Staying Tuned Up | Keeping Fowling Skills Sharp in the Middle of Summer

Summer can be hard for those that love cooler weather and chasing feather or fur. For a Fowler, the dog days of summer can cause quite the melancholy as they day-dream of crisp Autumn mornings watching over a decoy spread in the marsh or walking their favorite stubble field on a brisk afternoon. But here in the West, opportunities abound if you know where to look for them.

Sure, anyone can hit the clays range for a bit of trigger time and practice, but nothing beats the real thing!

At the end of July, I noticed that a local farmer had harvested the hay on one of his fields that was in an organic crop rotation. Being the only field within some distance that was cut, and all surrounding fields having 5-7 feet of corn on them, the Eurasian Collared Doves and Rock Pigeons were going nuts for the grass seed and access to fresh shoots of grass. I quickly connected with the owner and gained permission to hunt the field. 

In Nebraska, Eurasian Collared Doves are a non-native game species which have an all-year open season which allows for a harvest limit of 15 per day. Rock Pigeons are considered a non-game species and as such, harvest is allowed year round without regulation on method of take or quantity of daily harvest. Both birds are very common around farms, agricultural processing plants, and throughout the plains wherever water and trees or structures are present. As such, it doesn't take very long to find a place where a good hunt can be pulled together safely, but permission from the land owner is the trick. 

The Attire and Gear

While some may not think that attire means much in field shooting or hunting, it absolutely does. You must be dressed for success, as you have an important meeting with your quarry and you want it to go well (for you). 

Muted colors, camo, and nothing flashy is the rule of thumb. When it comes to doves and pigeons, camo is not an absolute but you do want to make sure you don't stick out from the cover you are in. 

Summer and early autumn in Nebraska is full of vivid and dark greens, muted tans, and bright browns. As such, a simple combination of an Olive-drab shirt, matching hat, and tan or green pants will work perfectly. 

Summer Tune-up hunts for non-game or even game species, and even early season hunts like the week of Mourning Dove Opener, often require a different color scheme to better blend into the environment while also being able to handle the high temps of the season. 

An Olive-Drab colored shirt is an excellent choice for an base layer in early Autumn, or as a cool tee for warm weather hunts like this one. HPR carries such tees in our Heritage Collection, including limited runs of 'Duck Gun' and hunting themes each month. You can find these options here.

Due to the close to medium range shots expected for the hunt, and my love for the small and civil 28 Gauge cartridge, I selected the Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 28-Gauge for this outing. I equipped it with the factory extended Modified choke tube and Federal Top Gun 2-3/4" - 3/4oz  - No. 7-1/2 Shot cartridges. (A playlist detailing this scattergun can be found on my YouTube channel, American Arms Channel, here.)

For decoys, a mix of spinning wing and assorted fixed "rester" dove decoys were utilized. I have found that mourning dove decoys work very well for rock pigeons and collared doves, regardless of time of year. Species specific decoys always bring a potential for better results, but you do not need to buy an all new decoy set to have a good hunt. Making what you have work, and work well on top of that, is half the fun! I have utilized spinning wing duck decoys as well to add to the size of the decoy spread and add greater movement in the past with excellent results. 

Pro Tip: Utilize extension poles (painted in muted natural colors) or existing structures like fences, tree branches, and hay bales to set fixed dove decoys on. This adds realism to the spread and encourages curious birds to take a closer look.  

All in all, what was just a day to knock the dust off, run the dog, and have a little down time resulted in a wonderful blessing from God which fed the family and filled my cup.

The end result of a limiting-out hunt and processing of harvested birds is an incredible meal. Sheena and I love preparing and eating Jalapeño Dove Poppers together. We have found that Sheena's recipe has made even the most adverse to eating wild game meats ask for seconds. You can find that recipe in the companion article we will share as our next publication.

If you'd like to watch the full hunt, as it unfolded (in a condensed format and not the 3 hours from start to finish it actually took), be sure to click this link.

Until next time, God Bless. See you on the trail and in the field, Partner. 

- Drake