Latest / Bird Dogs and Big Game / (EP. 54) Dove Hunting and getting your dog ready for the hunt!

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(EP. 54) Dove Hunting and getting your dog ready for the hunt! · Bird Dogs and Big Game

• 0:18
  Speaker: Hey, folks.
• 0:18
  Speaker: Welcome to the Birddog podcast.
• 0:20
  Speaker: My name is Tyce.
• 0:22
  Speaker: I will be your host today, and, uh, hope everyone's having a great day.
• 0:27
  Speaker: Thanks for tuning into the podcast.
• 0:28
  Speaker: Appreciate you guys, uh, listening and giving us support as we do this podcast.
• 0:36
  Speaker: Um, it's, uh, fun to talk about things that I enjoy and, and hopefully you guys can learn some things from me as we talk about different topics in the bird dog world or whatever it may be.
• 0:51
  Speaker: Um, today I am outside, so I'm not in my podcast studio.
• 0:58
  Speaker: Uh, sometimes I like to take my remote mics and do a recording outside, so you may hear some background noises.
• 1:04
  Speaker: I got a hummingbird feeder I'm sitting by here.
• 1:06
  Speaker: The backside of my house, a hummingbird just came by, so you may even pick up some, uh, fun outdoor sounds.
• 1:15
  Speaker: But, uh, I'm sure you guys are all outdoor people, and so hopefully that's all right.
• 1:22
  Speaker: Anyhow, in today's topic, I wanted to talk about getting your dog ready for the dove hunt.
• 1:30
  Speaker: Um, in Utah now, today is August 1st, and in Utah our season is gonna open up September 1st or right around there.
• 1:40
  Speaker: Don't, I need-- I haven't even checked the dates, but usually it's right there at the beginning of September, the 1st typically.
• 1:47
  Speaker: Typically it's the first Monday, um, of September, so somewhere right around the 1st.
• 1:54
  Speaker: Anyhow, it's coming up.
• 1:55
  Speaker: We're only about a month out.
• 1:57
  Speaker: Um, on a side note, I do wish we would, Utah and probably some other states, I don't know, depending where you're at, maybe it doesn't matter, but in Utah I feel like being in the central part of the state, uh, we have some doves around and then they end up pushing out.
• 2:18
  Speaker: We get a storm front that comes through and the doves move out, um, before we can really get a good hunt in.
• 2:26
  Speaker: If it stays warm like it is, maybe we'll have a better dove hunt this year with, with the warmer weather but time will tell.
• 2:35
  Speaker: Um, and, uh, I'm not a biologist, so I couldn't tell you for sure if, uh, you know, they're obviously nesting.
• 2:43
  Speaker: They do have a-- I know they, they're n- they're not on their eggs very long and their, the babies grow really fast.
• 2:50
  Speaker: Um, but I'm sure there's a reason they set it the time that they do.
• 2:56
  Speaker: But, uh- Anyhow, I got distracted there a little bit.
• 3:01
  Speaker: But, uh, getting your dog ready for the dove hunt.
• 3:04
  Speaker: So I'm gonna talk about how typically you hunt doves first,'cause we wanna know how, what the game is, and then we wanna know how to play the game with our dog, right?
• 3:17
  Speaker: So typically, you have-- Well, we're hunting mourning doves, and we're hunting Eurasian collared doves here in Utah.
• 3:26
  Speaker: The collared dove is, is, uh, a specie of dove that is, um, considered invasive, has done really well, and has moved into the state, and actually can be hunted year-round in the state of Utah with no limit.
• 3:39
  Speaker: Um, so that's pretty cool, but a lot of people don't go out and do a Eurasian collared dove hunt, I would say, um, in the summertime.
• 3:50
  Speaker: But I think a l- they do get shot with pellet guns and, and different things as the opportunity arises.
• 3:57
  Speaker: But, uh, uh, in the fall, they will tend to congregate, the collared doves, um, fall, winter.
• 4:04
  Speaker: So you will see bigger groups.
• 4:06
  Speaker: They will hit more grain, um, like around silos.
• 4:10
  Speaker: The I'm gonna talk about the collared dove for a minute.
• 4:12
  Speaker: They're pretty interesting.
• 4:13
  Speaker: Uh, they, they do like to hang out around houses a little bit more.
• 4:18
  Speaker: They're gonna nest in pine trees.
• 4:20
  Speaker: So like you typically find them out in the country around pine trees.
• 4:25
  Speaker: Um, they're gonna roost in those, nest in those.
• 4:28
  Speaker: And so you will see them around houses more.
• 4:30
  Speaker: Where the mourning dove, they're gonna be kinda wherever.
