I am contemplating planting a canola field for dove hunting next year. Do any of you have any experience you would share? I am particularly interested in how well doves are attracted to canola, and how well to expect the crop to do in the south. Any response will be appreciated.

I dont know the first thing about canola, but sesame and/or domestic sunflowers are dove candy!

For future reference, research has revealed that Canola doesn't fare well in heat, and southern Minnesota summer temps can stunt growth, so I am concluding that Canola in Mississippi would be out of the question...

another that we have used in the past is sorgum alum.... has produced for three years on a single planting,,with a discing in the spring..also deer love it for forace and cover..and quail the same..

Sorghum Alum is fine, but you'd better be sure you want it. It's like herpes or a Dodge truck -- once you have it, it's hard to get rid of it.

CWW: There are few crops more enticing to doves than a quick-maturing variety of grain sorghum (milo). Use a seed variety and time the planting so that it is mature in mid-August, then harvest just before the September 1 opener. The volumes of grain scattered by the combine (as well as whole heads of grain from fallen stalks) will be a bird magnet. Importantly, farming milo this way is a "standard agricultural practice" and won't get you busted for "baiting" migratory birds.

Of course, you COULD have a crop failure and turn cattle in on the unharvested grain and stalks. The grain will shoot right through them, resulting in plenty for the birds. You could also shred down an unharvested plot that "failed" (especially if it were grown up in native sunflowers and such -- damn herbicide didn't work again!) and have an equally favorable bird attractant.

Sometimes a patch of winter wheat will not be harvested, perhaps due to prolonged wet weather in the early summer or maybe drought. If left undisturbed until September such a patch can be dove magic.

Thanks guys, I was just looking for the proverbial magic bullet. I usually hunt over sunflowers, but the 'roundup ready' variety of canola got my attention as weeds are sometimes hard to control in the sunflowers. Hopefully 'roundup ready' sunflowers will someday arrive.

CWW,
They grow canola - rapeseed in the Columbia basin in central Washington and it does well. It gets hotter here than in Minn. and the stuff can grow almost shoulder high. The temps down there in the summer are 90's to low 100's. I don't have a clue whether it is attractive to doves but I would doubt it. It is just a long leggy plant with yellow flowers from what I have seen.

Canola can be grown in S Minnesota but I'd think Miss. would be too hot for the stuff.

If you REALLY want to attract doves , plant hemp.

When the seed starts dropping in late August doves will go crazy for it , you can't hardly run them out of a hemp patch........

quote:

Originally posted by sdgunslinger:

If you REALLY want to attract doves , plant hemp.

When the seed starts dropping in late August doves will go crazy for it , you can't hardly run them out of a hemp patch........

I'm afraid that if I planted hemp, I may not be able to run the neighbors out either

Heat does hurt the yield on canola, but you are not interested in harvesting the plot only the attraction to the birds, so why not plant canola and see if it produces the desired results. Even if you lose 50% of the potential yield there will be plenty for the birds and maybe you could get a bee keeper to give you some free honey for having some hives near the plot.

"Roundup Ready" is not where you want to go. Canola or Rapeseed (Brassica rapa) is also known as Field Mustard and can become a problem weed. If you plant Canola go with the generic stuff so you can kill it when you're done. I personally haven't seen it grown further south than Baker, MT and it can get hotter than hell there.

Also Sorghum, native to Africa, is a perennial. It is grown as an annual, especially in the midwest, because it can't survive the winters. Good bird hunting though.

Sorry to offend anyone. I am not fond of "Roundup Ready" anything as Roundup's overuse has caused many resistances in weeds making some impossible to control.

try sesame. it's planted here for an oilseed crop and doves just love it.

quote:

Originally posted by CWW:

quote:

Originally posted by sdgunslinger:

If you REALLY want to attract doves , plant hemp.

When the seed starts dropping in late August doves will go crazy for it , you can't hardly run them out of a hemp patch........

I'm afraid that if I planted hemp, I may not be able to run the neighbors out either

While Hemp may attract doves it'd also attract
the Sherrif's department, the state police, the DEA and the attention of every sharp eyed teenager within miles.

AllanD