John's Journal...
Entry
112, Day 1
KEVIN TATE: DOVE SHOOTING SECRETS
EDITOR'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.
You
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.
SECRET
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
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