George, at the risk of being excommunicated from this esteemed forum, I hunt doves in the manner W.W. Greener recommended, carrying hammer guns at full cock and carefully observing safe handling. After all, shouldn't all guns be treated as being lethal at all times until broken down and cased? I actually feel I am safer using a full cocked hammer gun because i am acutely aware of the situation and proper gun handling trumps everything else.
Hammer guns and dove were made for each other.
Source: "Modern Breechloaders and Their Use", W.W. Greener, available free on Google Books.
