How to Knock Down More Doves This Season

Chances are good that you’ll miss a few doves on opening day if you haven't shot much since last season. Most hunters don’t make it to the practice range like they thought they would six or eight months ago. When the last season ends, the gun goes into the safe. It all cascades after that: work, kiddo stuff, vacations, fishing, honey dos, that oppressive summer heat, and before you know it, opening weekend has arrived.

PRE-HUNT PREP

Shotgun shells come in boxes of 25. If you miss a few, don’t sweat it. It’s not 1937 when you’re putting food in the larder and must shoot like Annie Oakley. No one wants to miss too many, though, because it offends our fragile egos. We can’t puff up like a banty rooster if we admit to poor shooting. But if you're dialed in with the right gun, ammo and choke, it shouldn't take long to get back into the groove.

Just because you have a 12-gauge DoveSmasher, and it’s "what I've shot forever," doesn't mean something better might be available. A 20 gauge with different ammo and choke might be your huckleberry. Head to the range to pattern your shotgun, ammo and chokes; today’s shotguns come with three or four, including improved and modified. Maybe call some hunting pals to make an afternoon of it, swap ammo and chokes, and everyone might come out aces on opening day.

If you can do it, go to the clays range at least once to shoot a few rounds, or a couple of times, before opening day. Most ranges now offer some kind of hunting season warm-up package. You also may be able to ask to just shoot specific targets, such as high crossers and overheads, or pairs. Sporting clays are fun and offer different looks. Skeet ranges offer those tough crossers and incoming birds. My favorite is 5-Stand or a good Wobble trap range. Whatever range you're on, have fun and make the most of it.

If opening day has already arrived, make a range visit anyway to shake off the rust but don’t worry if you can’t. At least try to go somewhere to make sure the gun is working properly. Cleaning goo may have oozed into your firing pin. If you’re a traditionalist with a single- or double-barreled shotgun, be sure to clean and lube everything well. With a pump gun, shuck and cycle a few shells to make sure it’s in good order. Springs and other parts eventually can wear out on older shotguns, and you don’t want to discover this in the dove field.

AMMO AND CHOKE COMBO

Turkey hunters are quite rigid about their choke and ammo combos. Pheasant hunters may be right there with them. If you shoot a shotgun at anything, it behooves you to do a serious pattern check with your favorite ammo and preferred chokes.

This includes doves, which are often considered a “just for fun” hunt. Turkeys are big and tough. Waterfowl and pheasant have thick feathers. Doves are fast and elusive, yes, but they don’t have a thick coat of feathers or bulk. They’re like a flying sandwich bag filled with mushed-up PB&J.

Still, you’re hunting and want to knock them down. Patterning your ammo and choke will help. A choke slightly reduces the diameter of the barrel at the muzzle. This helps create the pattern after the pellets exit the muzzle. An improved choke is a solid choice for targets at 15 to 25 yards, and a modified is better for those at 25 to 45 yards.

Place a large target at the distance you expect doves to fly, or your ethical range, and then shoot separate targets with each choke and your ammo. You may find that everything is great. Or perhaps your pattern skews high, low, left or right. Spending time doing this and finding the right combo definitely helps in the field.

GET IN FRONT

Blowing off tail feathers or missing completely? Yes, that happens, and your first thought is to get in front of the bird. You’re not wrong.

Doves have been clocked at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. They’ve certainly earned the nickname gray ghosts and other unprintable epithets. Add windy conditions or their evasive moves, and you’ll likely agree.

We’ve all had those instinctive snapshot kills where things happened quickly without overthinking the process. Many dove shots are crossers, though, which we see coming, think about it, shoulder and shoot ... only to miss. Sometimes the second shot (or third) is the knockdown. Other times, we’re scratching our heads.

Getting the right lead means putting your muzzle 5 or 6 inches ahead of the bird. That requires an extra brain cell or three, which means time and thinking about it. Or you can swing through the bird to get ahead. Make this motion fluid, like swinging a golf club or tennis racquet through the ball. Don’t aim and stop. Keep moving through and ahead of the bird almost to the point of “that’s too much!” Usually, though, it won’t be, and you’ll have a bird to pick up.

Choose One Bird

Decades ago, when I started dove hunting, my father always reminded me to pick and focus on one bird. That was tough for a lad to consider with so many zipping around us. Every now and then, we’d have doubles or triples. My mushmelon brain would think about knocking down all of them with one cool shot, and all of them would fly on unscathed.

Those back-pat doubles are fun for bragging rights. It’s better to choose one target. Bird in the hand instead of two in the bush, right? Steel your nerves and adrenaline when the action is fast and furious.

Be patient, pick the best shot opportunity and focus on that bird. Securely shoulder the gun, keep your cheek on the stock, lead the bird and get it done. If you pop that first dove, then try for the second one.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

If you’re unsatisfied with what happened in the field, head to the clays range to practice. Even if dove season has started, you still can put in the work to improve. It can help during waterfowl season, too, or if you’re heading out for other upland birds.

A sporting clays range offers the most realistic hunting scenarios. Ask the range manager if you can visit specific stations to focus on crossing, overhead and incoming targets. The springing teal or bouncing rabbit? Fun during a complete round, but those won’t help in the upland field.

Skeet ranges are great to work on gun handling, stance and timing. Stations 3, 4 and 5 are best for crossing birds. Stations 1, 2, 6 and 7 offer longer shots. Ignore Station 8 unless doves are attacking like fighter jets and you need to defend yourself.

Check with the range manager about using your hunting shotgun if it’s a semi-automatic. Spend some time enjoying the practice so you’ll have more success in the field the next time out.

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