Your Gun for Dove Opener?

D

Dave McC

Staff In Memoriam
Darn, I'm getting antsy. The opener is a couple weeks off and the things were flying all round work yesterday.

So what are you going to use?

Me, almost certainly the SKB 20 gauge O/U I just got.

Second choice, the Beretta O/U, my clay crusher.

Third, a couple 870s in 12 or 20 gauge.

All are good, I just haven't made meat with the SKB.

Yet.............
 
Remington 11-87, 26" barrel and a Mod choke. (my shoulder's been spoiled by the gas gun lately)

Bulk 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz 8's.

Backup:

Remington 870 28" barrel and a Mod choke. Same ammo.
 
We start later down here in the South - we get all the ones you folks up North missed as they migrate, so they're a little tougher and wiser. My S&W Elite Gold 20 SxS will fit the bill. If the shooting is hot and heavy, The Browning Ultra XS @ 7-1/4# will do nicely
 
If I were you ....I'd take 2 guns ....shoot one in the morning / a different one in the afternoon ...( probably the Beretta and the SKB ..) :D ....and try not to get too much blood on the new SKB ...

Personally... I would take one of my Browning O/U's an XS Skeet model / probably a 20ga or 28ga ..../ and I'd have the Benelli Super Sport 12ga in reserve ...just in case...

Have Fun ...
 
You guys are making me cry. I think it is easier to find a place to hunt moose down here than to find a dove field.
 
Good ol' Mossberg 500 pump

It will do the job if I do mine...which I usually don't with those fast little sumbeeches. I believe my problem is that I am not leading the birds enough.
 
Just a mossberg 500 pump 20 gauge. Its all i have and all i really need, although i do possibly see coach gun in the near future :)
 
Remington 1100 in 20Ga. and always take along my 870 Express in 12Ga., as a backup in case one of us has a problem. We have to go for Missouri's season as we can't hunt doves in Iowa. We also have a private club in Illinoise but sure have a great time, in Missouri. ..... :)



Be Safe !!!
 
I may be crazy for doing this, but I'm leaning toward the 410 1100. It's either that or stay home. I'll just have to watch my shots. Looks like I'll have to pay to play this year tho.
 
Around here, opening day shots are usually close-in with many akin to shooting Skeet's high-8 -- open chokes are great until the birds "smarten-up". I know you want to give the new SKB a run, but isn't it choked pretty tight for first day dove? For opening day's dawn, in your shoes, I'd go with your Beretta clay buster with open chokes and 1-oz of 8s or 9s. Actually, a 28-ga would be ideal if you had one. Save your SKB for a little later.
 
Rem. 1100 synthetic 12 ga./Fox Model B 12 ga. Doves don't like grass, silage fields are memories of the past here. I paid to hunt 30 miles away for the first time last season. It's a far cry from busting 4 or 5 coveys of quail while working our bird dogs in the early 1980's. Upland hunting is nearly gone in central NC. The saddest thing is that no one seems to care.

:( -7-
 
a7mmnut said:
Upland hunting is nearly gone in central NC. The saddest thing is that no one seems to care.
Click to expand...
I think it's partially the video game generation: Compared to a fast action single person shooter game, hunting takes too long and is boring -- the button pushers want instant gratification -- the video generation has very little patience. When was the last time you heard of someone taking his grandson fishing -- most kids these days can't sit still that long.
 
I dont think thats true at all. I play my fair share of video games and those games are a ton of fun, but its absolutely rediculous how fast the characters in those games reload and shoot hundreds of rounds in a minute or so with no muzzle climb. I'd much rather spend the day out shooting, but its cost prohibitive unfortunantly.

I dont think that video games have much to do with it, there are plenty of kids at my high school that get all jazzed up when dove season comes around, but i live a small agricultural town, so i guess that is expected. In bigger cities kids dont hunt because they dont have any exposure what-so-ever to shooting/hunting in general.
 
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