give up on doves after Labor Day

For many hunters, the first day of dove season is often also the last day, as they quickly shift their attention to deer and the excellent fishing that September generally provides. While the dove population takes a major hit on Labor Day weekend, the rest of the season shouldn’t be ignored.

Doves don’t enjoy being a target at their kitchen table. If the shooting doesn’t subside quickly, they will find a new place to feed without guns blazing every time they try to get a kernel of corn in their craws. It doesn’t take long to send a flock of doves off into the sunset, but most will flee to the nearest substantial food source where they can feed undisturbed by hunters.

Doves will flock to fields with solid food sources; for productive hunts later in the season, find fields that aren’t cut until after Labor Day weekend.
Doves will flock to fields with solid food sources; for productive hunts later in the season, find fields that aren’t cut until after Labor Day weekend.

After Labor Day weekend, hunters can scan the countryside for fields that haven’t been harvested or hunted. You may not see doves dive-bombing these fields, but they will often give away their location by resting on nearby power lines and in trees surrounding the field.

Hunters with access to multiple, productive fields should try to hold back a field or two through the early season assault until the time is right for a mid-season hunt. Often, these fields will serve as sanctuaries where hundreds of birds will gather when the sound of shotguns abounds everywhere else.

Even though the Labor Day weekend hunts seem to have fizzled out, there can be plenty of great places to find doves throughout the rest of the season.

About Jeff Burleson 26 Articles
Jeff Burleson is a native of Lumberton, N.C., who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He graduated from N.C. State University with a degree in fisheries and wildlife sciences and is a certified biologist and professional forester for Southern Palmetto Environmental Consulting.