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A buddy of mine has about a small field we are wanting to try to dove hunt on. Right now it's grass. What do we need to do in order to have birds, and be legal as well?
thanks

At this late just mow it about a week to 10 days before the season and pray that you have birds.

GFB.

You could probally still get wheat to come up in time. Just bush hog it 10 days before the season starts or 10 days before anyone hunts it. Talk to your local Co-Op. They answer this question almost every day.

bush-hog the grass off, disc under and let the turf die off.... re-disc and sow with a bushel of wheat to the acre sown evenly..... even if it doesn't attract birds you will have a good green field plot for the deer and other wildlife....

judge jb

That's what I'm gona try just bush hog break the ground up and soe with wheat.Last year I seat in the front yard and shoot 5 or 6 birds ever now and then.Like judge said it will be good for the deer and other critters.

One of the best fields we ever had happened by accident. We were trying to convert an old hayfield into a pure bermuda stand. So we sprayed it with roundup, waited for it to brown and then ran a fire over it. Man you talk about doves! They were pilin' into that field like there was no tomorrow. I guess all the available grass seed coupled with the clean ground was an offer they couldn't refuse. You could try that and add a little wheat to the mix and I bet you'd have a nice field. The good thing about it was it was relatively cheap and didn't require any tractor time. It has to be timed right , though...............

tj, that is interesting, because I have been told doves like burned fields. Someone told me that they LOVE a burned sunflower field, but I'm too scared to try it.

Wingman

Oh, and if you're gonna plant wheat for it to come up, you have to do that in the winter. It dies in the summer as it is a cool-season annual, like ryegrass and oats. Do like Judge does and leave your wheat and bushhog it the following year.

Thanks!

Just agreein' with TJ. One of the best fields I ever shot was a sunflower field that got "ruined" by high water. It was mostly grass and just a few acres of sunflowers. We sprayed it with roundup, let it dry out, bushhogged and burned it. Had an awesome hunt. Most of the sunflowers were left standing, it was the grass seed laying on bare burned ground that brought em in.

TJ, I can see that this is a great way to have a dove field. I have never dispensed roundup other than in a small sprayer. How would I dispense it over a couple of acres of behaia grass---loaded with seed?

What about wheat, sunflowers, and milo? What if you have that, bushhog it, then burn off the wheat and maybe leave some sunflowers standing? Would that be legal?

One answer to that, BURN the whole field, you will have some birds then!! Doves cant resist a burned field. If you have birds in the area, they will come there!

I have field of sunflowers that were broadcasted(april 17). We are starting to get some weeds in the field( We did spay it w/ treflan prior to planting). We are planing on spraying the whole field w/ roundup the first week in Aug. What If we burned it after the RU has done its job? Would this burn the sunflower stalks also? How would this effect later season hunts over the sunflowers? Would you only do part of the field or all at the same time?

Sdelta

We've killed the heck out of them on burned fields as long as I can remember. I was just wondering if it was legal. I've never heard anything against it. I know if you burn wheat, it leaves the grains laying out all over the ground. It's like an all you can eat buffet for the little lovely dovelys!

DuckyDan, I believe its legal. I hunted on a burned field on a state WMA 3 years ago.