# dove field etiquette



## BunkerChunker

I was scouting some public dove fields today and I was thinking they might get crowded. This will be my first year dove hunting so I was wondering what goes on if some one is in a field is it wrong to set up at the other end some of the fields I was at today were pretty large I know there are some people out there that just want a spot all to themselves but on public land I personally wouldn't mind if someone setup down the field from me if I were there first. How much space should be between hunters? just wondering if anyone had any thoughts.

P.S. saw alot of doves today gettin itchy


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## Huntinbull

Just my two cents but.... I leave double my range between me and other standers. Generally about 80 yards or more if possible. That way I can tell if it is in my safe zone of fire or in theirs easily. 

Huntinbull


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## sc83

Huntinbull said:


> Just my two cents but.... I leave double my range between me and other standers. Generally about 80 yards or more if possible. That way I can tell if it is in my safe zone of fire or in theirs easily.
> 
> Huntinbull


That is about the range I to like to leave but on opening day plan on showing up early and expect someone to setup right on top of or across from you. Opening day brings out a lot of yahoos. I generally don't hunt public fields till the 3rd or 4th day of season.


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## luv fishing

can anyone tell me if westbranches dove feilds are any good i never been there before and jus wanting to kno if there worth trien


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## onthewater

The best way to find out is to have a look at them this weekend in the AM or early evening to see if anything is using them. If there truely any good nobody will announce it on the internet.


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## luv fishing

ok thank you


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## thegcdawg

sc83 said:


> That is about the range I to like to leave but on opening day plan on showing up early and expect someone to setup right on top of or across from you. Opening day brings out a lot of yahoos. I generally don't hunt public fields till the 3rd or 4th day of season.



Amen to that. I do the same. Wait till the following week. I don't want to become a statistic. Talked with one of the rangers at Deer Creek and he said a fellow ranger caught some stray shot last year. He's okay, but it is still a scary possibility with numerous people in the field.


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## Huntinbull

ALWAYS wear eye protection during bird seasons ESPECIALLY on public land. The fact that multiple users are on most fields and you are looking up for the birds, can be dangerous.

How many wear ear protection when dove hunting?

Huntinbull


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## BunkerChunker

thanks for the tip huntibull eyeprotection didn't even occur me but makes perfect sense now you mention it


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## wader

My experience with opening day on public land, is that there is little to no etiquette. So many guys and gals show up that its almost like fishing the walleye runs. My last public opening day, Insane Clown Posse was there, on the OUTSIDE of the field, so they could sit in the shade of course, and I bet they busted 500 caps and killed about 6 doves. I've seen guys try to shoot doves that are 80 yards away, if I hit it this year it will be only the last couple hours of shooting light.


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## bozz

wader said:


> My experience with opening day on public land, is that there is little to no etiquette. So many guys and gals show up that its almost like fishing the walleye runs. My last public opening day, Insane Clown Posse was there, on the OUTSIDE of the field, so they could sit in the shade of course, and I bet they busted 500 caps and killed about 6 doves. I've seen guys try to shoot doves that are 80 yards away, if I hit it this year it will be only the last couple hours of shooting light.


 This is true and this is why Control Lotto hunts came into being on PL. I've hunted private,public non-control and now control hunts and they are best by far of the 3. Sure you still see sky busters scaring birds away and guys not hiding and standing out in the open or trying to claim a bird you shot but all in all the control hunts are first class and you'll get a limit. The fields pull in tons of birds and a few hunters end to end keep them moving well.


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## BunkerChunker

Thanks for the info guys I wasn't going to go out opening day but the first weekend so that will probably be crazy to. I'm definitly going to leave my dog home though now maybe I'll take her later in the season when it calms down a little.


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## sc83

I won't be able to hunt the SV fields till after the controlled hunts. Got to work for a while on Wednesday and wont be able to make the draw. I always wear my sunglasses while dove/pheasant hunting out there.


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## stumpsitter

I've been to Deer Creek almost every opening day since we've been having a dove season. I'll usually find a place to set up NEAR the main dove field-just stand back and watch where they are flying before and after they are shot at. If I don't have a limit by then, I'll move into the field after everyone leaves and have steady shooting.

The doves will fly to the trees when they are being shot at in the fields, and as soon as they think that there are no more hunters around, they will start trying to get back to the field to feed.

Then there are days like today when these Bozos decide to walk three wide in a line back and forth across and around the fields. Every time they would get out of site, the birds would start coming in to the field. Then these guys would bust out into the field and try to jump shoot them. I even suggested to them that that they would do better to sit stll and let the birds come to them, but they insisted that it was mid day and "someone had to get 'em moving".

These guys also got the brilliant idea to walk through the sunflowers and jump shoot the doves in there. They would jump up doves and shoot at them so low that they were shooting the heads off of the sunflowers!!

I yelled at them once and all they did was bragged about how they got two each like that. Arggg.

Then there was the kid wearing blaze orange that sat in a stool thirty yards into the open field....

And honestly, does anyone really need decoys and mojos opening morning in a public dove field? A blind man could shoot doves the first few hours, and the birds get wise to the decoys very quickly....I think that it makes them fly higher after a while. Save them for when the hunting gets a little tougher.


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## ODNR3723

Hope you got some quality hunting in between yelling at the morons.


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## stumpsitter

I did. I was able to get 14, and had a fawn walk right up to me. It had spots and was incredibly small, I didn't know that they could be that small this time of year.


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## stumpsitter

...the prospect of getting shot in the face always makes me nervous.


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## birdhunt

how many did you say you got??


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## stumpsitter

Fourteen, why?


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