Will doves come to un-cut soybean field?

J

Joshua 2415

New member
A few buddies and I have the opportunity to hunt doves on opening day at a private farm. We would have a large soybean field all to ourselves. However, the beans have not been cut, and they likely won't be cut by opening day.

Will doves still come to the un-cut soybean field? Or are we wasting our time?

Alternatively, we could go to a public WMA field where the birds will surely be flying, but we will be shoulder to shoulder with a million other hunters.

If you had this choice, what would you do?
 
I'd get a mojo dove and go to the private field. I'd rather hang out with buddies on a nice fall day on a private farm and fire 5 shots than fire 25 (ok ok, it's doves, better make that 50) and fight for position, parking, etc, etc, etc... and more etc.
 
crowds

I hate crowds, bad ethics and slob hunting, which you may well see on public land on an opener. But I'd think that doves will go to cut fields , where there is more and easier obtained food, first. You may spend a long afternoon in the heat, with little action, despite the company, if there are more preferred food locales nearby.

Your landowner has to cut that field sometime.......can you stand to hold off on it 'till conditions are better? I might tough out public land for a few hours, to hunt your honey hole under better conditions.
 
Waste of time.

Doves don't come to cut soybeans very well, much less un-cut. Besides, even if you manage to shoot a few passing birds, you won't be able to find them.

I've hunted doves all my life and I've never done any good over soybeans. Sunflower, millet and corn are the best. I have hunted lots of public fields and some of them aren't too bad with slobs, newbies and crowds. I've actually had some really great hunts on public land. I've also had some bad experiences and some poor hunting. It seems like the DNR around here only makes a half-hearted effort.

I've tried to find a good field this year and have come up empty. I'll probably be on a public field or a youth hunt on opening day myself.
 
Doves don't walk around well and generally don't care abut uncut soybean or corn or milo uncut. However I have had some good dove hunts near them when other things draw them, whether it be a pond, brush hogged weeks, or a dusty feed lot. I hut the opener every year on a public area that will have 100 or folks with shotguns, have had some awesome hunts there. You do have to n play a little defense and be aware of n who is around you and pass on low flyers.
 
As MObuck noted soybean fields in MO are bug and green right now, don't know about where you are. The other thing is that if you did shoot a dove and it falls into a tall uncut field of soybeans it can be a bear to find them.
 
Doves are going to go to the best available food in the area. If the best food is uncut soybeans, your field will be great. If there is a cut milo field within 5 miles, you won't see a bird.
 
On opening weekend of dove season around here, I tend to go to water and avoid the crowds at the fields. Many times, it's just a puddle on the road a few hundred yards away from those same fields.
 
Agree with others that public land will be best dove hunting. Don't think doves will be using uncut soybeans. Even if they are you better have a dog if you want to find anything you shoot.
 
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