# Doves are GONE!!!



## asmith8982 (Aug 26, 2015)

Not sure where to start, we have a spot just south of Athens. We've hunted every year and always had our limit with no problem. This place is a old farm with cow pasture, lake, gravel road and plenty of power lines and roost. The years previous we did not have any food source for the birds. Its been told that the place is a natural area for them from 20 plus years ago. This year we planted brown top, and sunflowers. Maybe a little over an acre of it. We cut strips, plowed the millet and still have some standing. Sunflowers are still up. 

Here's the problems. 2 weeks ago the sky was black with the birds. Thought we were going to have to call the power company to put new lines up because they're so many birds. My dad has been on a lot of fields and for what we have in ours he's never seen so many. This past week they are GONE!!! talking maybe 50 birds we might see. 

There is plenty of food. But we have noticed that there is thousands and thousands of brown cow birds around and we have seen quite a few hawks flying.

We are just wondering what went wrong. Any help or suggestions would be helpful. Thank you


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## Gut_Pile (Aug 26, 2015)

This little cool snap could have pushed them out.

They are migratory birds after all


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## Dustin Pate (Aug 26, 2015)

Somebody with more food just cut around you, somewhere, and the birds found it!


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## mattech (Aug 26, 2015)

This^^^^


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## groundhawg (Aug 26, 2015)

Dustin Pate said:


> Somebody with more food just cut around you, somewhere, and the birds found it!



Yep!  Somebody likely "top-sowed" some wheat.


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## welderguy (Aug 26, 2015)

Once the shooting starts, you may be surprised at how many are back.Especially considering the way you described it as a safe haven spot.


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## Souhternhunter17 (Aug 26, 2015)

The slackers done got them baited up. You have a steady supply of food they'll be back. Especially when the shootin starts.


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## rydert (Aug 26, 2015)

Gut_Pile said:


> This little cool snap could have pushed them out.
> 
> They are migratory birds after all



this^^^


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## Raybo1 (Aug 26, 2015)

They are starting to pick some peanuts in north florida and south georgia and by opening day a lot of your northern ga. birds will become south ga. birds.


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## QuackAddict (Aug 26, 2015)

I bet they are just spread out. It usually happens at our place every year but once the shooting starts they come pouring back in. I wouldn't worry too much.


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## WOODIE13 (Aug 26, 2015)

What was said before about someone else cutting their fields or top sewing.  They will be back, plus we have a good many birds up here right now, but the weather has been getting cooler, so you may get a new push in within the next few days to a week.


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## Hooked On Quack (Aug 26, 2015)

Key word is "Hawks,"  you can have a small field full of birds and the hawks will run most, if not all out.  


I've seen it happen year after year.


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## asmith8982 (Aug 26, 2015)

The Hawks are one of my concern. I'll watch the birds in the line and if one is out in the distance they are gone. Also, we are not shooting opening day due to work schedules so we will be out bright and early Sunday morning. Hopefully the birds from the other fields come here.


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## savage (Aug 26, 2015)

Try burning some strips....then run bushhog over burned area to clean the ground.  This leaves only charred seed and dirt.


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## Curly (Aug 27, 2015)

The dove hunting game is hard to play fair.  An acre is rather small to have a dove field.  Good luck


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## guido5221 (Aug 27, 2015)

This is where they went


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## asmith8982 (Aug 28, 2015)

That's a good looking power line!!!! I just talked to game warden, he said its this cool snap we've had. Just like yall said, its a game this close to the season.  Black birds are not effecting them he said. we cut two more strips yesterday and if the weather holds, I'll burn and run back over it. I know our millet is THCK. Also checked the sunflowers and seeds are GONE.


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## GLS (Aug 28, 2015)

This is summertime.  A 10 degree swing in temps from 90 to 80 is not going to drive local birds south.  I think you answered your own question when you said your sunflower seeds were gone.  The birds have found a better deal.  Hopefully for you the field where they are is a barn burner on opening day and will drive some back to you.


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## humdandy (Aug 28, 2015)

People are prepping doves plots all around us and cutting corn, they have found a new and most likely LEGAL food source.


