Dove Round?
- Thread starter Ian2005
- Start date
wolverine350
New member
A good 1 1/8 ounce load in 7 1/2's work great
castnblast
New member
Stay away from the super speed rounds. They have less shot. I prefer a 7.5. w/ 1 1/8 oz of shot. for 12, and 1oz for 20. Pattern density is key over speed for doves.
Unless steel is mandated for the field you are on, use lead. Hunters have been shooting (and eating) fowl for hundreds of years and I have yet to hear of a single case of lead poisoning among hunters due to accidental ingestion. I have bit down on a pellet, but then I spit it out.
I participated in a study of lead poisoning in Doves at a public dove field that has held annual hunts for over 30 years. NO evidence of any significant lead levels was found in any bird.
I love the environment and I have a Bachelor's in Wildlife Management with a Master's degree and 21 graduate hours in Ecology but the Environmentalists often make mountains out of mole-hills. Since they can't seem to pick their battles wisely, they just come across as the nut-jobs that they are.
JMHO, of course.
I participated in a study of lead poisoning in Doves at a public dove field that has held annual hunts for over 30 years. NO evidence of any significant lead levels was found in any bird.
I love the environment and I have a Bachelor's in Wildlife Management with a Master's degree and 21 graduate hours in Ecology but the Environmentalists often make mountains out of mole-hills. Since they can't seem to pick their battles wisely, they just come across as the nut-jobs that they are.
JMHO, of course.
FirstFreedom
Moderator
You guys running with cylinder bore, improved, improved-modified, or modified this year for doves?
I'm going with 7.5 shot & 20 ga, and probably improved.
I'm going with 7.5 shot & 20 ga, and probably improved.
Yeaaa!!! Dove seaon!!!
I loves me some dove shootin'. Dove eatin', too. And the coolest part is, my 8 year old daughter loves to eat them, too. 2-3 more years, and she'll be heading into the field with me.
Anyhoo, as to loads:
I like a 1 1/8 oz, ~1200 fps 12 gauge load, #7.5 shot. I've tried #8s, and they just don't kill birds as well. I had to twist way too many, even with 2 or 3 chest and side hits. Heck, I had to twist one that I'd hit in the head! The bigger shot gives a much better DBI (Dead Before Impact) percentage. I like the mid-velocity load because my gun and I both shoot it well, it kicks very lightly, and kills birds dead. I'm not really convinced that more velocity is as big an advantage with a shotgun as it is with rifles and pistols. I haven't researched that, though, it's just a field impression.
I don't shoot cheap promo loads at anything, game or clay, unless I have to. Been there, done that, and I hit noticeably better with a quality handload or premium factory shells. Cheap shotshells suck.
Dad shoots a maximum velocity 1 1/4 oz #7.5 load (WSF powder), but he's 6" taller than me, and outweighs me by at least 80 pounds.
I pretty much stick with IC choke, but we usually hunt in a gully between several farms that's only about 60 - 80 yards wide. Birds beyond the midpoint are for the guys on the other side.
Doves seem hard to kill for such a small bird, and they are definitely tough to hit. Sure are fun, though!!
--Shannon
I loves me some dove shootin'. Dove eatin', too. And the coolest part is, my 8 year old daughter loves to eat them, too. 2-3 more years, and she'll be heading into the field with me.
Anyhoo, as to loads:
I like a 1 1/8 oz, ~1200 fps 12 gauge load, #7.5 shot. I've tried #8s, and they just don't kill birds as well. I had to twist way too many, even with 2 or 3 chest and side hits. Heck, I had to twist one that I'd hit in the head! The bigger shot gives a much better DBI (Dead Before Impact) percentage. I like the mid-velocity load because my gun and I both shoot it well, it kicks very lightly, and kills birds dead. I'm not really convinced that more velocity is as big an advantage with a shotgun as it is with rifles and pistols. I haven't researched that, though, it's just a field impression.
I don't shoot cheap promo loads at anything, game or clay, unless I have to. Been there, done that, and I hit noticeably better with a quality handload or premium factory shells. Cheap shotshells suck.