• 4:34
  Speaker: They'll be out in the country too, but they also build a little nest out of sticks and not necessarily nest in pine trees.
• 4:41
  Speaker: It seems like I find them more in, um, uh, Siberian, I think it's Siberian elms they'll nest in quite a bit.
• 4:48
  Speaker: But they're, they're kinda n- like little woody trees.
• 4:52
  Speaker: They just build a little very simple stick frame nest, and that's where they'll have their young.
• 4:58
  Speaker: I used to do a lot of hatching chicks when I was young, and I think their, I think their eggs, it only takes 14 days, I believe, um, for the chicks to hatch.
• 5:08
  Speaker: They, they hatch out pretty quick and grow pretty quick, just kinda like a pigeon.
• 5:12
  Speaker: Um, feral pigeons or any type of pigeon that really, um, their babies hatch fast, and they reproduce fast.
• 5:20
  Speaker: So that's, that's all good.
• 5:22
  Speaker: Um, so the mourning doves, they'll and the collared doves, they do have some overlay, but they seem to get along.
• 5:28
  Speaker: They don't seem to, um, you know, fight each other necessarily for territory except when it comes to food.
• 5:38
  Speaker: Um, man, my w- my voice is still waking up here, guys.
• 5:43
  Speaker: This morning, haven't talked to a lot of people.
• 5:46
  Speaker: Should've done, like, a warm-up singing thing, you know, before I did this, but...
• 5:50
  Speaker: So bear with me, it's a little-- My voice is a little, uh, groggy here.
• 5:54
  Speaker: But, uh, with the doves, the, the mourning doves, um, if you're looking to hunt them, where I've done well with them, and a lot, all this stuff I'm sharing with you guys is just personal experience.
• 6:07
  Speaker: So I don't know everything, but I've done enough where I've sh- shot a decent amount of doves in my life over the years.
• 6:14
  Speaker: So, um, if you guys have any, uh, things to add, let me know.
• 6:19
  Speaker: Um, send me a, a voicemail or a DM and, and I'm happy to talk about those too.
• 6:25
  Speaker: But a dove hunt, dove hunt is really fun, especially if you're a waterfowl guy because it, it's essentially kind of the same setup that you would do for a waterfowl.
• 6:36
  Speaker: But, uh, we're getting a little jump on the season, and it's good practice with your dog.
• 6:41
  Speaker: But, um, doves love wheat.
• 6:45
  Speaker: Um, they love wheat field.
• 6:47
  Speaker: They will, um...
• 6:48
  Speaker: I'll find them in corn, some barley, and, uh, some sunflowers are probably the main things that I'll find doves in.
• 6:57
  Speaker: I would say more aggressively wheat and sunflower would probably be your, here, at least here in Utah, is gonna be your highest uh, chance area of finding birds when it comes to a food source.
• 7:09
  Speaker: So a dove will roost, and then they will go feed, and then they will gravel, and then they'll water, and then they'll go back to their roost.
• 7:17
  Speaker: So they do move very early, um, very early, and in the evening is the, is your best chance to, um, get them.
• 7:28
  Speaker: So first, first light and in the evening, last couple hours of light and first couple hours I'd say is when they're moving around the most.
• 7:36
  Speaker: So if you're wanting to intercept a dove, you want- g- you're gonna wanna find one of those locations, either a food source or a roosting area or a water source.
• 7:47
  Speaker: Uh, gravel, they can kinda gravel wherever, and I believe they will feed and kinda gravel at the same time if it's all there.
• 7:53
  Speaker: And if there's water right there, then you might have, you might have found the Mecca, you know.
• 7:58
  Speaker: But you wanna be in tho- those, those areas or transition zones to find, um, these doves.
• 8:06
  Speaker: So morning doves are gonna roost, you know, lots of times in the foothills.
• 8:10
  Speaker: I'll find them up in the foothills around, uh, ju- uh, cedars or junipers.
• 8:15
  Speaker: And then, um, and they'll also roost in Russian olives, it seems like is a good one, cottonwoods.
• 8:22
  Speaker: Uh, any kinda nice tree line that's close to agriculture, you know, you can find sometimes them roosting.
• 8:31
  Speaker: Um, but like any good hunting, if you wanna really maximize your opportunity when it comes to hunting, scouting is gonna be your key, right?
• 8:41
  Speaker: Um, if you drive around and you're seeing a bunch of doves on a power line and then right below it there's a bunch of sunflower thistles, well, that could be a good spot to, to set up.
• 8:51
  Speaker: So find where those doves are congregating on a food source ideally, and, um, and then you're gonna wanna go set up in that area and, uh, and you should have some success, right?
