We do a bit of dove jump shooting from time to time, too.
When you're not doing "A BIT" of jump shooting, just how do you hunt 'them' the rest of the time...?? ......
We hunt them over fields where they are coming to feed, and to a
lesser degree, over small watering holes. Watering holes are only productive heah in Jawja if it is dry, which is fairly common in Oct. and Nov. In the early season we shoot over sunflower and corn fields, but during the last season, which just ended a week ago today, we shoot mostly peanut fields, sometimes grain sorghum. I should add, HARVESTED corn and peanut fields. Peanuts is a very high energy food for doves which they need much more during the colder late season.
All y best, Stan
I spend a lot of time scouting harvested fields for doves each year. I really enjoy scouting and trying to determine if enough birds are feeding in a particular field to warrant getting up a group of from 6 or 8 to 25 or 30 guns for a shoot. Part of the fun of scouting the fields is also determining what time of the day they are feeding. It changes greatly with the weather.
Although dove shooting in my part of the world is usually thought of as a very social affair I do a fair amount alone. I have used the Mojo rotating wing dove decoys since the first year they were introduced and have found in the ensuing seasons that one can have a fine old time all by one's self in a large peanut field by using the Mojo and a few stationary decoys. Also works good at a waterhole. Not uncommon for me to have a very good afternoon's shoot in a 90 acre field by sitting under a center pivot irrigation system and putting my decoys up on top of the pivot's main pipeline. Doves will fly into the field heading towards another part of the field and see the decoys and turn and fly straight to me.
I have farmed for my living for the last 39 years which gives me great opportunities to spot and scout birds. Doves are a great joy to me, and fast becoming so for my 8 yr. old grandson, Jackson.
