Dove Hunting Tips from the Dovenator

By Phil Bourjaily

Scott Breeze, 47, an orthopedic surgeon from the Houston area, bills himself as “the Dovenator,” and with good reason. Breeze set the world record by shooting 15,208 doves in one day with 16,575 shots in Argentina on Nov. 7, 2010. He averaged something like 18 doves a minute for 14 hours from sunup to sundown. Breeze estimates around 1.5 million doves flew past him in shotgun range that day.

Personally, I have shot doves in Argentina only a couple of afternoons. My biggest bag was about 1/100 of Breeze’s record and that was enough dove killing for me, but we are all different. There is no bag limit on eared doves, which are considered an agricultural pest. The birds don’t go to waste. I can tell you first hand that when you leave the dove field at the end of the day there are hungry people waiting for a share of the birds. They get most, but you get to enjoy a dove barbecue at the lodge, too. And, despite the best efforts of foreign wingshooters, dove numbers keep growing in Argentina.

You may not want to break the record but you may well want to hunt in South America someday. Breeze’s mark was an incredible feat of shotgunning endurance and when the Dovenator gives high volume shooting advice, you should listen.

Guns: Breeze set his record with four Winchester Super X3 20 gauge semiautos. He had two loaders working and they used three guns with a fourth as a backup. Breeze had tried other brands of guns and been frustrated by failures to fire with the Argentine RD or Fiocchi ammo that is not as reliable as the stuff we get in the U.S. Winchester did supply him the guns, but that doesn’t change the fact that they worked very well indeed for him, as his record attests. Being 20 gauge gas guns they did not kick much, and just as important, they were light.

More tips and the complete Field and Stream article

National survey will explore dove hunter opinions

The National Dove Hunter Survey, a cooperative effort by the state fish and wildlife agencies, all four flyway councils, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will ask dove hunters from across the U.S. to share their experiences and opinions about dove hunting.

Topics will include learning about hunter characteristics, time spent hunting, their perceived constraints to hunting, and thoughts about the relative importance of dove hunting as a recreational activity.
This survey was originally scheduled to be mailed last year, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, was delayed. The National Dove Hunter Survey is scheduled to begin in June 2013, and will be compiled by the end of 2013.

“Nationally, there are more than one million dove hunters in the United States. This survey will encompass all regions of the country and will give us an excellent picture of hunter opinions and needs,” said Ken Richkus of the Service’s Population and Habitat Assessment Branch.

“The Service and the states want to make sure we use the best science-based information for the management and conservation of our migratory bird resources and take hunter opinions and preferences into account whenever possible,” he said.

Dove hunting is hugely popular in South Carolina, ranking second behind deer hunting in total number of hunters, according to S.C. Department of Natural Resources Assistant Chief of Wildlife Billy Dukes.
“Dove hunters who receive a survey are strongly encouraged to take the time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided,” Dukes said. “Their answers are very important to the future of mourning dove management, and we appreciate their efforts to tell us what they think.”

Read more of the article including contacting information for the survey:  The Cheraw Chronicle - National survey will explore dove hunter opinions 

No Labor Day Weekend dove hunts this year in Louisiana

By Todd Masson, NOLA.com

Louisiana outdoors enthusiasts who love to kick off the hunting seasons with a barbecue and dove hunt over Labor Day weekend won't get the chance this year.

That's because Labor Day falls on Sept. 2, which means the Saturday of the weekend is Aug. 31, and by federal law, there can be no dove hunting in August.

So hunters will have to wait until the next weekend to target resident doves.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Jimmy Stafford presented the proposed dates for the 2013-14 dove season to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on Thursday. The commission won't formally approve the dates until its July meeting because the framework for the season hasn't yet been officially announced by the feds.

"We're just presenting these dates now so that hunters will have a heads-up," Stafford told the commission Thursday.

The dates Stafford said the department expects to recommend are as follows:

To see the dates and the rest of the NOLA.com article please click