• 9:01
  Speaker: So if you just go drive around and find some random sagebrush area and you go walk out there and sit there in the morning and hope a dove comes by, um, not saying they won't, but again, if you're not in the zone, you're not on the X, it's gonna be harder to kill birds.
• 9:18
  Speaker: So find one of those places.
• 9:21
  Speaker: Uh, with when it comes to water sources, they do like a, a little sloped muddy bank or an easy bank that they can get down to that water.
• 9:28
  Speaker: And then the reason they want, you know, wheat and some of these other, uh, thistle seed, um, sunflower is it just, they're a seed bird, so, and they're a small bird, so they're gonna really, um, feed on that.
• 9:46
  Speaker: Now, I will say the collared dove, they do like-- they are a bigger bird, so they're kinda in between a mourning dove size and a pigeon.
• 9:55
  Speaker: They're, they're gonna-- they'll heavy feed on corn.
• 9:59
  Speaker: So if you do find a good corn field late in the season, they will hit that really hard.
• 10:04
  Speaker: So where the mourning doves don't seem to hit the corn as hard, I don't know if it's, or it's a bigger kernel, they have a harder time, you know, getting that down.
• 10:14
  Speaker: But, uh, just, uh, kinda heads up on the different species that you're targeting.
• 10:20
  Speaker: Sometimes you can find, uh, collared doves at feedlots where corn is on the ground, and if you can get permission, maybe you can hunt around those feedlots, around those cattle, um, from the owner.
• 10:29
  Speaker: So, um, that's a little, uh, basic overview of hunting doves.
• 10:36
  Speaker: Um, they are, again, they don't have a lot of feathers.
• 10:39
  Speaker: They're, they don't have down, and so they will, when the weather comes in, they will head south pretty quick.
• 10:46
  Speaker: Um- So let's talk about dogs and dove hunting.
• 10:53
  Speaker: So when it comes to dove hunting, um, you need to have your dog steady, I would say is the main thing.
• 11:01
  Speaker: So it is similar to waterfowl.
• 11:04
  Speaker: So ideally what I like is a dog sitting next to me or on a hunting stand or whatever way you want to work your dog, but the dog should sit there, the bird should come.
• 11:14
  Speaker: When the birds pass by or come into the field, you're shooting the birds.
• 11:17
  Speaker: The dog is marking the fall of the dove, and then you're releasing your retriever or whatever breed you're running on its name to go out there and pick up your bird.
• 11:27
  Speaker: And so, uh, no different than duck hunting, the same thing.
• 11:31
  Speaker: You want your dog sitting there.
• 11:32
  Speaker: You want your dog steady.
• 11:34
  Speaker: You want to be able to shoot over your dog and release your dog out there to go pick up your duck on land or water, depending if you're doing a field hunt or hunting on water.
• 11:43
  Speaker: So, uh, let's talk what-- let's talk about that a little more.
• 11:48
  Speaker: Uh, your dog should be accustomed to gun, gunfire.
• 11:51
  Speaker: Shouldn't be any issue with gunfire, shooting right over your dog, around your dog, multiple shots.
• 11:55
  Speaker: Um, your dog should be okay with that.
• 11:57
  Speaker: So, uh, don't take your dog out first hunt of the year.
• 12:01
  Speaker: Let's, uh, air quote,"See if my dog is okay with guns." Do not do that, please.
• 12:07
  Speaker: You're gonna ruin your dog.
• 12:08
  Speaker: I've talked to people very often that have gone out and just shot around their dog or just shot right over their dog or took the dog hunting, hoping that the dog is okay with the guns.
• 12:20
  Speaker: Sometimes they are, and sometimes they're not.
• 12:23
  Speaker: And if they're not, it can really seed deep into that dog's brain and, uh, you're gonna have a dog that's, that's gun shy.
• 12:31
  Speaker: And all you have when the dog is gun shy, all you have at that point is a pet.
• 12:36
  Speaker: So now if you're one of those people that have actually done this or got really excited and want to kind of check your dog and see if it was, uh, was, was, uh, okay with guns or not, um, check out our, it's called the Gun Shy-- just gunshyfix.com, so www.gunshyfix.com.
• 12:57
  Speaker: And, uh, that's a program that we built to help your dog get more comfortable with guns.
• 13:04
  Speaker: So I just got off the phone a week or two ago with a client that, uh, that had had a, a gun-shy lab and, uh, worked the dog through the program and just gave me a report.
• 13:18
  Speaker: He was shooting multiple guns right next to the dog, and the dog was going out and retrieving and doing the work that it was supposed to do.
