2018 Dove Season

[mcdaniel_isaiah]

How are everyone's fields looking for this weekend? I hunt a few private fields in Hartford and have seen very few birds compared to the last few years, we have access to some cut wheat and corn, but the birds just aren't in there like last year. Anyone else seeing fewer birds than normal?

 

[MoonLab]

welcome aboard. I havent dove hunted in awhile. i went TOO one in Paters Park. alot of birds there.

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

They're flying pretty consistent behind the house. Plenty of pictures of them on the trail cam as well....

 

[mcdaniel_isaiah]

Interesting, I guess we are a little baffled as we have a cut wheat field near a water and graveling source, but the birds just aren't using it like last year. There are a few hundred killdeer in the field daily, and some pidgeons but very few doves (atleast in the afternoon). Last year two days before opening day we had half the population of doves in Ohio working the field, my buddy and I counted as best we could for kicks and giggles but stopped around 1000 birds.

We won't be dove hunting opening day as we usually teal and goose hunt a public swamp then, so we are hunting sunday and monday, meaning we aren't going to go to any public land as they will likely be ravaged from the day before. Anything we could do to help bring the birds in?

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

You could deploy some decoys and pray....

 

[CJD3]

An addicting recreation for sure!

 

[Sgt Fury]

My neighbor of the property that I have in Vinton county sent me video from his cell phone and there are doves flying everywhere. He was jumping a lot of them as he was walking the edge of the field. He told me to get my license and come out but I had to decline, as I save my vacation for deer hunting. Definitely will take him up on that when I retire!

 

[MoonLab]

lol @OhioWhiteTails

 

[MoonLab]

My neighbor of the property that I have in Vinton county sent me video from his cell phone and there are doves flying everywhere. He was jumping a lot of them as he was walking the edge of the field. He told me to get my license and come out but I had to decline, as I save my vacation for deer hunting. Definitely will take him up on that when I retire!

hell yeah its alot of fun

 

[giles]

Welcome. Doves seem fine down here in SW Ohio.

 

[Sgt Fury]

Aaaaaand go......

 

[mcdaniel_isaiah]

@Sgt Fury, want to give me his number? Haha just kidding. Looks like we just need to do some more scouting then. Two years ago is when my buddies and I got hooked on it, we would get out before classes and shoot our limits and come back to Columbus by 11. We may have just been spoiled for a few seasons.

 

[mcdaniel_isaiah]

On another note, do you guys usually go for the morning or the evening if you guys have private land? Due do my classes now I have not been able to actually scout during the early morning and late evening, so all I have seen is the state of our fields around 11 o'clock. This morning I jumped 6 birds out of one field and had 10 or so on the power lines near our other one, but none in the field. There was a dirt field near our field that had a few in it. Hopefully after class this evening I'll get out there to scout a bit.

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

I prefer the evening, but have buddies who go in the morning. I know that hunting in the evenings it helps to have good roosting trees nearby, pines are what I key in on if possible.

 

[MoonLab]

I went around noon-3 . we would stand on the tree line, one guy by us would fire one in air. while three of us aimed up and get ready too shoot. there was like 100 of them come out of the tree heading TOO the field and we start shooting at it.

 

[GoetsTalon]

Seems like there's a lot around this year. More than I have seen in the past few years here in northern Wood county.

 

[giles]

I think we figured out where all the doves you’re used to seeing went! “half the states population” dispersed again!!!

 

[jagermeister]

If hunting a food source, morning is the best. If hunting a roost, evening is obviously the best. Most of my hunts are over the food so I typically hunt in the mornings. With doves, there's usually a multiplication factor... However many you see in a field, multiply that by at least 5 and that's how many are actually showing up to feed. Especially if you're scouting late morning or early afternoon.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Because I've always been an asshole about my deer hunting, I've missed out on some prime dove hunting. I'm over the uber-deer-manager phase of my life and if we bump bucks this weekend, fugg it. I have my duck hunting buddies lined up to hit our farm and the neighbor's on Sunday morning. Just meander around the edges of the cornfields and try to kill some birds. See if my lazy house dog has any sense of hunting left in her basic lab genes. Basically, it'll just be a group of rednecks walking around with guns.

Good luck out there fellas!

 

[giles]

Because I've always been an asshole about my deer hunting, I've missed out on some prime dove hunting. I'm over the uber-deer-manager phase of my life and if we bump bucks this weekend, fugg it. I have my duck hunting buddies lined up to hit our farm and the neighbor's on Sunday morning. Just meander around the edges of the cornfields and try to kill some birds. See if my lazy house dog has any sense of hunting left in her basic lab genes. Basically, it'll just be a group of rednecks walking around with guns.

Good luck out there fellas!

Enjoy! More to it then just deer. Can’t wait to see the hero pic. You boys always have a good time.