Outdoors

By STEVE KNIGHT
Outdoor Writer

Hunters can, and do, use just about every shotgun imaginable when it comes to dove hunting. That is one of the reasons the season is so attractive to such a large and diverse group.

Everything from a .410 to 12 gauges, pumps, side-by-sides, over/unders and autoloaders will find their way into the field on opening day. But when it comes to shooting doves what gauge or style of shotgun a hunter shoots may not be as important as the shells he employs.

Picking the right shell for some hunters may be as easy as finding what is on sale. Promotional dove loads, especially for those using a 12-gauge shotgun, can be plenty.

However, some dove hunters are learning to specialize to maximize success. It is somewhat comparable to matching the hatch in fly fishing.

"At the first of the year you want to use 9s or 8s for 12 and 20 gauges. The primary reason is that you are hunting this year's birds," said David Davis, a veteran outfitter from Brownwood.

He said in most instances it is going to be No. 8 shot because finding 9s in the promotional loads is difficult.

For those shooting a 16-gauge, a shotgun that has seen a small resurgence in recent years, he recommends the same loads. For those who like to go light, he said No. 8s or 7 ï¾½s are recommended for a 28-gauge and a No. 8 in a 3-inch shells for a .410 or No. 9s for a 2 ï¾½-inch shell.

"Later in the season the birds are smarter. The dumb ones are dead. When you get into the older birds with more plumage they are harder to kill. Then you want to use 7 ï¾½s, 6s on the extreme," Davis said.

Even then the hunter needs to be careful of what he uses and when. Using No. 6s on a waterhole shoot could make the hunting harder, and result in too much damage to the bird to leave enough meat for the dinner table. For hunting around a pond, he suggests No. 8s or 9s.

Although it may not be noticeable to most hunters, Davis said the plumage build-up as the season goes along adds extra protection for the doves, not unlike the thick breast feathers on a turkey.

The scenario changes when hunters find themselves in a field of whitewings. Davis recommends No. 6 shot, but there are hunters around the state who go as large as No. 5s when they find themselves in a whitewing flyway.

"Some of these urban birds can be older. They have feet like pigeons," Davis said of the whitewings hunters target in fields just outside some of the major cities such as San Antonio.

If hunters are in a field where the whitewings are coming to feed, Davis said hunters can probably get by with smaller shot if they are shooting a 12-gauge shotgun. If they are shooting a flyway where the birds stay high, he recommends hunters use all the firepower they can.

While Davis said about 95 percent of his hunters use a 12-gauge, 20-gauge shooters hunting whitewings can improve their odds by shooting No. 6 shot. About the only thing a 28-gauge shooter can do is switch to a modified choke and concentrate to shoot in a tighter pattern.

Some hunters have also switched to nontoxic shot for dove hunting.

"I have been shooting Remington steel No. 7 for the last eight years and have had pretty good luck," said Dave Morrison, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's waterfowl program leader. "They come in both 12 (1 ounce) and 20 gauge (3/4 ounce)."

Morrison said he knows some hunters who use No. 6 steel, but he likes the extra pellets in 7s.

"Out to 35 yards they will do the trick. I try to limit the range simply because I am not the best shot. I suspect on dove they are good beyond my personal range," he added.

THE RIGHT SHOT: Dove hunters have a variety of shot options depending on whether they are hunting mourning doves early or whitewings in a flyway.
(Staff Photo By Steve Knight)