• 13:26
  Speaker: Where before, if the dog even saw a gun, it would cower or hide or take off or not want to work.
• 13:33
  Speaker: So, um, it does work.
• 13:35
  Speaker: Um, it is more of a desensitization approach.
• 13:38
  Speaker: And then when you-- and it's all on the website.
• 13:41
  Speaker: When you, uh- After you're, after you, uh, run the dog through the program, then you want to do a proper gun introduction, and, but, uh, yeah, check it out.
• 13:53
  Speaker: It's a, a great program, developed it to help people with gun-shy dogs, or if you have a young dog that you're just like,"Man, I wanna get him accustomed or comfortable with gunfire, and I don't wanna be, like, pounding boards over him and scaring him in, in that sense or anything like that," then, uh, check out gunshyfix.com.
• 14:10
  Speaker: So, and if you do that, get that to help, help out your young dog and help prepare it for gunfire, um, obviously help support us, so we really appreciate that.
• 14:21
  Speaker: So, um, gunfire is a big, a big deal, right?
• 14:25
  Speaker: So make sure your dog's good with gunfire, introduce him properly to guns, and, um, and then the next thing you want is ideally good obedience, right?
• 14:34
  Speaker: You want a steady dog.
• 14:36
  Speaker: So I d-- When I say steady, I want a dog that's sitting there.
• 14:40
  Speaker: I want my retriever sitting there, and I want him comfortable, um, releasing on his name to go, his or her name, to go make the retrieve.
• 14:49
  Speaker: And so practice with your dog, obviously, on getting them steady.
• 14:53
  Speaker: So a dog that's not steady can be a danger to itself.
• 14:58
  Speaker: It can be a danger to you.
• 14:59
  Speaker: I've seen dogs run out and knock people's barrels or run right in front of barrels and get almost shot, and so we do not want that.
• 15:09
  Speaker: We want a dog that'll stay steady and, um, and be okay out in the field.
• 15:14
  Speaker: So a lot of, a lot of people will work a dog in the yard, get it steady in their backyard or whatever, and, um And the dog's okay with that, but when you get in the excitement of multiple guns and decoys in a new place, then that steadiness sometimes goes out the door.
• 15:32
  Speaker: So you need to train for the hunts, like I've said.
• 15:35
  Speaker: Like, take your dog out, put out some decoys, talk the language you're gonna talk.
• 15:41
  Speaker: "All right, guys, here comes some doves off the right side.
• 15:44
  Speaker: Get ready," if you're talk-- if you're hunting with your buddies.
• 15:47
  Speaker: And then yell words like,"Take'em," or,"Shoot'em," or whatever you want to do.
• 15:50
  Speaker: Like, jump up with excitement, you know, and, uh, and shoot your shot, bang, bang, bang, and simulate a hunt.
• 15:56
  Speaker: And so when the dog in- goes into the real game, they're gonna have a good experience.
• 16:02
  Speaker: They're gonna be like,"Oh, I've heard this.
• 16:04
  Speaker: I've seen this.
• 16:04
  Speaker: I'm okay with all this jibber-jabber of people talking and multiple shots," and you're gonna find success.
• 16:10
  Speaker: Um, it's where dogs, dogs have breakdowns is when people just throw a bumper in the yard or something like that, and then they just send the dog on their name, and there's nothing, there's none of that excitement that you, that is, actually happens in a real hunt.
• 16:26
  Speaker: So remember to simulate that real hunt to the best of your ability.
• 16:30
  Speaker: Um, take one or two, one shotgun out and ease them into it, right?
• 16:35
  Speaker: Like, don't take out six guns and start shooting over them.
• 16:38
  Speaker: Make sure the dog is good with one gun and multiple shots, and the dog has a good attitude and no gun issues, and then add in, you know, a buddy or two.
• 16:48
  Speaker: And, and usually you don't really need to do a lot of those sessions of, you know, maybe another gun or two, but just check the dog, watch what it's doing.
• 16:56
  Speaker: When you pull up, boom, boom, boom, and the dog, and you get those multiple shots off multiple guns, if the dog is good with one gun, multiple shots, typically they're gonna be okay.
• 17:06
  Speaker: Unless you get really crazy and you're out pheasant hunting or something like that, or you have a really big group, eight, nine, 10 guys, and boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, a lot of shooting, that can sometimes throw a dog over the edge a little bit.
• 17:19
  Speaker: So Watch your dog, you know, be aware of its personality.
• 17:23
  Speaker: If you see that dog cowering back, or you see the dog uncomfortable in any situa-- in, in any shape or form, the dog is not gonna-- the dog is not having a good time, and you're essentially creating a negative experience.
