Had a good hunt up at Mer Rouge. Birds didn't start flying till around 4:00ish, but it was pretty good after that. Had to leave to get back to the game around five, but did kill a few.Originally Posted by mentechsters
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Had a good hunt up at Mer Rouge. Birds didn't start flying till around 4:00ish, but it was pretty good after that. Had to leave to get back to the game around five, but did kill a few.
Had to work Saturday. Sunday I killed 13 and yesterday I killed 5 but only hunted from about 3 til 5:30. Well worth the effort of planting. Plus I pluck the birds whole, you might as well as you really only dove hunt a few times a year at most, and stuff them with cream cheese, andoullie sausage and jalapenos then grill them wrapped in bacon.
“Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”
Just bought some property in Cass County TX and a pipeline runs accross part of it so I want to make a dove field there since it is already cleared. I have been told that 1 to 3 acres is good - does anyone have suggestions. I wanted to plant something that would help with turkey and deer, but mostly dove. ??????
I prefer millet and milo. The deer are too hard on sunflowers in a smaller plot. The deer will eat the milo and millet but you'll have to do a winter planting of other stuff as well.
“Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”
You can save a lot of front end money by doing this... just buy 50lbs of wheat and sunflowers and sow them every few days beginning three weeks before dove season.
Millet is the easiest thing to plant. It'll grow on concrete if it gets enough rain. Bad thing about millet is it doesn't last long on the ground before it germinates. If possible, plant a large enough area where you can cut portions of it as it leads up to the season. That way if you get a big rain, it won't ruin you're entire plot all at once. Turkeys will feed in the millet for the short time until it germinates. Deer don't eat the millet too much. Also, the millet will come up for years to come, if you keep your opening mowed a couple times in the spring and summer. Good luck
I had heard that wheat was good for dove, turkey and deer, but millet sounds like the best thing for doves. What about planting both in alternating strips?
What is the best way to prepare the ground? right now it is all Bahia. I have also started clearing the underbrush in a 100 yard by 100 yard square next to the field from a creek up to a hilltop in hopes of attracting some turkey, so i really want to have something the turkeys would like.
It's tough to get all 3 in one plot. You can mix sunflowers in with your millet when you plant, the deer will smoke it once they figure it out. If the deer somehow don't find it, the doves will love it. I dont fool with wheat, millet is way better IMO
Here's what I would do. For turkeys and deer, plant buck forage oats, mixed with a good clover mix in the fall. This will attract the deer for the fall and winter, the deer will enjoy the clover in the summer when it gets very tall. Also, the turkeys love to feed in the clover during the spring/summer.
Set aside a separate spot for your dove area. But if you only have 1 area, you can do the millet in the summer, and then plant a fall plot over it for deer.
You can also try a small chufa plot for turkeys. personally, never done it but have seen other's places where they have hammered the stuff. Any more ?s, just ask
I believe someone else said this, but if you are truly wanting a dove field, just start spreading wheat about 4 weeks before the season. I have tried several times to plant things for them (millet,sunflowers,milo),without much luck. Too many things have to work just right in order for you to have birds......the right amount of rain, crop ready to harvest at the right time, no rain once you cut it, etc. It's really a pain in the ass, especially for a small area. Good luck with it though.
Thanks for the information. I really have my work cut out.
The open land is a pipeline about 100' wide by about 2000'. I am increasing the width of it on a high flat area to about 2 acres and dubbing it the dove field. The rest of the right of way is what I wanted to plant for deer and turkey. It runs up and down hills and has a creek running across it.
The place is covered with deer so they will be a factor. I have found some turkey feathers (but have seen none) so I really want to try and help them increase their numbers 9if they are there).
I'll report back here after opening day of dove season.
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