# Hunters on a field



## g15g (Jun 7, 2010)

I have a 33 acre dove lease how do I determine how many to put on the field and how far to space them apart.
Thanks for the help


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## Dustin Pate (Jun 7, 2010)

I think most people use the rule of about 1 hunter per acre. You don't want it too crowded for safety reasons.


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Jun 7, 2010)

The 1 hunter per acre rule is a good rule of thumb but it all depends on the shape of the field.  On the perimeter you can space people about 50 yards apart and be fine.  On 33 acres, you can probably go as many as 40 people as long as its not a real narrow strip of land.


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## General Lee (Jun 7, 2010)

Doc_Holliday23 said:


> The 1 hunter per acre rule is a good rule of thumb but it all depends on the shape of the field.  On the perimeter you can space people about 50 yards apart and be fine.  On 33 acres, you can probably go as many as 40 people as long as its not a real narrow strip of land.


I agree...........


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## easbell (Jun 10, 2010)

1 hunter per acre can get tight. We go with 1.5 - 2 acres per person. What happens is that eveyone will start to migrate to the "hot spots" on the field and will start to crowd others. Allowing extra room will help but will not keep it from happening.

We plant mulitple fields in the same area to keep the birds moving and the pressure down.


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## Totaloutdoorsman (Jul 14, 2010)

one person every 100 yards depending on how the field is layed out is my general rule.  your far enough away so your not competing for birds yet close enough so that people can hear low bird calls and what not.


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## zzweims (Jul 14, 2010)

easbell said:


> 1 hunter per acre can get tight. We go with 1.5 - 2 acres per person. What happens is that eveyone will start to migrate to the "hot spots" on the field and will start to crowd others. Allowing extra room will help but will not keep it from happening.
> 
> We plant mulitple fields in the same area to keep the birds moving and the pressure down.



What he said.  On one large field, it doesn't matter how few/many shooters you have as they will migrate.  I could have planted one large field, but chose to plant five smaller fields that are clearly divided by roads and tree lines.  37 acres, 25-30 shooters max.  Also, the multiple fields keep the birds moving back and forth.


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## Muygrande (Jul 17, 2010)

Totaloutdoorsman said:


> one person every 100 yards depending on how the field is layed out is my general rule.  your far enough away so your not competing for birds yet close enough so that people can hear low bird calls and what not.



I agree, as to the 50 yards per hunter........? I'm gonna kill birds 20 yards the other side of him and be landing dead birds on his head!
Gotta have at least 100 to 120 yards minimum unless you're hunting parent/child together and such.
I can cover almost 2 acres by my lonesome but field layout makes a big difference, you'd be surprised how many hunters you can stagger on a long narrow field by covering perimeter.


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Jul 19, 2010)

Muygrande said:


> I agree, as to the 50 yards per hunter........? I'm gonna kill birds 20 yards the other side of him and be landing dead birds on his head!



I guess I don't shoot doves with anybody that is as awesome as you...


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## easbell (Jul 22, 2010)

I see good shooters drop doves at 70 yrds or more every  year. Most of us mortals can't. I try to limit with a box so most of my shooting is done inside 30 yrds.


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## Muygrande (Jul 28, 2010)

Doc_Holliday23 said:


> I guess I don't shoot doves with anybody that is as awesome as you...



Doc I'm just sayin'............. N0w if you wanna take this a different route and find out I got a pocket half full of money to play with.


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## rholton (Jul 29, 2010)

I cant hit the 70 yard bird, but I do kill dove regularly at 50 yards. Even if both shooters can hit birds at 30 yards, they will be competing for the birds. I don't want anyone closer than 100 yards. I had a guy set up 50 yards from me and my dog last year. I told him that I would be shooting birds over him, and any bird I shot at that fell was going to be picked up by my dog. He chose to move.


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## emtguy (Aug 2, 2010)

i will shoot birds with anyone shell for shell and im balking at a 70 yard shot comment! MAYBE with 4 or 6 shot and full choke i could do it regularly but i doubt it.


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## rattlesnake1 (Feb 28, 2019)

set up some clay targets at 70 yards, set up some video cameras ,and show how many times you break it with a modified choke that you normally would be shooting doves with.  it's not going be very many.


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## NCHillbilly (Feb 28, 2019)

easbell said:


> I see good shooters drop doves at 70 yrds or more every  year. Most of us mortals can't. I try to limit with a box so most of my shooting is done inside 30 yrds.