• 17:37
  Speaker: And generally, shooting more and more over the dog, if the dog is having a bad experience, is only gonna make that worse for the animal.
• 17:46
  Speaker: So we wanna stop immediately if we see any, whoa, dog doesn't wanna work.
• 17:50
  Speaker: You can tell it's having issues with that gunfire.
• 17:53
  Speaker: Let's go ahead and go back to the yard.
• 17:55
  Speaker: Go back, work the dog, its head in the right direction, get it more comfortable with gunfire, working at a distance, working in, and, uh, your dog, um, and prepare its mind.
• 18:07
  Speaker: We're preparing its mind mentally, right?
• 18:09
  Speaker: On that we want gunfire equals good things, gunfire equals birds, gunfire equals fun, and not gunfire equals I should hide, or I should stop working, or I should run away because I'm afraid of, of what's going on here.
• 18:26
  Speaker: So, um, can't, can't stress that enough, again, is the gunfire stuff.
• 18:32
  Speaker: So, um, can you hunt a dog that's not steady?
• 18:36
  Speaker: Yes, you can.
• 18:37
  Speaker: You can have a lab or whatever it may be, and you're just shooting doves, and the dog is breaking and running out there.
• 18:44
  Speaker: Now, that's not my style, um, but you could essentially take it hunting.
• 18:49
  Speaker: The reason I would not recommend taking it hunting if a dog is breaking is because you're only reinforcing a bad habit.
• 18:56
  Speaker: So if your goal is to have a dog steady, maintain steadiness at all times.
• 19:01
  Speaker: Do not let that dog reward itself with a bird that is shot down and the dog breaks and goes and gets it.
• 19:08
  Speaker: Now, if the dog is steady 90% of the time and it gets away with one, you know Do your best to recall the dog, have a controlled break.
• 19:17
  Speaker: No, here, you know, try to get that dog back to you, um, and not let it self-reward on the retrieve.
• 19:25
  Speaker: But if the dog's a little faster to you and gets back to you, then, uh, not the end of the world.
• 19:30
  Speaker: But if it does it again, you're probably gonna wanna stop doing a little hunting and do a little bit of training and work, work it through either, you know, hold the dog back while your buddy shoots or put it on a play stand or I'm not gonna go into the details of how to reinforce steadiness, but, um, you wanna do whatever you can to make sure your dog stays steady.
• 19:51
  Speaker: Um, when a dog is steady, they can see the birds go down, they're safe, you're creating good habits for waterfowl and doves, and again, they're just more enjoyl- enjoyable to be around.
• 20:03
  Speaker: I, uh, another way you can hunt doves is kind of an upland style.
• 20:07
  Speaker: So, you know, if you have a big sunflower patch, you don't know if there's doves out there, you can just essentially go out there with your dog, let it hunt around in the bushes, and doves are gonna just wild flush up, and, uh, you can shoot them that way.
• 20:21
  Speaker: So, um, if you have a dog that's not steady and you want them to just kind of more like hunt doves that are down on the ground feeding, you could walk around, and if a do- a dove just passes by as you're out and the dog's out hunting around searching, you could obviously shoot one of those.
• 20:36
  Speaker: Um, or if your dog, um, flushes any birds into the air that are on the ground already feeding, you could shoot those too.
• 20:43
  Speaker: So, if you have a young dog that's not steady, that could be an option.
• 20:47
  Speaker: They may have a harder-- They're probably gonna have a harder time, um, marking the fall of the birds you shoot.
• 20:53
  Speaker: And, um, because doves, sometimes they'll flush a little wild out there if they see it coming, so the dog might not necessarily see the bird come up.
• 21:04
  Speaker: They just all of a sudden will hear the gunshots as you're getting closer.
• 21:07
  Speaker: But some doves, depending on the cover and stuff, they will hold a little tighter.
• 21:12
  Speaker: But also depending on the cover, the dog might not be able to see, um, the doves that flush out of the sunflowers or whatever you're hunting.
• 21:20
  Speaker: I would say probably sunflowers are gonna be your h- your highest chance of, uh, um, of, of doing that.
• 21:28
  Speaker: Possibly an old, uh, s- cornfield, but mostly sunflowers, because wheat fields, they're gonna see it coming from a distance and just most likely flush too far out of range, um, unless the wheat's high enough that they kinda can't see it coming until you're kind of on top of them.
• 21:44
  Speaker: So, um, when it comes to dove hunting where it can be warmer, you definitely want water, to take water with you.
• 21:53
  Speaker: So, if you're not near a water source, um, like any early season hunting that is done, make sure you keep your dog hydrated.