Dad shoots a maximum velocity 1 1/4 oz #7.5 load (WSF powder), but he's 6" taller than me, and outweighs me by at least 80 pounds.
I pretty much stick with IC choke, but we usually hunt in a gully between several farms that's only about 60 - 80 yards wide. Birds beyond the midpoint are for the guys on the other side.
Doves seem hard to kill for such a small bird, and they are definitely tough to hit. Sure are fun, though!!
--Shannon
castnblast
New member
Heck, take your 8 year old now...You wait 2-3 years, she'll loose the desire...Train em early....Besides, they make great bird dogs... I take my 4 year old, and he loves it...My 2 year old daughter gets to go next year...
BTW. I like improved cylinder...Works great...again, 7.5, like above seems to kill em better...If I'm hunting an area w/ a lot of whitewings, I go to 6's, because they are a lot bigger than morning doves, and tend to fly w/ their oxygen masks on...
I take my 4 year old, and he loves it...My 2 year old daughter gets to go next year...BTW. I like improved cylinder...Works great...again, 7.5, like above seems to kill em better...If I'm hunting an area w/ a lot of whitewings, I go to 6's, because they are a lot bigger than morning doves, and tend to fly w/ their oxygen masks on...
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Dove report - day after opening -
Up at o-dark-thirty, met up with fellow hunters who told stories of doom and gloom on opening day (out of some 30 people, only 12 dove were taken). Undeterred but worried I just wasted $$ and time, and sleep, I went on and followed the guide who dropped us on our stretch or road which was told looked good yesterday morning; Well we watched & waited, and walked, and waited some more, eventually going to new area's to check as well - I saw 3 total this morning. Three. And off they went before I could walk in close enough.
Apparently, there has been so much rain as of late that the farmers are waiting to harvest the rice, so there's not food all over the ground on the road as there would normally be if they had hauled it in. Also if there is a thunderstorm the night before your hunt, chances are the dove don't want to be wet either (or so I'm guessing).
Yes the dove hunting for Katy Texas has been horrible this opening weekend and I can only hope things dry up around here as I certainly would like to say at least I have "tried" dove hunting. Also note, if it was duck season, we would have reached out bag limits on teal before 7am. Crazy.
Up at o-dark-thirty, met up with fellow hunters who told stories of doom and gloom on opening day (out of some 30 people, only 12 dove were taken). Undeterred but worried I just wasted $$ and time, and sleep, I went on and followed the guide who dropped us on our stretch or road which was told looked good yesterday morning; Well we watched & waited, and walked, and waited some more, eventually going to new area's to check as well - I saw 3 total this morning. Three. And off they went before I could walk in close enough.
Apparently, there has been so much rain as of late that the farmers are waiting to harvest the rice, so there's not food all over the ground on the road as there would normally be if they had hauled it in. Also if there is a thunderstorm the night before your hunt, chances are the dove don't want to be wet either (or so I'm guessing).
Yes the dove hunting for Katy Texas has been horrible this opening weekend and I can only hope things dry up around here as I certainly would like to say at least I have "tried" dove hunting. Also note, if it was duck season, we would have reached out bag limits on teal before 7am. Crazy.
+1
I've had a lot of luck with #8's as well. When using my 11-87, I'll use a hi-brass shell (7-1/2, 3-3/4dr., 3-1/4oz) for my third shot.
I hunted NE of Houston (Mont Belvieu area) and limited out by noon. Hunting was great. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good, but with dove its feast or famine.
Fat White Boy
New member
I use the Remington game loads for my 12 ga- 1 1/8 oz of 7 1/2 shot with 3 1/4 dram equivalent bought at Walmart, 100 round pack for $16.00 more or less. I got a limit of 10 dove by 8:00AM at Blythe on the Colorado River. I use a Remington 1100 with a 26" barrel and Improved cylinder choke. I use this same set up for quail, chukar, pheasant and waterfowl including geese. I change to #4 shot for mountain quail, chukar, pheasant and waterfowl(Steel). For geese, I use T or F steel shot if legal. The IC choke works just fine for all.