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You have a dove problems
As the dove season progresses, wingshooters should continue to scout, practice camouflage and concealment techniques, determining set-up in relation to the field and doves, and apply the use of decoys and their placement. These tactics will increase the chances of success significantly. Understanding dove behavior is critical for maximizing the hunting experience. Below are three additional suggestions for dove hunters to keep in mind that are often ignored or forgotten about.
Adjusting Your Training
When you have trained multiple dogs, once you find what works for you, it is natural to stick with the same method for each dog you train. If the way you introduce them to gun fire works, why change? If your drills for steadiness are successful, keep it up. That was the way I always felt. But as it turns out, we can get into that mentality and it is extremely difficult to break out of it when the time comes that we need to.
You’ve got dove problems
September 1st signals the annual arrival of dove season and the start of the upland bird season for so many bird hunters. Shooting doves is for many wingshooters, the beginning of a glorious time in the outdoors. It readies the soul for days afield to chase other feathered game in the coming months. Days prior to the dove opener, shotguns are pulled out of their cases, camo attire is selected, and lots and lots of shells are purchased. With all these preparations, several blunders will befall many dove hunters.
In Praise of Butterballs
It was a dazzling mid-October day. A set of blocks sat motionless on the lake's glasslike surface, the sun glistening sharply off their ridiculously bright forms. The day had been slow at best; a handful of mallards had given us a few looks early in the morning, but we had nothing to show for our efforts besides a few mosquito bites and the beginning of a sunburn.
Rabbit Massacre
After eating my way through the holidays last year, I desperately needed some exercise, so when a couple of my buddies said they wanted to go pheasant hunting, I called my friend, Casey, who’s got access to thousands of acres of prime habitat in Oklahoma’s panhandle and booked a trip. Considering the limited success I have, it’s a miracle that I still go, but such is my relationship with pheasant hunting. If I happen to bag a bird, great, but if not, it’s not the end of the world, as there are peripheral benefits to be found on every pheasant hunt. I get to stretch my legs. I get to watch the dogs work. And whether I bring a bird home or not, I get to make another memory.
The Smith Setter Celebration
It’s tough to beat the warm days and cool nights of Georgia in the Spring. The high heat and humidity, the kind that drives field trailers in droves to the Dakotas, the Rockies, or Canada, hasn’t yet hit. The sounds of songbirds float on the light-variable winds, while the thundering gobbles of Eastern wild turkeys echo through the fields and draws. Bird doggers hear them, but they’re really listening for the ‘poor Bob White’ whistle. Gentleman Bob has been an important part of life on the land off of Ben Hatcher Road for a long time.
Field Armor V2 Waterfowl Vest Review
As waterfowlers and gun dog enthusiasts, we all want what is best for our faithful companions. Our dogs face the severe conditions of freezing cold, sharp debris, and long swims in cold water, all without hesitation. Because of this, we owe it to them to get them the best gear available. At least this was my philosophy when I purchased a vest for my Labrador, Libby, from Field Armor.
Initial Point
My Mississippi farmstead begins and stretches north and east from a big slab of granite known as the Initial Point of the Choctaw Meridian, which is an established survey monument, one of only a dozen or so in the United States, established in the early 1800’s. A dingy brass medallion with an X inscribed on its face, sits dead center of the stone. From that X, lands to the north and east, as far way as Tennessee and Alabama measure their boundaries exactly back to the small grove of beech trees and ultimately to the shaded brass marker therein. Along with coordinates and other official seals inscribed on the stone, are the words,….. ‘NEVER TO BE MOVED.’
Leggings for Wingshooters
“We’ll have to cross here!” yelled Jay as he pointed to the mountain stream. Rushing water blared over our gaiter-wrapped boots as we maneuvered across. My feet stayed dried as I waded through the foot deep waterway. Gaiters had served us well in the Alaskan backcountry throughout the trip. They were worn constantly. From hunting the boggy muskegs for spruce grouse, to chasing ptarmigan in the subalpine willow patches, waterproof gaiters were a real necessity in such an extreme environment. They had been probably one of the most important pieces of articles suggested by my host to bring and wear. Gaiters should definitely be in every wingshooter’s gear cache no matter the type of gamebird being hunted.
Two Men and Two Mules
This is a true story. It is set in a time of many transitions, including in Sussex County, Virginia, the transition from mules to tractors in the cultivation and harvest of peanuts. The time was 1945. The characters were Richard Spain, just home from service in the Army in WW II, and renting a small peanut farm to work, and Clarence Edwards, a mule dealer.
Tall Timbers: Burning Down the House
I’ve heard of folks figuring out the price tag on costs to raise wild quail, but I don’t know of anyone who has kept track of the amount of time that goes into the breeding, training and developing of a championship gun dog. Both are significant. Take that dog number, multiply it by 55, and you’ll have one heck of a lot of hours all represented in the dogs that qualified to run across 28 braces in the February 2025 National Championship for Bird Dogs held at Ames Plantation. The first brace of this 126-year old Super Bowl caliber event commenced on February 10th . The final brace ran over two weeks later on February 27, and during that time weather conditions ranged from a soggy, below-freezing 22 degrees Fahrenheit day to a 75-degree Fahrenheit sweat lodge. If you don’t like the weather in Grand Junction then wait five minutes.
Free Floating firing pins
Are you a safe hunter or shooter? Most people would say they are. Most people handle guns by not pointing them at other people and proper storage of firearms. Do you leave your shotgun loaded in the field or at home? If so this information is for you. Most shotguns have a cross bolt safety. Is it really safe while on safe? The cross bolt safety only keeps the trigger from being pulled. This doesn’t keep the shotgun from firing. Most shotguns have a floating firing pin, if the firing pin takes a jolt or hard hit it can and may fire. If the bolt is slammed forward the gun may go off. Not saying it will or not but it is a possibility. What if someone is walking ahead of you when this happens? What if you are in you vehicle and the shotgun is loaded and you hit and really bad bump or get in an accident? The shotgun could fire during this also causing damage to your vehicle or worse. Always keep you gun pointed in a safe direction. A direction that would cause minor damage to property and no damage to a person. Keep guns unloaded and bolt opened to the rear, so others can see you gun is unloaded when not in use, especially during transport and in the field before hunting. This is especially important when hunting in a group. Always be aware of your surroundings. Know where everyone in your hunting party is and only shoot when safe to do so. Be careful and enjoy the outdoors!
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See You At The Dance
Arguably, the most coveted days on a bird hunter’s calendar are the ones where he or she is actually hunting. Those days are the summit of a year-long hike through the day-to-day of dog training, vet bills, hard earned paychecks, and sheer anticipation of what is to come. There are few things we would trade them for. But when seasons have come to a close and winter has laid the earth to a silent, seemingly lifeless rest, where does a bird-afflicted hunter turn to? What can be done to satiate the need for adventure that doesn’t end with the close of upland seasons?
Retriever Safety
With a heave, I pulled my foot free of the thick muck, I wondered if another half mile of this was worth the trouble. The edge of this particular beaver pond seemed solid enough, but I had slogged far enough to find out that wasn’t the case. The previous day, a group of mallards were feeding on the far end of the hellish mire, and the decision was made to return with a couple dozen decoys. Behind me, my black lab was having a harder time than I was, the mud was clutching at her belly and legs, and the sharp ends of gnawed-off sticks protruded through the loamy sludge. Up ahead the mallards quacked and whistled tauntingly. Despite the temptation, I decided to turn back. To me, no duck is worth potentially injuring my dog.