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## emtguy (Aug 28, 2015)

tell the GW and everyone thats blaming your birds being gone on cold weather that they are badly mistaken LOL!!!
It isn't 30 degrees out bud, no where close to cold enough to make birds move....only thing that will make em leave this time of year is a MAJOR hurricane coming through....Had 1500 plus the year that hurricane came through week before season, literally within a week we had ZERO....thatll do it but its no where near cold enough to make them think twice....
your problem is somebody fed em better within a close distance to you....go listen opening day, you'll hear where they went

last year we had a squash field that was left out, mowed and sprayed. Had 800 birds EVERY afternoon UNTIL the neighbor 2 miles away burnt off corn field and spread wheat...and BOOM they was gone to where we didn't even hunt, wasn't nothing to hunt....you been out fed.


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## groundhawg (Aug 28, 2015)

asmith8982 said:


> That's a good looking power line!!!! I just talked to game warden, he said its this cool snap we've had. Just like yall said, its a game this close to the season.  Black birds are not effecting them he said. we cut two more strips yesterday and if the weather holds, I'll burn and run back over it. I know our millet is THCK. Also checked the sunflowers and seeds are GONE.



Cold, I do not think so.  No seeds, yep,they found something better.


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## chase870 (Aug 29, 2015)

They are on a hawk free field


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## Flaustin1 (Aug 29, 2015)

They moved slightly north of Athens to our field!


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## homey (Aug 29, 2015)

Gut_Pile said:


> This little cool snap could have pushed them out.
> 
> They are migratory birds after all



The birds you shoot this time of year were born and raised nearby.


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## jimbo4116 (Aug 29, 2015)

One acre with masses of doves then black birds. I bet you don't have any feed on the ground.  The GW is wrong about black birds/cowbirds.  They will eat up everything and crowd out the doves.

That said cold snaps generally makes local birds feed heavier and they will move in a heartbeat in search of a better food source.


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## cmriner (Aug 31, 2015)

chase870 said:


> They are on a hawk free field


 Is there such a thing as a " hawk free field " if there are doves in the field? If so I hvent seen one ! Hawks on a 1 acre dove field ,would certainly push some doves else where IMO . Good luck to all and safe shooting this weekend !!


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## WOODIE13 (Aug 31, 2015)

We have been having a couple cool mornings the last couple days here, not near the doves here compared to last week, my buddy just went out scouting yesterday.


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## Hooked On Quack (Aug 31, 2015)

These are not "migratory" birds you are seeing, as others have stated, these birds are local.  Why would they migrate south this time of year when it's just as hot and plenty of food sources way north of us ??

You'll see the traveling birds when it turns cold up north.


Been planting dove fields for 30yrs and when you have a small field, a hawk, or any predatory bird will ruin it in a coupla days.  Big field, not so much.



.22 mag is your friend, turn those hawks into pillows, AND they taste just like cheekun . . .


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## cmriner (Aug 31, 2015)

Hooked On Quack;9
.22 mag is your friend said:


> I'm sure Mr.green jeans is keeping an eye on this section of the forum. I would seek a different approach to deter hawks from your field.


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## Hooked On Quack (Aug 31, 2015)

cmriner said:


> I'm sure Mr.green jeans is keeping an eye on this section of the forum. I would seek a different approach to deter hawks from your field.





Sense of humor, got one ???


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## humdandy (Aug 31, 2015)

They must have flown to our place..........I mowed some strips and saw hundreds of them!


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## Jason Stringer (Sep 1, 2015)

Have they come back?


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## wellwood (Sep 1, 2015)

Rain, cold weather, people baiting, hawks......the list goes on forever. I will say this. Dove hunting is best when it is really hot out. So hot you keep the bugs off of you.


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## asmith8982 (Sep 2, 2015)

I can see where JIMBO is coming from. We had tons of legal seed on the ground. Mowed a few times then held off due to the rain, did not want the seed to rot. All we have is a bush hog so with it clumping up it would rot.  Along with that rain was when it dropped in temps and not near the seed on the ground. I will say we have noticed A LOT of birds 4 miles down the road on an established field.

The birds still are not back, the past two days we have plowed, cut, and burned it off. We still have two strips of green in the field, but theres is plenty of food.

Our hope is that the pressure saturday in the other fields will bring them back since we are not hunting till sunday. 

Thanks for all yall's comments and advice.


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## gcobb (Sep 4, 2015)

Hawks in the area will spook them away. No matter how good the field is. Seen it happen a few times.


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