Hunting Cut Silage for Doves in Taylor County
Hunting Cut Silage for Doves in Taylor County
When I first got interested in dove hunting it was something I had only seen on outdoor shows on television. I had recently left active duty and had been hunting waterfowl while living in Cajun country in southern Louisiana. Even living in a state known as “The Sportsman’s Paradise,” there was never much talk about hunting doves.
1999 found me relocating to Northwest Missouri to be around family and it also rekindled my interest in dove hunting. One morning, with what sounded like one hundred and fifty shotguns, my curiosity peaked. As it turned out, the little country farmhouse I had rented was about half a section away from the Bilby Ranch as the crow flies.
Anyone that has ever hunted the Bilby knows what hunting a well-managed dove area is like and can attest to how fun it is. I had no idea. All I knew about it was that my grandfather used to cowboy for the Bilby back in its prime and that there was a pretty decent little lake on the property. I decided to run to the store, buy my license and ammo, and be back for an afternoon hunt. I got to the counter and told the guy working there what I wanted to do and he got me lined up with a license.
The sporting goods guy saw me milling around the ammo and came over. “Find the shot size you’re looking for?” He asked. “Yeah, do most guys like 7 1/2 or 8 for doves”? I replied, acting like I had an idea of what I was getting into.
“Most people shoot either one, your preference.” He replied, already struck on the fresh track of a novice.“Ok. Do you sell it by the box or is it all in these 100 round packages?” “The daily limit is only 15.”
“We sell a lot of 100 round bricks. Dove hunting can be pretty challenging.” he smirked.
I said, “Man, I’ve got expert marksmanship awards from the Marine Corps. Me and accuracy go way back like Cadillac seats. Give me a “brick” of one hundred I guess and I’ll use the rest this fall on rabbits and quail.”
“Do you have any decoys?” He queried as I was about to walk away. He had a little ring of pride in his voice when he knew he had me. I turned back around and sighed, “Not yet.”
That afternoon I learned the rest of what I needed to know about dove hunting. Although the birds on TV looked high up in flight, out here in the field a full choke was a poor decision. I still feel bad about that first bird that broke over the sunflowers and my right shoulder that afternoon.
I swapped out to a modified choke, swallowed my pride and burned through two boxes of shells before I reached my limit. As it turned out, when a whole field of people are shooting at the same birds, dove hunting can be a little challenging.
I’ve long since moved to Southwest Iowa but unfortunately, it would be a few years before Iowa had their own dove season. In 2011, Iowa would become the 42nd state to have a season for mourning doves and it has improved ever since. Public grounds started to plant areas for sunflowers with the help of local Pheasants Forever Chapters and other sportsman’s groups. Hunting and shooting enthusiasts soon started flocking to these areas much like the doves they were pursuing. There is even a Facebook page dedicated to Iowa Dove Hunters with a lot of great people involved.
If you have never hunted doves, not only is it one of the more leisurely hunts you will take part in but, with the right people, it can be one of the most enjoyable. If you are like me and prefer a little more elbow room, I recommend driving some back roads and finding a farm or cattle operation that cuts silage for feed. These places generally have a water source, plenty of power lines for mid-day roosting and are usually close to some timber where the birds can roost for the evening.
One of our best spots I happened upon wasn’t actually that hard to find at all. I had been driving past it going to work for the last eleven years. I was headed to work and really didn’t pay attention to a prime spot because, well, I was heading to work. And that is certainly not as fun as dove hunting.
This afternoon was different. I was clipping along and had noticed the corn cut back to the top of the hill. The field also looked like it had never seen a weed. The remaining corn stood around a small valley, in the center of which ran a little grass and a sprinkling of small scrub trees and brush. Across the road was the farm and the majority of the cattle with many feed bunks and a couple of ponds.
All along the power lines for a quarter of a mile sat numerous doves and even a flock of pigeons. Small groups of doves were dropping into the cut field and even landing on the small scrub trees standing in the patch of grass. The wheels in my mind started to turn and I did a quick drive-by recon of the area. On the east side of the field there was a decent terrace that we could sit against.To the north stood a wall of pristine uncut corn that was over six feet tall. It was a perfect wall running east and west overlooking the area and it seemed that most of the birds were dropping into it. This would be the first sit and a perfect spot for an afternoon ambush.
A couple of phone calls later, and a weekend hunt was in the making! We loaded the truck Saturday afternoon and took off to make a quick stop for water and snacks. After parking in the east entrance to the field, we made our way around the edge of the still standing corn and proceeded to bump a few birds that were already on the ground.
While walking to the decided upon spot, more birds started dropping in like they could care less. The anticipation of two full limits mounted and I sat about to place my MOJO VOODOO dove decoys out at about twenty-five paces. Around those, in a sort of semi-circle, I placed four MOJO Flock-a-flicker decoys. The stage was set, the shotguns loaded and I was about to sit back in my chair when I heard; “RIGHT HERE!” followed by the BOOM! BOOM! of my old semi auto 12 gauge.
“YEAH BABY! Put momma on the board with a double!” I looked over with a raised eyebrow to see my wife Briana running out into the field in her “lucky red dove huntin’ shorts” and one of my old long sleeve camo t-shirts that she had adopted from our first date hunting doves twelve years ago. Apparently I had missed the briefing beforehand where we were playing by gunslinger rules. We ended up staying busy on the triggers that afternoon and I even took my first Eurasian collared dove.
While we had spent a few days hunting public ground around Lake of Three Fires, nothing compared to the fun and opportunities to fill daily limits like that of hunting cut silage fields. Everything doves want and need are there; roosting areas, water sources, food and lots of open dirt to put in their craw or have a dust bath in. The best part of the ease of dove hunting is the opportunity to get kids involved and out of the house for a few hours. All it takes is a bag of drinks and snacks, along with hearing protection and some sunscreen. Next thing you know; you’ve got your very own retriever!
The land owner had never heard of hunting doves. Between chores, he and his wife would sit on the front porch and watch us sitting out in the field shooting birds. Afterwards, we brought them a large plate of poppers, half a dozen plucked and cooked birds, and a plate of Cajun rice with small chunks of meat browned and mixed in. And this is the best part of dove hunting; the community aspect. Gather some of your closest people, add in a few youngsters, your land owners, and you will make memories. Also, take a lot of pictures. It seems like no one takes pictures and sits down to visit anymore. Dove hunting over a cut silage field can cure that.
So, if you ever find yourself in Taylor County and you think you’re up for a little trash talk and dove hunting, look us up! Gunslinger rules apply.
by Toney McElroy
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September 2021
