Originally Posted by
elkman30
If you have questions ask them. People are willing to answer questions. When you post information as if you already know the answers, people are less likely to answer any questions. It's great to read stuff (we all do) but consider the source and date. One of your links above is for 2008 article on dove hunting areas. Things have almost certainly changed in 13 years. Also, just because a dove hunting area is crowded doesn't mean you can't use it to your advantage. Sometimes those other hunters end up pushing doves towards you.
I really didn't intend this thread to be a question-asking session, but more of a conversation piece that others can chime in on however they feel. But I will cut to the chase and start posing some questions now if elkman thinks I should do that:
Does anybody here like the clothing and gear of the man in the dove video posted?
What do you think of his decoy setup, his dog blind and the game bags he's wearing?
How might you dove hunt differently in terms of gear?
Is there more up-to-date dove-hunting information in books, videos, magazines and online articles that you recommend?
Is there anything at you could give as helpful advise to a noobie interested in going for dove?
I just meant that I was impressed with that man's dove setup though I have yet to achieve any hands-on dove-shooting experience. All my knowledge is theoretical, I'm afraid. The video seems to indicate that that man is very successful the way he is going about his dove shoot. His dog's performance is spot on. That pretty red Golden retriever looks like something of the Holy Grail to me for a serious wing-shooter. I would like to dress like that man if I was to get into doves unless somebody here thinks there is something even better. I ordered my new Mossy 500 as a combo. It sports a tactical barrel for home security and field barrel in case I should get into feathered game. It's a bird gun and an anti-burglar gun in one. Feathered game is just something I've been pondering over getting into lately. Doves, I've read, are the most challenging to hit. My new shotgun is a 12 ga. which is what Mr. Dickey in his dove book recommends for dove greenhorns. I still have to go to a skeet field and practice too. Doves, however, can be hunted fairly on the cheap especially on public lands. Mr. Dickey says dove hunting doesn't require a bunch of fancy or expensive equipment to get going to boot.
I know something by what I've read so far but I don't claim to know everything about dove. Mr. Dickey's book came out 45 years ago. There were game regulations then and there are now. You had to scout for birds then and you do now. You had to ask landowners for permission then and you still do now. I think the hunting skills, retriever training methods and scouting skills are more or less the same. I don't think doves have evolved to have gotten much cagier or cleverer and tougher to hit than in 1976. Mr. Dickey strongly recommends dogs to prevent unrecovered game and waste. The only thing that might have changed the most over 45 years is: guns, loads, chokes, clothing, decoys and other dove gear. Mr. Dickey mentioned camo clothing even in 1976. But there is probably expensive unnecessary stuff on today's market. I don't see a departure from wearing camo by the current dove videos I watch on on YouTube.