Gear for dove hunting?

1
I want to go dove hunting with my dad. He hasn't been hunting in years and has no gear any more. I've never hunted a day in my life but I want to start.

What gear should I buy? (Aside from a shotgun of course)

I have three categories.

Basic: The absolute minimum, don't hunt without it.

Nice to have: Makes hunts easier and increases chances of bagging daily limit.

Money to burn: Guarantee a daily limit with this pricey gear.

Thanks!
"Let's be honest the only people who read Ayn Rand are 16 year olds and assholes"

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

3
In south TX we always took a five gallon bucket. It gives you something to sit on, and hold some Gatorade, your dead doves and your empty shells. Please don't leave your hulls in the field. You'd be surprised how many do. But a bucket isn't practical unless your hunting a field and sitting on your butt. If walking, just a hunting vest that holds some shells and has the pocket in back for you birds. Also, a pair of kitchen shears or EMT scissors for clipping the wings before breasting out. Not essential, but helpful. A gallon jug of water at the truck to rinse your breasts, ziplocks for the breasts and the carcasses unless you leave them for the coyotes. A first aid kit for snake bites, poison ivy and allergic reactions to fire ants. That's a start. Damn I miss those days. There's not many dove in GA.
Be sure to make good choices when you're being stupid...

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

4
I'll back up the others here.

Shotgun, of course.

A couple boxes of shells and something to hold fresh rounds and hulls.

Something to keep dead birds, something to help clean them (snips and water is all we used).

We usually have vests to hold fresh rounds and dead birds, and a ditty bag on the belt to hold hulls.


So many good times spent dove hunting with my father and family.
My blog - Bear Left Guns

Rem 760 .30-06, Ruger Single Six, Remington Nylon 66

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

7
MetalSlugIV wrote:Will I need camo pants and vests and something hunter orange?
Orange vest depends on your laws. Where I'm from, kids had to wear blaze but not adults. My experience is that in the areas where one hunts birds, blaze orange doesn't do a whole lot to keep idiots from raining lead down on your head.

Camouflage might be a good idea; we always just used to each pick a big tree on the flyway and stand in front of it to break up our outlines.
My blog - Bear Left Guns

Rem 760 .30-06, Ruger Single Six, Remington Nylon 66

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

8
Camo clothes are ok, but I have found that a dark green tee shirt and dark green Dickie work jeans work just as well. Don't wear any hunter orange unless your laws require it, and I doubt that they would. Some kind of a portable stool or folding chair in a neutral color is a must as most dove hunts require a lot of sitting and watching and very little walking. I have also found that a light weight hunting/shell vest to be very useful.
xvigauge

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

9
Don't forget a nice tweed suit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.
Jacques Yves Cousteau

Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated.
Will Rogers

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

10
Turns out I don't need blaze orange as long as it is not the fire arm portion of deer season. I'm going to buy a shell belt because the upland bird vest I bought has blaze orange on it and turns out doves can see that very well.

I'm hunting public land and I'm stuck competing with other hunters. Decoys look to be the edge I need. I was maybe 100 yards from another hunter with a decoy and he at least had a couple good shots. Most in our immediate area didn't despite hearing plenty of shots being taken elsewhere.

I also finally dug up my handheld Garmin eTrex I bought when I was working in New Mexico (data collection in the desert is not fun when you are lost). So I found some free topo and trail maps and loaded them into the unit. I plan to mark all the spots I hunt with a sort of hunting log.
"Let's be honest the only people who read Ayn Rand are 16 year olds and assholes"

Re: Gear for dove hunting?

13
Found a conservation area with managed sunflower fields further north away from the city. I also bought a plain dove/shell belt and a camo hat instead of my blaze orange one. Got some decoys in from Amazon both static and battery powered. I spent more than I should but I always seem to do that with new hobbies lol! I hope to get out there the weekend after next.
"Let's be honest the only people who read Ayn Rand are 16 year olds and assholes"

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest