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John's Journal... Entry 112, Day 1

KEVIN TATE: DOVE SHOOTING SECRETS

Click to enlargeEDITOR'S NOTE: Kevin Tate of West Point, Mississippi, a screenwriter for Mossy Oak's and Remington's outdoor TV shows and videos, has more than 20 years of dove-shooting experience. This week Tate will tell us his top 10 secrets for shooting doves more effectively and consistently.

SECRET NUMBER 1 -- WEAR CAMOUFLAGE
I often see outdoorsmen who hunt doves wearing their faded bluejeans and college T-shirts. If the doves happen to be flying fast and furious on the days that they hunt, these non-camouflaged hunters may make a few fatal shots. But if hunters will wear camouflaged clothing instead of street clothes and make an effort to hide, they'll significantly improve their odds for taking doves. I prefer to wear Mossy Oak Break-Up and Shadow Grass camouflage when I hunt doves. These two patterns blend well with the surroundings I find myself in when I hunt doves in northeast Mississippi. For instance, in the South, you'll commonly find scrub brush and weeds, and you'll often have to shoot over cut cornfields or bean fields. Mossy Oak Break-Up and Shadow Grass will disguise your form and enable you to position yourself for a shot in these regions without the doves spotting you.

Click to enlargeYou also may consider using a blind when hunting doves. You don't have to build an elaborate blind. But, if you'll back up in the weeds about 3 to 4 feet and keep your face down as much as possible when the doves approach and until you're ready to stand up and shoot, you'll get more shots in a 35-foot radius. The closer the doves are to you when you shoot, the better your odds are for taking a bird. If you can get the doves to fly to you, you'll improve your chances tenfold -- and camouflage will help bring the doves in closer.

Click to enlargeSECRET NUMBER 2 -- PREPARE THE FIELD
Most people hunt in areas where someone specifically has prepared a field for dove hunting. Agricultural practices are very conducive to dove hunting. Landowners often cut corn or grain and harvest assorted fields that produce food the doves like to eat to attract doves to their fields. If you grow crops in an area that doves frequent and cut those fields 10 to 14 days before dove-hunting season opens, you greatly can increase the numbers of doves in your area.

TOMORROW: MORE DOVE SHOOTING SECRETS

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Dove Shooting...

Day 1 - Kevin Tate: Dove Shooting Secrets
Day 2 - More Dove Shooting Secrets
Day 3 - More Dove Shooting Secrets
Day 4 - More Dove Shooting Secrets
Day 5 - More Dove Shooting Secrets


John's Journal