I usually average about a box a bird.


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## baddave (Feb 28, 2019)

i usually kill at least 2 w/ every shot


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## across the river (Feb 28, 2019)

The real answer is it depends on what you are trying to accomplish and who you are hunting with.  I planted a small field for years specifically to hunt it with some family members and close friends. We hunted way closer than 100 yards.  Probably even closer than 50 in some years when everyone could come, but everyone was responsible, no one was shooting over anybody else, and typically there were enough birds that everyone got to shoot some and was happy.  If guys in one area were shooting more than everybody else, they would kill there limit and let someone else is come sit there. If one guy shot three boxes to kill a limit and someone else shoot five times and killed three, it was all in fun and no one complained.  I never had any issues at all, and if I had that individual would not have been invited back to hunt for free.   If it is a family/friend shoot, I would say just use some common sense.

Now if you are planting it for a pay shoot to sell spots to people that you don't know, that is a different story.   I did that a couple of times, and I will never do it again.  People will shoot over each other, get up and move, some won't to leave when they get their limit, etc.... 1000 yards apart isn't enough for some people on a pay shoot. 

Here is what having a pay shoot is like. If Bill in one spot gets a lot of shots, Fred in a not so good spot moves over by Bill even though you told everyone not to move.  Bill is now mad that Fred set up on him, even though he should have kill a limit ten times over.  Meanwhile Jimmy in the other corner is working on bird #40 and everyone else in the field knows it.  They are all mad at him, because he is over the limit and they aren't anywhere close.   You approach him about being over the limit and ask him to leave, he gets mad because he "paid to hunt and you aren't the game warden."   You get mad, and threaten to call the GW, at which point he packs his stuff and leaves ticked off.   A guy across the field sees him leave and starts hauling his stuff over that way in a Carl Lewis sprint.  You have already told the dad and his young to move to that spot since they were close and it seemed like the right thing to do. When Carl gets there, who you didn't know was even coming, he gets mad that you have already promised it to the man and son that are packing there stuff to move.  Like I said, never again.


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## Swamprat (Feb 28, 2019)

NCHillbilly said:


> I usually average about a box a bird.



Me to and I was in Argentina..... JK, never been there.

To me 70-100 yards is good spacing, don't have two folks shooting at same bird at same time, less likely to have pellents raining down on you, etc.


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## Mexican Squealer (Mar 1, 2019)

I wouldn’t even bother if I showed up at a shoot and shooters were 50 yards apart. Nothing worse than an overcrowded dove shoot. Our shoots are a minimum of 100 yards between shooters.


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## spring (Mar 1, 2019)

Totally depends on how many birds you have and what their pattern is coming into the field. Too many hunters for a shoot with just a few birds is simply lousy. 
I have one 50 acre center pivot field that we have a shoot or two on every year. Totally depends on the birds, but I'll usually have 10 up to a max of 25 hunters; more often than not, nearer the lower end. Essentially want every hunter to do well and have a chance at getting the limit.


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## Preacher56 (Mar 6, 2019)

Wow! I only do that good if the power line ain’t swaying!


NCHillbilly said:


> I usually average about a box a bird.


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## KyDawg (Mar 6, 2019)

I shoot AT a lot of Dove.


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## GLS (Mar 6, 2019)

The best dove shots I know get a limit with less than a box and do it with a .410.  Not me, Kemo Sabe.  Gil


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## Preacher56 (Mar 6, 2019)

You’re just used to those woodcock in a thicket where seeing is impossible and you’re being garroted by catbriers!! 


GLS said:


> The best dove shots I know get a limit with less than a box and do it with a .410.  Not me, Kemo Sabe.  Gil


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## VicTorres (Mar 22, 2019)

g15g said:


> I have a 33 acre dove lease how do I determine how many to put on the field and how far to space them apart.
> Thanks for the help


any openings for upcoming season?


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## Sam H (Apr 21, 2019)

g15g said:


> I have a 33 acre dove lease how do I determine how many to put on the field and how far to space them apart.
> Thanks for the help





g15g said:


> I have a 33 acre dove lease how do I determine how many to put on the field and how far to space them apart.
> Thanks for the help


I think the rule of thumb is 1/2 guns acre depending on cover and layout?


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## GLS (Apr 21, 2019)

where you been hiding?  Howse Colt?


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