Dove hunts are social occasions as well as a chance to bag game, so it's nice when everything goes smoothly. Select shooting locations in advance and mark them so they are easily seen. Otherwise, hunters can inadvertently become crowded, get in each others way, and create a hazard. One hunter per acre is a safe density if stands are well laid out and hunters are reasonably careful. A map will help the hunters find their stands (Figure 4).
Post signs that indicate where the field is and where to park. Have hunters sign an agreement of your rules and regulations. You may wish to include a clause that states hunters are responsible for any accidents they cause.
Frequent hunting can deteriorate quality. Some fields can take more hunting pressure than others. If you want sustained hunting, avoid overhunting the field. Hunting about once or twice a week is comman practice. If two fields are close, hunting them simultaneously will keep the birds flying back and forth for fast action. If you want to maintain a population of birds in the area, hunt one field while maintaining the other as a temporary refuge.
There is a balance to be struck between getting your share of doves early and maintaining a productive dove field during the season. Although hunting accounts for perhaps 15 percent of all dove mortality, a high percentage of the harvest (70 percent in Tennessee, for example) occurs during the first 10 days of the season. After doves have been shot at for a few days, they tend to disperse to scattered food sources and afford little or no hunting.
Three or four hours is usually long enough for a shoot. You may wish to let doves feed the last hour or two of the day unmolested. It helps keep them coming to the field.
