Over hunt dove field?

[CWendling]

So, this was something Id never heard or considered I guess. Is it possible to over hunt a field in a weekend or two to the point dove wont fly near it? I guess in all my years, Ive usually only had access to one or two places to hunt in a season. Usually go opening weekend and maybe one or two other weekends and thats it. Sometimes its good, sometimes its not. Heard someone saying that if you hit a field over say 2 weekends in a row, its ruined and the dove will move somewhere else. Any thoughts?

[Smart]

Of course.....the dove are migratory birds. They get shot at enough and they are going to move on down the road. You can overhunt a field in a single weekend.

You always hope to have some to replace those that die or leave from up north after fronts but you need the right food, water and shelter situation for that to happen.

[stinkbelly]

We hunt the same field every single Saturday and Sunday through the entire season and it doesn't affect them.

[eradicator]

Of course.....the dove are migratory birds. They get shot at enough and they are going to move on down the road. You can overhunt a field in a single weekend.

You always hope to have some to replace those that die or leave from up north after fronts but you need the right food, water and shelter situation for that to happen.

agreed

[ColinR]

One or 2 guns on a field not bother them too much but if you load a field up with people and they blast away all weekend it will definitely effect the birds. I've even seen it change from a morning hunt to evening.

[iamntxhunter]

I think it depends on how many hunters you have and the size of the field as well as how good the population is and how soon new birds are migrating in but yes you can over hunt a field in a weekend.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

[Artos]

It's all about the pressure you put on them...the % of birds that get into the field, eat & do not get shot at on the way in or out?? These birds will come back.

I've hunted the same field all season & never ran them off but it was very low pressure over a large field...you surround the entire field with hunters like we do at WWA, then yes most of the birds feeding on the opening weekend won't be back by Monday. However, if the entire Rio Grande Valley's population is getting hammered like it does with a monstrous population, then they move around and find the groceries during the week. You have a new colony & we have a great 2nd weekend.

If you want to preserve a location, I've always been a proponent of hunting the perimeter of a field so the non pressured birds can get in and feed & get out...hunting in the center or driving the field in a 4 wheeler to stir up the birds will send them to roost hungry & to other locations.

[Farmdog]

Over hunt? Easily...its not Argentina

[AddisonOil]

Best time to bird hunt is Monday/Thursday when all the cidiots are at home.

[Razrbk89]

Our field is great on opening weekend, then declines pretty quickly.

[trash2]

Get out the field by 5 or so and let them come in to feed, no one seems to do this here. We have to baby our doves over to the right a few states..

[hoythitman]

I don't know. I'm leaning towards no. The field next to us last year, there was 20-30 people a day every weekend shooting cases of shells. We jokingly named it the WW3 field. It seriously sounded like a battlefield, it never slowed down up there until late first season, but everything slows down around here at that time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Low Fence]

Morning hunts are the fastest way to burn out a field. By letting them feed in the morning, most will return before roosting. You hunt them the fly off.. maybe eat close by.. maybe not and go to roost

Hunt in the morning the leave go close by... maybe far off depending on pressure and food. Then return there for the evening... some will also relocate their roost closer to new unpressured location.

A good barn burner in the morning I my experience takes 2-3 weeks to depending on migration to restock. A barn burner evening hunt I don't typically see a big difference in numbers hunting it every 5-7 days, sooner with good bird migration

[bowhntrmatt]

We have a place that was on fire a few years back. My brother and I would show up early, like 4pm, shoot our limits by 5, and bug out so all the late birds never got pressured. There were usually 2-6 people and always hammered them. We shot over 600 dove off the place that season.

The following year, the neighbor had gotten word, and hunted their side of the fence 4-5 days a week all season. It's never been as good since. (Small, long/narrow tracts of land)

[JTeLarkin08]

Seems to me if you hit almost all of the ones you shoot at the ones who know your there wont be flying back in