• 22:02
  Speaker: You don't wanna have a dog have heat stroke issues.
• 22:05
  Speaker: Um, and You know, we know where that goes from there.
• 22:09
  Speaker: So, um, also having water on hand, doves, let's talk about doves and dove feathers.
• 22:15
  Speaker: So if you've never shot a dove and your dog grabs a bird, if your dog is hard-mouthed at all or likes to move its mouth, or not even necessarily just when they hold a dove in their mouth, the feathers really slough off the bird extremely easy.
• 22:30
  Speaker: All those little feathers will just slip off, and a lot of time your dog's gonna come back with a mouthful of feathers, um, on the retrieve.
• 22:38
  Speaker: So if you have water, it's also nice for the dog to kind of wash those feathers down, kind of wash them out of its mouth, and then, um, then it can breathe easier and just get that out of its mouth.
• 22:50
  Speaker: You imagine if you had a whole f- mouthful of kind of dry feathers, uh, that it can make dogs kind of gag and all those things.
• 22:58
  Speaker: Um, and then along those lines, if you have a dog that is hard-mouthed, doves are, is hard-mouthed, doves are very small, and so doves are very, sometimes dogs are like,"How do I hold this thing?" And I've seen dogs completely eat a dove as they're coming back with retrieves.
• 23:15
  Speaker: They'll just like, they're kind of like mouthing a little bit, and all s- and it's just like a little pill, and it just goes down their, goes down their throat.
• 23:22
  Speaker: So, um, hopefully your dog, you've put your dog through a good force fetch program, or you've worked with your dog on a nice hold, and so when that dog, when you shoot those doves down, it'll actually return back to you that little bird that you can actually still salvage and get the meat from and do some, you know, uh, put them on the grill or however you're gonna, um, cook them up.
• 23:46
  Speaker: So, uh So yeah, that's k- I'm trying to think if there's anything else that I'm missing on doves.
• 23:54
  Speaker: Give me a minute.
• 23:55
  Speaker: Decoys, I do like decoys.
• 23:57
  Speaker: So the little Mojo decoys actually work pretty dang good.
• 24:01
  Speaker: Um, if you have a wheat field or corn field, you can have some really fun decoying action.
• 24:05
  Speaker: I'll, I'll usually put like a Mojo decoy down on the ground, and then I'll put some other decoys on the ground You know, buy it just like a, a duck setup, and if you're on the X where the doves wanna be, they will q- cue into those, that mojo decoy and the other decoys and, and drop right in, and you can have a really fun shoot.
• 24:27
  Speaker: We had a great shoot last year.
• 24:29
  Speaker: Had mourning doves, collared doves, uh, dropping in our decoys and shooting them right out in front in an open wheat field.
• 24:35
  Speaker: And it's just a really fun experience.
• 24:37
  Speaker: Your dog's steady, they're sitting there, they're marking these birds coming in, and such a great experience for a duck dog.
• 24:44
  Speaker: If you got a young dog that is new to hunting, dove hunting is great because again, like I talked about earlier, it's essentially the same thing.
• 24:52
  Speaker: It's a marking game, the way at least I like to hunt them, is where you're sitting, birds are coming in to feed, or maybe you're sitting in a p- at, you're pass shooting them as they're heading to the roost.
• 25:02
  Speaker: But just very similar to the, the mechanics of a duck hunt.
• 25:06
  Speaker: And so it gives that dog opportunity to see the birds in the sky, s- uh, mark the fall, and go out and make the retrieves.
• 25:14
  Speaker: So if you're wanting to get a better duck dog, dove hunting is a great experience.
• 25:19
  Speaker: But again, you're gonna have to go out and scout.
• 25:21
  Speaker: You might need to get permission to hunt, um, some agricultural fields.
• 25:26
  Speaker: Um, so you, you do wanna l- uh, if you are hunting some fields, you are gonna need permission to be able to hunt those.
• 25:33
  Speaker: In the state of Utah, um, last I checked, again, I'm not the law, but last I had checked, and I'm pretty sure this still stands, is if it is, the field is cultivated and you go on there, even if it's not posted, you are trespassing.
• 25:49
  Speaker: So you need to get written permission from the landowner.
• 25:52
  Speaker: So you need to go out, see if doves are hanging out, go talk to them and see if they're dove hunters or if they care if you hunt.
• 25:58
  Speaker: And then of course, um, if you do get permission to hunt, do something nice for them or at the very least, make sure you pick up all your garbage or your shells and, uh, so, you know, hunters, we have a good w- there's a good, uh, rep about us.
