Dove Field Manipulation
 

I have some brown top millet planted and a good deal of birdeye has come up in the grass beside it. What is the best manipulation technique for the grass to attract doves. I have heard of cutting it with a hay cutter and burning it and also heard of shredding it a few times and letting it be. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I have hunted a burned set aside field and have done well.

I don't know, you have to be careful with all of that. You don't want to manipulate the grain in such a way that the game wardens think you are baiting. On the other hand, once you get it done right and have hundreds or thousands of birds coming in, the members of the Salty Cajuns would love to have their first annual Salty Cajun dove hunt!! :)

Ha, would love to host that, but i only have about 5 acres out of a 27 acre field planted. I have a power line running alongside the property and it is an annual flight route. I'm hoping to short stop them.

I've always cut it with a hay cutter, then wind row it. Let it dry & then when row it again or hit it with a bush hog.

Have burned them a few times which works well also but can be a pain if you dont have a constant wind out of the same direction.

Either way I always run a disk lightly through it just to get a little fresh dirt showing. They love to scratch in fresh dirt.

excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by windrowing?

Just raking it in long rows the length of the field. Ever seen the hay rakes on the back of tractors that are round?

Ha, yea, I've raked a few hayfields in my day, just never connected windrows to it. I guess when you are raking it, the seeds fall of the head and then that way, you are only burning the stalks?

Yup! If you let the rows dry then flip them over once or twice the seed will be "inches" deep.

Do you have any goat weed in your fields? We call it goat weed anyway. Has a small white pods & grows about waist high. Bush hog it run a disk through it & they are coming! No planting or fertilizing! We haven't planted in a couple years. Just the goat weed.

no goat weed, but i know what you're talking about. I've shot em in that more than a few times. got a load of birdeye though

Well, post some pics! I should have some pics Monday when I get back. We have a blast. Usually 15-20 of us hootin & hollering at each other missing the whole evening! I love to bird hunt with my boys but got to where I don't want them around me, they got to where they're killing a limit in less than 2 boxes! I don't like to be showed up! It's all fun though!

Be careful manipulating planted grain and hunting over it:eek:. If you bushhog the whole 27 acres and burn it, it should be considered common ag practice and be safe to hunt over.

That is correct. If you have a 10 acre field you have to plant & cut the whole field, just 5 acres of it won't cut it.:shaking: Unless that 5 acres is fenced. Doesn't make any sense but that's the way it is.:confused:

hmmm, not good, i planted 5 acres of a 27acre field

get a few T-post & run a single wire.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaa, you are a genius man. LOL, great idea.

Goatweed is great for doves. We just bush hog it and hunt it.
The doves only eat what they see on top of the ground. You have to make it easy for them to find.
They also love to hit fresh cut grass and hay fields. They know the seed is there.

plow up a section and put some water in it.

DOVES LOVE NEW DIRT

also if you want to get fun put you in a few poles with a wire on them. they will land on the wire and you can legally shoot them as long as its not connected to power

Slicker is right, and when you burn it you kill the germination of the seed, which does not allow the seed to sprout when it rains, and you will have seed on the ground for several hunts!