Well had my first successful hunt

[Bask]

Went out this morning to Dulzura area to go after some doves. I'm pretty new at hunting in general been out a maybe 8 times for rabbits and quail with no luck.
Started out hiking at sunrise probably passed on some shots I shouldn't have but was able to get two in a couple of hours of moving about. One of them and the first one I shot I wasn't able to recover, it went into some massive bush, spent 20min trying to find it but no luck. Kinda put a damper on it all, first thing I finally shoot I cant even find it. :/ Learned real quick to hunt where I know recovery wouldn't be near impossible.

While its only one dove I was able to take home, happy to have taken it and finally gotten something too show for the all these trips where I have gotten nothing but those trips weren't a waste I guess as they were what lead me to know this spot was holding doves.

Got a couple questions though, since I'm new to this if there are other hunters in the area(also dove hunting) what distance do you keep from them? I tried to maintain at least ~150yds or so and made sure I wasn't shooting in their direction. Also using size 6 and 7 steel, whats the max range you take shots at? I'm still trying to figure out what is a good distance.
Any and all other tips or advice welcome! headed back out tomorrow, hopefully get enough to make some poppers.

 

[Bask]

Also tasted livery, only after the fact did I read up that people brine them for a day. But I'm not adverse to liver so enjoyed it anyways

 

[GUNDOGLOVER49]

While jump shooting dove is fun, you would be better off finding a flyway. Dove will fly from roost to feed and water and back in a flyway. If you can find that flyway you'll just need to stand there and wait for them to come by.

 

[HATCHET1]

My kinda hunt dude..strong work!

 

[Bask]

While jump shooting dove is fun, you would be better off finding a flyway. Dove will fly from roost to feed and water and back in a flyway. If you can find that flyway you'll just need to stand there and wait for them to come by.

Yeah I kinda started to notice that over the course of the morning before it died out, seemed the valley I was hunting they were really only moving through two areas, I'll try setting up tomorrow in one of them. Thanks for the tip

 

[punkur67]

Also tasted livery, only after the fact did I read up that people brine them for a day. But I'm not adverse to liver so enjoyed it anyways

Great hob getting out there. Congratulations on the first kill!

I Bleed mine out in ice water for 8-12 hours, then ice milk for another 8-12. Marinate in teriyaki, then either pineapple or cream cheese and jalapeños between the breasts, bacon wrap, back in teriyaki till I'm ready to grill. Hands down my favorite way to cook them

 

[Bask]

My kinda hunt dude..strong work!

thankyou! I know its not much, but still happy with it, wish I could have found the first one

 

[Bask]

Great hob getting out there. Congratulations on the first kill!

I Bleed mine out in ice water for 8-12 hours, then ice milk for another 8-12. Marinate in teriyaki, then either pineapple or cream cheese and jalapeños between the breasts, bacon wrap, back in teriyaki till I'm ready to grill. Hands down my favorite way to cook them

if I get more tomorrow ill give this a go, time wise would line up well for monday bbq

 

[ilovesprig]

Congrats on that 1st bird....

150 yds is a good rule of thumb.

I like Steel 7's...Remember this a small bird...So density in your pattern is way more important than a heavier pellet for soft feathered bird.

I like like to keep them within 30 yds or so...Steel does not have the down range energy that lead has.

Invest in a dove spinner...Being in the flyway isn't always possible...Make the birds come to you anytime to can.

Don't over cook any dark meat or white meat for that matter...There is very little to no fat in most wild game.

If you get 4 or 5...Try rapping in bacon...That many can be a complete meal.,.There's a number of ways with bacon.

Good luck tomorrow.

 

[garlicsalt]

Don't over cook it. Your one bird looks delicious to me. You want them nice and pink in the middle, med rare at most. When I only have a few birds I like to pluck them whole remove the guts and cook on the grill. the legs, skin and popes nose are small but the best part.

REMEMBER to lead them. 9-2 is your day, report back.

 

[Bask]

Well finished my second dove hunt this morning, ended up with 3 in the bag, so an improvement. I think the biggest improvement though was shot opportunity. Fired way more and in turned missed way more than yesterday These day 2 doves are the ones that know how to bob and weave...

That said I think the increase in opportunity came from changing up how I hunted the field. Day one I just kind of walked around with no real direction or purpose. Day two I tried breaking up the valley and hills into sections and working an area at a time.

Only one other person there this morning while on the first there was ~8.

 

[Bask]

Invest in a dove spinner...Being in the flyway isn't always possible...Make the birds come to you anytime to can.

Yeah I was reading about some mojo spinner or something, saw on amazon more than 5k were sold in the month of august, so probably something I should look into

 

[OnTwoWheels89]

Nice work! I am an beginner hunter as well and learned the same lesson about shooting where you can recover last year. Keep at it and good luck out there!

 

[HortoTheSlayer]

Those buggers do fly fast as hell..think some refer to them as silver bullets.

Just remember..if you lead the bead they won't go 20!

Way to keep after it..You'll learn and keep improving.

 

[GUNDOGLOVER49]

Yeah I was reading about some mojo spinner or something, saw on amazon more than 5k were sold in the month of august, so probably something I should look into

Put several stationary decoys on the ground and in the bushes near robo dove. Just be careful not to shoot decoys. Ask me how I know.

 

[Bask]

Put several stationary decoys on the ground and in the bushes near robo dove. Just be careful not to shoot decoys. Ask me how I know.

haha Im sure I can guess as to how you know.

 

[duck-boy]

Also tasted livery, only after the fact did I read up that people brine them for a day. But I'm not adverse to liver so enjoyed it anyways

As others have said, don't over cook it. You can go crazy with marinades and brines all you want but if you over cook it, it will taste livery. I keep mine simple. Wrap it with bacon to protect it from overcooking and give it some fat. No liver taste whatsoever. Big props to you for going out there and doing it. PS, ignore the BFT in the pic....

 

[Bask]

PS, ignore the BFT in the pic....

I will never ignore BFT sir. What did you get it on?

 

[duck-boy]

I will never ignore BFT sir. What did you get it on?

I didn't, my buddy gave me it. My first and probably only trip for the year will be in Nov on a 2 day.

 

[drevolver4]

Congratulations on your dove hunt success! It's common to have a learning curve in hunting. Maintaining at least 150 yards from other hunters is a good practice for safety. For dove hunting with size 6 and 7 steel shot, a range of 20-35 yards is typical, but it's essential to practice and know your shotgun's effective range. Keep improving your skills, and enjoy your future hunts!