Dove field question

[Ugahunter2013]

I have a 3/4 acre food plot on my
Property. I was thinking about having the timber cleared around it to make it around 6 acres or so. The timber is 15 year old pine so it shouldn't be too much trouble to clear with a dozer. My other options were to try and purchase a field but I would rather do it this way if it makes sense due to location, price, etc. My question is, is a 6 or so acre field “big enough”? I know it wont hold many people and I am not looking for that either. I was just wandering if that size field would work as far as producing good shoots? It seems most fields i have personally hunted on have been around 10-15 acres.

Anybody that has experience or thoughts on fields this size. I would love to hear them.

Also this field would be 600-700 yards from a 4 acre pond and surrounded by timber as mentioned above.

 

[tucker80]

Keep shooters to a minimum, give it time to rest between hunts, plant and cut it in stages. you'll be fine.

 

[chase870]

You might want to consider a 1/2 acre of so to feed birds throughout the year. Just be sure to turn any feed under a few weeks prior to hunting. It will keep the birds in your area and they will stay and feed on what ever grain you cut. I shoot some places that have restrictions on guns. One field is .410 only and usually a fair shoot

 

[spring]

Some fields the birds just like; others they don't, so there's no way to know in advance how yours will go. I've got some fields that get birds and others that I never hunt. What's the difference? I don't have clue. In general, birds like large fields, but sometimes smaller ones like you're working on can be hot. It will just need plenty of food, especially if you target later in the season when migratory birds come down. Most places don't have a lot of feed then, so if you can get past that hurdle, it can set up well.

 

[jakebuddy]

Through out a bunch of bird seed and see if you can attract doves to the Area you never know it may be good, like he said some places they like and others they don’t. Are there other dove fields close by? At least you’ll know if they already frequent the area and if it will be worth the work, not illegal to feed them.

 

[Hooked On Quack]

Scratch feed is your friend . . .

 

[Ugahunter2013]

Through out a bunch of bird seed and see if you can attract doves to the Area you never know it may be good, like he said some places they like and others they don’t. Are there other dove fields close by? At least you’ll know if they already frequent the area and if it will be worth the work, not illegal to feed them.

There aren’t any in the immediate area. I heard some shooting opening day probably a few miles away.

 

[Ugahunter2013]

I was thinking yesterday. Would it be a good idea to leave some of the pine trees up for shade and places for the birds to light? Of course not a ton, but some here and there. I wonder if they could be used to attach cables/lines for the birds to light on as well, same concept as having power poles? I hunt a few fields with a row of pecan trees separating the field in the middle. It sure is nice on those hot afternoon hunts. Thoughts?

 

[Dustin Pate]

I would definitely leave some trees spaced around.

 

[sportsman94]

Speaking to the size of field, the smaller the field the less birds it takes to have a good shoot. I have a 2-3 acre dove field I plant in millet. I had a couple really good shoots in first season in my field last year. Leading up to the season I counted around 100 birds. That would be terrible numbers for a bigger field, but made for some great hunts for the little field I had. Another consideration for your dove field is location and nearby agriculture. Next door to my house is a 10+ acre sunflower field. We are surrounded by ag as well and there are very few doves using the sunflowers currently. They are just so spread out by the corn being cut. It seems my buddy who has a small field in North Ga where there is less ag has an unreal amount of birds most years.

 

[Ugahunter2013]

Speaking to the size of field, the smaller the field the less birds it takes to have a good shoot. I have a 2-3 acre dove field I plant in millet. I had a couple really good shoots in first season in my field last year. Leading up to the season I counted around 100 birds. That would be terrible numbers for a bigger field, but made for some great hunts for the little field I had. Another consideration for your dove field is location and nearby agriculture. Next door to my house is a 10+ acre sunflower field. We are surrounded by ag as well and there are very few doves using the sunflowers currently. They are just so spread out by the corn being cut. It seems my buddy who has a small field in North Ga where there is less ag has an unreal amount of birds most years.

All of the land surrounding the property and in the general area is planted timber. I am not aware of any ag fields. There are ponds near by with the closest being probably quarter mile or so.

 

[Foster]

I have had great luck on fields under 5 acres and you can add a few items that should help your luck attracting and holding birds. Having a few trees with a wire in the field works great and should help bring birds into the field vs. sitting on the edge. Having a spin feeder on bare ground that has scratch feed will keep birds around all year and help until you start cutting your crop. You only need a handful a day on the ground but birdseed or grain will sprout and ruin your clean smooth ground around the feeder. This is probably the best trick if it is timber and not ag fields around. If you burn a bit of millet after it is cut it will keep it from sprouting and last longer. Take a blower and make a few windrows then blow to clean it up after you burn so they can find the seeds works the best I've seen. You can have small gravel they like around and some folks put out oyster shells like you use for chickens on the roads near the field. I am not sure that attracts them but why not if it may help nesting birds. Having clean and gently sloping ground around a pond helps attract dove and you can shoot that as well. Worst case you don't have birds and its time to plant a fall food plot anyway.