Hey guys I've been invited on a dove hunt by one of my buddies. Here's my question what choke and shot size should I be using for dove? My shotgun is a M1 Super 90 Lefthand 12 Gauge with a 26" barrel. I've never really done and bird shooting so this should be interesting. Thanks in advance for your advice.

Around 1985 with 20 years of slow learning under my belt, a forced stay in Argentina turned into 2 decades of gunning in the land of plenty; plenty of birds that is. High volume bird shooting has a way of changing some of your gunning habits. Choice of shot size was one of the first modifications to my shooting habits. Have you ever heard the shot very clearly splatter on a duck, without any visible effect? A puff of feathers in the air and the bird sailing merrily on his way is the dove shooting version of this same scenario. This is one of the most frustrating things to me. From the sound of the splatter I am convinced that more than 3 pellets have impacted and that the shot string was adequately placed, but the terminal performance of the pellets was insufficient. This is why I like big shot. By big shot, I mean #2 for duck, #7 or better yet, #5 for dove, and #5 for blue rock pigeon. With bigger shot you can put the bird down with authority at longer ranges, at short range, pass shooting, over decoys, broadside, through the breast feathers and fluffy down, in high wind, basically anything you can do with light shot you can do better with heavy shot�.. if you hit the quarry. Just like shooting big game with a rifle, shot placement is just as important as caliber, but with a shotgun you cannot place your pellets. Three big pellets that plow through, breaking bone, are going to be more effective than a profuse splatter of pellets that do not penetrate adequately. This also is just like big game with a rifle; you need enough penetration in all possible conditions that you intend to shoot in. Big shot brings the birds down; you can finish them on the ground if you have to, and not as many fly away to die elsewhere.

Big shot works best with a full choke. All things being equal, the denser shot patterns achieved with a full choke will let you take advantage of the heavier pellets retained energy by keeping the patterns tight enough to be effective out to your maximum range. You must determine your gun�s and your own maximum range. Use a choke tight enough to keep more than 3 pellets on target for dove and more than 5 pellets on target for duck at that range and then restrain yourself to shooting within that range. Same logic here, if you hit your target you want it to act like it�s been hit. If you miss, better to miss clean. Grouse and snipe hunters are excluded from the �full choke� doctrine for obvious reasons. For duck, dove & pigeon I�d rather have the capability to shoot out to my maximum range than have a bigger pattern to get me a few more hits when I choose to shoot in close. A good shooter on dove will hit an honest 50 % but bring down decisively, in a way that assures recovery in a high volume shoot, much less. One thousand rounds a day is about average for a first timer in Argentina. The bird boys will click up on their handheld counters the number of birds that a shooter hits. A puff of feathers in the air counts as a hit, as it should, because a shot that takes off a big puff of feathers would also break a clay. But if you start counting only retrievable birds you will need a 70 to 80 percent shooter to get the same 50% count. Big shot size brings the number of �puff� shots and the number of �effective� shots closer together, allows you to shoot through the wind, extends your effective range, reduces the number of cripples, and in a high volume shoot also increases the number of birds in your �photo pile� at the end of the day.

John M Airala

Sporting Destinations

Mike72

1 1/8oz of #7 1/2 shot will work just fine on morning doves. A Light Mod. or Mod. choke should be a good choice for most of your shooting needs on doves. Have fun on your hunt.

Hog Killer

For a GOOD shot, Johnair summed it up perfectly. You pick the shot size that is large enough to handle the maximum distances at which you MIGHT shoot. Obviously if it can handle 60 yards, then it can certainly handle 30 yards.

HOWEVER, all that said, and with no disrespect intended, it doesn't sound like you are that accomplished a shot. If that is the case, and you don't think you will be shooting a lot of shots (for your shoulder's sake) I am strongly recommending that you use a skeet choke, 1 1/4 of 9s (Remington makes them or did last time I checked) or, if you can't find them, use skeet load 12 ga 1 1/8 oz 9s (much easier on the shoulder). My choice for my FIRST shot out of an O/U is heavy trap load 7 1/2s but that is me and my first shot might easily be at 40 yards or more IF there are not a lot of hunters close to me.

USE A SKEET OR IMPROVED CYLINDER CHOKE AND DO NOT TAKE A FIRST SHOT AT ANY BIRD BEYOND 35 YARDS. With any luck you should do well. When you don't know why you are missing, either swing faster or get more lead.

A very important part of US dove hunting is picking a good spot, normally along a tree line or near a tree that doves are using as a marker to enter into the field is good. If it is a social hunt, you will likely be assigned a spot. Otherwise, if there are not scads of hunters, watch for the first flight or two, where they come into the field and what they fly to or around, and hie yourself either to the landind area or to their entry flyway.

Take plenty of water or other fluids (save the beer or at least most of the beer for post hunt) and a chair or stool. Also if you knock a dove down, DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THAT SPOT, quit shooting and go get the bird. Dead doves, like pheasants, can disappear on a pool table.

Hey guys thanks for all the input. Yeah I don't know how I'm gonna do out there but it will be fun none the less. Who knows maybe I'll learn something.

You'll learn those little gray birds are apparently bullet proof.

Down here in southern Arizona I use a 20 gauge with a MOD choke with 7 1/2 shot At first I used my 12 but after a couple of days of shooting my shoulder was killing me so I switched to my 20. Some advice if it is your first time go buy a case of ammo you will need it My first time out opening morning I went through 5 boxes of shells just to get 10 birds

sometimes I will switch to a IMP but most of the time I stick with a MOD. Just depends how the birds are flying sometimes they are flying high but most of the time the are flying low and fast above the mesquites trees. Just like Gatogordo said take something to sit on cause you will be out there for ahwile trying to get your limit.

Gato,
I know you have seen this live before but thought you might enjoy this clip. Look how this guy just stands out in the open under a constant river of dove. river of dove