• 26:15
  Speaker: So or, uh, I don't know if that's the word, but they look kindly towards it like,"Hey, that was, that was all good.
• 26:21
  Speaker: The guys cleaned, they didn't leave any trash." Um, that's what ruins people getting permission a lot is they shoot a wheel line or they destroy some equipment or whatever it may be, accidentally shooting it or they leave trash there and, and uh, it makes sense that a land own- owner would be not give permission again to someone else'cause they had a bad taste put in their mouth when they let someone hunt their ground.
• 26:43
  Speaker: So do a future hunter's, uh, favor and just, uh, go the extra mile, you know, take them do something nice for the farmer, take them a treat of some sort or a drink of some sort.
• 26:56
  Speaker: And, um, and if you do stuff like that, they'll lots of times they'll happily give you permission, uh, year to year, you know, if you t- help, if you're kind to them or help take care of them or go help them with some yard work or whatever it may need be that they need help with.
• 27:11
  Speaker: So, um, so that can be a little bit challenging if you are hunting wheat fields or something like that.
• 27:17
  Speaker: It is cultivated ground if you don't have permission.
• 27:20
  Speaker: But that being said, there are still plenty of it places on public where there is, you know, sunflowers or ponds or whatever it may be that you can still go and hunt doves in Utah.
• 27:32
  Speaker: So, um I would say that's gonna be pretty much it f- when it comes to dove hunting.
• 27:40
  Speaker: So there, it's pretty simple.
• 27:43
  Speaker: Find where the birds are, prep your dog.
• 27:46
  Speaker: You know, that obedience is gonna come into play.
• 27:49
  Speaker: The retrieve's gonna come into play.
• 27:51
  Speaker: The dog marking those birds is gonna come into play.
• 27:55
  Speaker: And then, uh, I'll talk a couple other things.
• 27:58
  Speaker: Scenting doves can be challenging, so it's hot.
• 28:02
  Speaker: Lots of times it's warm, and so dogs are gonna be panting through their mouth.
• 28:05
  Speaker: They're not gonna be sucking through their nose.
• 28:07
  Speaker: So gotta get a drink here.
• 28:10
  Speaker: Um So if, if the dog is, uh, you know, breathing through its mouth, it's not gonna-- it's gonna have a hard time smelling those birds.
• 28:21
  Speaker: So if they're sucking through their nose, then they're gonna actually smell those scent particles and be able to smell where that bird is at.
• 28:30
  Speaker: So if you feel like your dog's struggling to smell them, the dog, the bird does not produce a large scent cone.
• 28:36
  Speaker: It is a small scent cone and, um, if that bird drops down into like alfalfa or some thicker brush and your dog's not really accustomed to the scent of a dove, it can be a little more challenging.
• 28:49
  Speaker: I have noticed that with dogs to smell doves, and I think it's a combination of the heat, breathing through their mouth, small scent cone coming off the bird, and maybe doves just don't produce a huge scent in general.
• 29:00
  Speaker: So don't be too s- too bummed out about it.
• 29:02
  Speaker: Find the bird.
• 29:03
  Speaker: If you have to, just help the dog get over there, get downwind of it, grab the bird.
• 29:08
  Speaker: You can tease the, um, the dog, you know, with the bird.
• 29:11
  Speaker: Give it a little toss.
• 29:12
  Speaker: The dog runs out there, grabs it, smells it.
• 29:15
  Speaker: "Okay, this is what we're doing.
• 29:16
  Speaker: This is the game." And then hopefully that'll, um, they'll smell that next bird A little bit easier.
• 29:24
  Speaker: And then last but not least, when it comes to hunting doves, um, doves are not, um, their eyes aren't as good as I would say as like ducks, where they're not as weary.
• 29:35
  Speaker: Generally, you can kind of sit in a chair, and as long as you don't move a lot and you have somewhat of type of a camo on, camo on to blend in, um, they're going to not flare too bad.
• 29:48
  Speaker: Um, not saying you can just sit out there in the middle of nowhere in the open and they're just gonna fly right in close to you.
• 29:55
  Speaker: But if you are hunting, um, if you are more camoed up, it is gonna be better.
• 30:01
  Speaker: If you take it serious and you're decoying them and you get, get in the shade of the trees at the very least, kind of where they can't really see you, get in your camo.
• 30:11
  Speaker: Main thing again, hold still and those doves bomb right in.
• 30:15
  Speaker: That's one thing that's kind of fun is they're not as weary as ducks when it comes to, you know, pass shooting them or decoying them in.
• 30:23
  Speaker: You can get away with a little bit more, I guess, is what I'm saying.
