Planting a Dove Field - What I've Learned So Far

It’s that time of year.  Dove Hunters are starting to think about the next season and a few are wondering if they should plant a Dove Field this year.  I was amazed to find that Google has this Blog listed in the top 15 sites when you search “Dove” “Field” and “Planting.”  Then I realized that a few people looking for information about planting their own Dove field had somehow stumbled onto this blog.  Hopefully they’ve read the part about my inexperience as a farmer, wildlife manager and wing shooter.  But you yourself may be interested in a planting a Dove Field and may gain some valuable knowledge from what I’ve learned so far.  So here it is:

1.      Tell People What You Are Doing  - Get some advice.



2.      Create a Plan For Your Dove Field - It's more work than throwing some seed on the ground.

3.      Make a Budget – This includes budgeting time for work in the field.

4.      Get A Soil Test – At a mimimum this gives better soil for plants to grow.  In our case we saved a bunch of cash when we found out that no lime was needed.



My son creating his own plan for the field



5.      Read About Baiting – I don’t want to ruin a good hunt for myself, family and friends because the Game Warden shows up to tell me that the field is considered baited.

6.      Hire Someone to Spread Fertilizer/Lime – It takes a lot of time to do it yourself, and we found someone to spread it for no additional costs than the fertilizer itself.

7.      Calendar Your Dove Field and the Work You Will Need to Put In to It – I have a lot going on this summer, placing the Dove Field on the calendar gives it priority over some other things.

8.      Read About It – There is a lot of good technical advice out there.

9.      Create a Backup Plan – This is really a way of saying, don’t get upset if things don’t go the way planned.

10.  Enjoy It – Sure there is a lot of work to be done, but we always get enough of it accomplished while having a little fun.

There isn’t much technical information in this post, but these things are worth knowing.  Dove season is about 3 months away, and if you’re planting a field, keep this advice in mind.  I’m sure I’ll learn a few more things on the way and try to include them in later posts.  In a couple of weeks, I’ll be up to the field to plant the Proso and hopefully to look over some growing Millet and Sesame.

See the full Verision of this Post for more details