The Most ‘Missable’ Missiles
LISTEN: (6 Min, 14 Sec)
MANY WINGSHOOTERS agree that the mourning dove is our most “missable” bird.
The mourner is the smallest of our significant game species, weighing a smidgin over four ounces (an ounce or so less than the chunky whitewing).
And it flies fast. Based on studies done by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the mourning dove hits high gear at around 40 mph and redlines on a honkin’ south wind at 50-plus.
And when hastened by an errant pattern of pellets a dove is capable of an amazing gantlet of twists and turns and dips and dives calculated to confound even a veteran September gunner.
Teal appear to be a close match, but the diminutive ducks are slower than doves. Both bluewings and greenwings look faster than they are; flight studies peg them in the 30-mph range, lagging most “big ducks” like mallards.
Teal are shifty little rascals, but the flocks usually are fragmenting over decoys out in front. There’s no such thing as the typical dove shot.
The mourner is a justifiably challenging target, and a clean miss is nothing to be ashamed of— assuming an incomer is not trying to land on your head. So, what is a reasonable average?
During the ‘60s, when I was a fledging wingshooter, the “Big Three” outdoor magazines (Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield) routinely stated that the national average on mourning doves was one bird bagged for each seven shots.
That woeful statistic persisted for several decades, and I never did accept it. I still don’t. That’s terrible shooting. Most of the guys I have hunted doves with over the years probably went one-for-two, maybe one-for-three. One-for-four was a bad day.
They were—and are—good shots, but nothing extraordinary, just avid wingshooters with average coordination and proper equipment and considerable experience. That is my honest recollection from more than 60 years of dove hunting.
A slick trick is to bag a limit “inside a box.” That would be 15 birds on the current limit with no more than 25 shells, a snappy performance in most any gunslinging company. This is especially true on a slow hunt when the hunter must “take ‘em as they come.”
Here are several proven observations for upgrading the average in the dove field:
Using an improved-cylinder or skeet choke is a great way to look good. Most high-percentage shots at incomers and passing birds are within 20 to 35 yards, and the open choke throws a wide, dense pattern of 7 ½’s or 8’s within that range.
When pass shooting or jump shooting, when most chances are at 40 or beyond, a modified or full choke is the better choice. Standing under a flight line of flocks trading from feeding fields to water or roost is a classic example of the specialized pass-shooting drill. Walking a goatweed field or corn stubble and flushing long birds feeding on the ground is a good example of jump shooting.
And when 40-plus gunning is the plan of the day, you might leave the “el cheapo” water-hole loads in the truck and equip with premium 7 ½’ or even 6’s. Frankly, near or far, quality shotshells are never a bad idea on a serious dove hunt. A few extra dollars per box is cheap insurance.
Regardless of hunting method or choke selection, using discipline can be a major factor in improving the average.
Granted, practice is the best way to upgrade performance on difficult angles and distances, but if you increasingly are frustrated over a growing mound of empty shells, you might pass the next awkward chance with tangled feet or confounding lead.
Yet another flaming miss followed by sweaty epithets erodes confidence. Back off, settle down, and wait for an ice-cream shot. A hot dove field allows this option.
Discipline also means knowing the terrain and avoiding shots that might drop a bird into heavy brush or over an irrigation levee or property fence line. A clean kill means little if the bird cannot be recovered.
“Bam-Bam-Bam!” is ruinous for a decent average, so avoid emptying an autoloader or pump at long range as an unscathed dove zooms past. Repeated three-shot salvos surely delight shotshell manufacturers, but they seldom do much for adding fluff to the game bag.
Obviously, a double gun only goes “Bam-Bam!” but the reasoning is the same.
Either way, the first shot out past 40 yards almost always gives the best odds of a hit. After that, let it go—you are about to swing through the unworthy realm of “skyblasting.” The exception would be if the first shot dusted the dove. Then empty the gun and hope you can rake the cripple down.
A proven way to pad percentages on incomers is to turn 40-yard shots into 25- or 30-yard pokes. This is not a luau. You are hunting.
Wear drab clothing, use low cover to break the hungry profile, and strive to station in (cooling) shade. But avoid burrowing into an overhead tangle of branches that restricts the high field of view. You are waiting and watching for doves, not armadillos.
If circumstances allow, place several decoys and when a bird is within clean range rise to the occasion slowly and smoothly without frantic waving of arms and gun.
The same goes when walking and getting caught off guard (“Over you! Over you!”). Don’t lurch for cover or try to outdraw Ike Clanton at the OK Corral. Early-season doves are accustomed to casual pedestrian movements, so just ease to an indifferent halt and keep your cheek down on the stock as you thumb the safety and pivot and swing.
Texas is the nation’s mother lode of dove hunting. A new season is approaching, and it promises to be a good one. I’m ready with my old Winchester Model 12 and my new Dove Gear Ultimate Bird Vest and a sack of MOJO decoys. And, as always, I hope to make that first shot count.
Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fishgame.com