• 30:26
  Speaker: So, anyhow, I think that's gonna be it, guys, for getting your dog ready for the hunt when it comes to dove hunting.
• 30:34
  Speaker: Since our dove hunts are coming up, it's an exciting time of year.
• 30:37
  Speaker: We're only about a month out.
• 30:38
  Speaker: So take that time with your dog now to prep them, prepare your dog for how you're gonna hunt, so, and you're gonna have a great experience.
• 30:47
  Speaker: Really appreciate you guys listening in today.
• 30:49
  Speaker: If you can give us a follow, uh, um, our Instagram is utahbirddogtraining.com.
• 30:56
  Speaker: Um, follow us on the Birddog Podcast, also on Instagram.
• 31:00
  Speaker: Um, if you're looking for a good, uh, golden retriever to hunt with, Fieldbred Golden Retrievers, and we also own Utah Pointing Labs.
• 31:08
  Speaker: So, um, we also breed pointing labs.
• 31:10
  Speaker: Haven't been promoting them a whole lot because I only have a couple females right now that I'm gonna be having litters with, and I'm, I'm trying to get one.
• 31:18
  Speaker: She's just, uh, having some cycling issues, so trying to get her, um, on the ground, get her to come into season so we can get some nice pups for her.
• 31:26
  Speaker: But if we do have, and we do have deposits on those ones, so I haven't really been, uh, talking much about those.
• 31:32
  Speaker: But, uh, um, if you're, uh, interested in following us on social media, go ahead and, um, give us a follow, or you can check out our websites.
• 31:43
  Speaker: And, um, we really appreciate that.
• 31:45
  Speaker: So, uh And then, uh, also, oh yeah, side note here, if you're looking for a really good cot, um, for inside your house for your dog to rest on for like a play spot, um, we recommend Kuranda, K-U-R-A-N-D-A, um,.com, Kuranda Dog Beds.
• 32:06
  Speaker: Um, I think it's the 40 or the 44 by 27.
• 32:10
  Speaker: There is a measurement right around there.
• 32:12
  Speaker: Um, and we use the anodized aluminum, uh, dog beds with the ballistic vinyl material, and those are awesome.
• 32:20
  Speaker: Those cots are awesome to have in your house.
• 32:22
  Speaker: They're the most bulletproof we've one found on the market.
• 32:25
  Speaker: Use the link in our show notes.
• 32:27
  Speaker: If you click on that and go buy one, uh, with that, if you're gonna buy one anyways, it helps us out.
• 32:34
  Speaker: Um, we would, uh, really appreciate that.
• 32:38
  Speaker: Um, Crispy Boots, check out Crispy Boots.
• 32:40
  Speaker: We are-- That's what I use every day when I'm hunting big game or I'm hunting birds, um, or working is, uh, Crispy Boots.
• 32:49
  Speaker: So they have a, a, a line of a lot of different boots for what you're looking for.
• 32:54
  Speaker: They have more of an early season.
• 32:56
  Speaker: They have more of a shoe.
• 32:57
  Speaker: They have late season, insulated, uninsulated.
• 33:00
  Speaker: Um, but, uh, I run the Brickstalls.
• 33:05
  Speaker: Uh, they're an awesome boot when I'm doing a lot of big ga-game hunting.
• 33:08
  Speaker: I don't run a insulated boot.
• 33:10
  Speaker: I alway-- All my stuff is all uninsulated.
• 33:13
  Speaker: The Laponia's I really like for early season hiking around.
• 33:17
  Speaker: They're a great boot.
• 33:18
  Speaker: So check out Crispy.
• 33:19
  Speaker: They're an awesome boot if you are in the market.
• 33:22
  Speaker: I, I d- I don't really have a big break-in process with them, um, with my feet.
• 33:27
  Speaker: They-- I don't think I've ever gotten a blister in a Crispy boot.
• 33:30
  Speaker: So, uh, if you're gonna do a lot of chucker hunting or big game hunting or whatever it may be, check them out.
• 33:36
  Speaker: Um, they are an awesome company.
• 33:39
  Speaker: So without further ado, we're gonna go ahead and wrap up this podcast.
• 33:42
  Speaker: Thanks again for listening, guys.
• 33:43
  Speaker: Have a great day.
• 33:44
  Speaker: Have fun training your dog and, uh, send us pictures of your dove hunt that you get in.
• 33:50
  Speaker: We love seeing those dogs in action and, uh, you can send those to thebirddogpodcast@gmail.com or you can, uh, DM us or s-- um, and send them to us.
• 34:03
  Speaker: Um, that's probably actually the easiest way is through email.
• 34:06
  Speaker: So have a great day, guys.