How To: The perfect Dove Field

[marketdawg]

[ATTACH]dove1.JPG[/ATTACH]

Checklist for tilling/planting the perfect dove field:
1) Cold Beer
2) Bassett Hound
3) Duck Tape/Concrete Block
4) Sweeeeet hat

[Dirtydawg]

I was actually thinking about this topic last weekend as I was driving the moving truck from Baton Rouge to Ruston.

[honker22]

What did you plant? Im about to plant browntop and Prosso millett, and some Pereodovik(sp?) Sunflowers

[marketdawg]

WGF Sorghum (Milo), Browntop and Proso. The deer are too thick on our place too get any substantial sunflowers.

[mentechsters]

WGF Sorghum (Milo), Browntop and Proso. The deer are too thick on our place too get any substantial sunflowers.

How big of a place do you have? Ya'll have much luck every year?

[marketdawg]

We plant about 1 1/2 acres in strips next to a pine plantation. We also use our deer food plots adding about another acre. Our total acreage is just under 200 acres for the entire property. It has a small pond with clear banks and plenty of sand/grit. We have some good #'s of birds from day to day but it is a very limited shoot. Enough for about 6 folks or so. We usually plant some later so that we can hunt the later splits after we get off of the deer stand. We just mow down every other row and drag the rows clean a couple of weeks before each split opens. Doesn't hurt if you "spill" a little seed while you're at it:icon_wink:. If you don't overshoot it you can hunt a few evenings every week and shoot a few each outing.

[honker22]

WGF Sorghum (Milo), Browntop and Proso. The deer are too thick on our place too get any substantial sunflowers.

Yeah I tried to sneak some sunflowers into our plots last year in our millet fields (in downsville). Just when they headed out into flowers, the deer mowed them down. This yr. I am planting at my inlaws in Winnsborro, and there arent any deer to mess with them. Have you ever tried mowing and burning?... I cant figure out the best way to attract them. I usually cut and burn, only cut, and leave some standing but havent figured out which one they like best.

[marketdawg]

We till back over and then drag a chain harrow kinda' like a drag rake but we've talked about burning this year. The chain harrow takes forever but it really serves to clear the dirt and actually shakes a ton of the seed loose and leaves it out on the exposed dirt.

[honker22]

The burning leaves tons of seeds, but I've noticed that they tend to prefer the stuff I left standing after it gets beaten and blown down. The turkeys really love the burns too.

[redman]

llliinbbbbebiiteyellliisbbeabbabaablababbllblbbblb bb da dooooooooooovvvvvee

[marketdawg]

Just made a tour of our plantings Monday PM and other than some obvious stunting from the drought the millet pulled through and produced and is producing quite a bit of seed. The deer have been attacking the milo pretty good. As soon as the seed-heads appear it looks as though a deer is waiting to pluck it with one bite. The milo didn't survive the drought nearly as well as the millet either. We're seeing 20-30 doves on the ground every time we go and there are another 12 or so pairs milling around and cooing from the pine plantation around the edges of the planting. We have hopes that when the migrants come through that number increases dramatically. The unplanted stuff we tilled grew quite a bit of goatweed as well so were hoping that after mowing the combo of the two works out very well. Football and dove both opening on the same weekend! I love the USA!

[honker22]

I will be missing my 1st ever dove opener because of the Auburn game. It sounds like you are gonna have a good spot. I've always thought that you can X2 whatever you see in your field. If you have that many local birds, then you are sure to attract alot of migrants. I never got around to planting my fields, mainly because of the drought. Good luck.

[mentechsters]

Anybody got any birds yet?

[marketdawg]

A few but all residents so far.

[honker22]

well, whats it look like in your field?