How do you shoot dove?

[RifleBowPistol]

What's your technique?

I just blast into the sky and have fun almost never hitting anything. Mostly because I may only get 3 birds fly over in 1.5 hours so I get excited

But starting to think I may want to try and actually hit a flying bird or two.

So what are the secrets?

Your dove hunting sounds like our dove hunts, when I was a kid. We would sit near the fence, under mesquite trees, that grew along the fence. That was the only cover on the farm. We would sit near the creek, and not far from the sorghum field. About the only cover around, were the mesquite trees along the fence line. You would think we had a great place to hunt dove.

But our dove hunting was not great, we would only see dove maybe one to three birds every couple of hours. They would either be flying down the fence line so we would not see them till they were coming over the trees right around us. So everybody was running for their shotguns, then running out into the field, to try and get shots as the birds kept flying down the fence line.

The other scenario was we would see a dove flying very fast and low about 80 to 120 yards out across the field. For those shots I had a full choke screwed in my gun and used Express long range 6 shot. I was actually pretty good at killing those birds. I would have to hold way over and lead the birds a lot, but usually by the third shot, I had my lead and hold over figured out and was able to drop the bird. The birds would be close enough to the ground, I could see the dust clouds where the shot was hitting. That's how I knew how much more lead and hold over I needed to add.

[Bayouboy]

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.c...1&d=1631366791

^^^^^

[hoythunter02]

Beer… lots of beer. I get better by the hour!

This

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[toomuchsun]

I tried a new shotgun. 2 trips. Roughly 12 shells to break in and realize can not hit even an easy target yet with it . Might try my cast net? Save the shells for the ones that land at my feet.
I did have an old Sears High Standard 20 gauge that I could hit with rough average 1 bird out of or 4 or 5 shots. Long gone. Why oh why? Still love wasting lead. and my buddies, them chiggers. My only friends who really care for me, very much I might add.

[Lynn21]

I hit em in the eye…

[Muddy Bud]

By the looks of it, it may be a kayak.

[tminc]

Shoot them in the head,and always remember Bass lives matter!

[Super Stroked]

shoot at em till you get a limit or run out of shells! hahahaha

[El General]

Go to your local sporting clays range and get a lesson. Then shoot a bunch of clays. Then go shoot them doves. Swing faster than they fly.

[Dale Moser]

"3 Times...Every time!"


A couple years ago I took the employees dove hunting. Two of which were Yancey, a combat Marine who'd never fired a shotgun at a bird ever, and Nick a ~22ish year old kid who had been dove hunting twice before in his life, but hadn't yet killed one...


So we're setting on the trucks way laying birds and enjoying a barley pop or two, I'm done with my limit, Yancey and Nick are struggling but having a fine time. A suicidal bird floats straight over the truck at single digie yards high, and Yancey draws down.... He spends two shells with zero return on investment. I don't know if he forgot about door number 3, or if he was just trying to show some restraint in front of the boss, or what....but he left that 3rd one in the tube. Then Nick takes over.... Bang (870 pump action cycles, you know the sound), Bang (gun cycles).....Bang, and the bird miraculously drops stone dead at about 40 yards. As Nick is simultaneously refilling the old Remy with dove poison, and hopping off the tailgate to go fetch his 3rd dove in as many boxes of Sure Shot Heavy Doves, he looks over his shoulder at Yancey with a proud smirk, and with all the confidence of a 30yr dove killin vet shooting a limit with a box of .410s exclaims...."Takes 3 Bro!"

I laughed until I nearly fell off the truck, maybe you had to be there, but lord it cracked me up.

[tigerscowboy]

Instinct and think follow-thru.

If I didn't have 12 with a box of shells, Dad was disappointed. We shot a lot of field clays year round.

I'll get rusty now, but it comes back after some focus and effort.

[deano70]

One at a time is how I do it.

I know. I know. Surprised no one has said this yet.

[ram04]

The best tip I ever learned was to start your bead behind the target then start swinging through the target, when you see daylight pull the trigger never slowing or stopping your swing.

[toomuchsun]

The best tip I ever learned was to start your bead behind the target then start swinging through the target, when you see daylight pull the trigger never slowing or stopping your swing.

that is good. I forgot about that. It works. Many (me) start off with a lead but up down is off. This works. I litterally forgot this lesson. Thanks. Will use. I had years of no real hunting and trying to get back at it.

[Smart]

Why would anyone want to shoot a bird that represents peace and love?

That is the white ones...the gray ones are the devil's birds because they make me say bad words..