The Poor Boy's Dove Field

It’s been a while since my last post, and it might take days to catch up, but here is the quick synopsis of the plans for this year’s dove field.  I believe I gave some advice that if you don’t have the cash to spend planting and working the perfect field, there are options.  When I was told in April that I would be laid off this summer, those options were my only hope.  So this year, it’s the poor boy’s dove field.

I had tilled the field during the turkey season in hopes of planting sunflower and was trying to figure how much herbicide to put out, when I learned of my bosses’ plans.  When you have to cut back, the expensive field is the easy thing to do.  So we just let it grow, and I figured I’d mow a few strips a couple of times in the summer and just see what happens.

So I did.  Nothing fancy, and there were plenty of grasses and weeds dropping seed.  The first time I looked at the field was late July and we found an early covey of quail at the edge.  A strip was mowed, and we would see what may come.  And to my delight, the news from Johnny that he found dove feeding in the field this past weekend.

We shall see.  Hopefully the open mowed area will draw a few birds in.  If not, it seems the quail will be there for the winter hunts.  Regardless, I know where I’m spending opening day now.