2021 GON’s Pay Dove Shoots List

The biggest news for this year’s Georgia dove opener is the brand-new start time when a dove can legally fall to the field. No longer will hunters be required to wait until 12 p.m. before shooting on opening day. Dove season will officially begin one-half hour before sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 4.

However, not everyone is on board with the new time change. We heard from one dove field operator who said shooting on his field will commence exactly as it has for decades—about 3:30 after BBQ and lots of fellowship.

So where does everyone else stand? As expected, it’s split down the middle. And as one reader stated recently, you can have two different opening days if you want to. Get on a morning shoot, and then ride down the road and shoot an afternoon field. Just make sure you stay under the limit of 15 birds a day.

If you are looking for a private dove field, a number of options are on these two pages. You’ll see a variety of dates, amenities and field sizes for these shoots. We don’t know if they plan to start at daylight or not. That will need to be part of your research as you find a field.

GON doesn’t endorse any of the below shoots. We simply provide this free opportunity for dove field owners to let y’all know about their fields, while providing our readers with options to shoot birds and make a transition to fall hunting.

There are a number of public-land dove-hunting opportunities that you can check out on pages 32-33. Some of those shoots are quota-only, while others are open to whoever wants to show up. Deadline to apply for WMA dove quota hunts is Aug. 15, so act fast.

Planning to shoot at daylight opening day, or wait until the traditional time of mid afternoon? Some of the shoots listed below offer morning hunts, others are afternoon only. Call ahead and find out before you put your money down for opening day.

Carroll Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4, 5, 6. Later shoots available. Field—Three fields totalling 47 acres planted in wheat, sunflowers and browntop millet. Cost—$75/gun each day. Amenities—None. Contact—Mark Thurman, 678.215.6475. Diane Thurman, 678.243.9061.

Crisp Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 5. Sunday only, first time shot for this year. This is not a morning hunt. We start after lunch. Field—Two fields totaling 70 acres planted in corn with a pond between fields. “It’s a very birdy field.” Cost—$100/gun. Kids free sitting with paid adult. ATVs and buggys are welcome. Amenities—None. Contact—Radford Dunlap with Swamp Kuntry Outfitters at 478.960.0103 or [email protected].

Crisp Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4, 6. Field—100-acre field planted in corn. Limited to 75 guns. Cost—$150 lets you hunt both hunts. Kids under the age of 15 are free with a paying adult. Amenities—Lunch Sept. 4. Contact—Steve, 478.256.6340.

Dodge Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4, 6; Nov. 20. December will be extra at $60/gun and depends on migratory birds. Field—Four fields totaling 250 acres planted in corn and sunflowers for Sept. 4, 6 shoots. Peanuts and wheat in November. Cost—$160 lets you hunt all three shoots. Kids younger than 16 sitting with a parent is $60. Amenities—BBQ cookout Sept. 4, bathroom, skeet shooting, fishing and opening-day raffles for guns, coolers and other prizes. Contact—Radford Dunlap with Swamp Kuntry Outfitters at 478.960.0103 or [email protected]. Will also lease an entire field.

Elbert Co.: Shoot Date—Opening day; call for later shoots. Field—Two fields totaling 10 acres in millet. Cost—$200 for opening day and includes morning and afternoon. Amenities—Cabin rental, bathroom, RV hook-ups, BBQ lunch, drinks. Contact—Scott Moore, 678.361.7107.

Franklin Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4, possible later dates available upon request. Field—Four field totaling 100 acres planted in proso millet, sunflowers and sorghum. Cost—$150. Amenities—BBQ lunch, restrooms, clubhouse. Contact—Colby Phillips 706.255.9524; Jacob Nash 706.255.637

Jones Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4-5. Field—50-acre dove field planted in brown top millet. Cost—$250 for both days. Only five spots left at press time. Amenities—Clean birds for hunters, water. Contact—Grady, 478.986.7684.

Lamar Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4, 11, 25; Oct. 2, 9; Nov. 20, 27; Dec. 22, 31. Field—Four field totaling 250 acres in millet and sunflowers. Cost—$700 for season pass; $650 if you hunted Redbone in last three years. No single hunt tickets, season pass only. Amenities—BBQ opening day. Wild-game supper Nov. 20. Contact—Fred Moye, 404.936.2279. See www.redbone
hunting.com.

Marion Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4 (afternoon shoot). Field—Three fields totaling 60 acres planted in Egyptian wheat, corn, sunflowers and millet. Cost—$175. Amenities—Bathroom, BBQ, drinks. Contact—770.337.8934, 770.326.3786.

Polk Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4 – Oct. 10. First season only. Field—40-acre field planted in sunflowers. Cost—$200/gun lets you hunt the entire first season. Kids 15 and younger are free. Amenities—BBQ opening day. Clean portalets, still opens at noon on this field. Contact—Chad Stewart, 770.853.9259.

Toombs/Montgomery Co.: Shoot Date—Every Saturday through seasons. Field—Two fields totaling 80 acres planted in brown top millet, sunflowers and Egyptian wheat. Cost—$350. Amenities—Depends on the weekend. Lodging. Contact—Rick, 912.293.5014.

Washington Co.: Shoot Date—Sept. 4. Field—Three fields totaling 100 acres in sunflowers and corn strips. Cost—$150/gun for Sept. 4 afternoon shoot. Amenities—BBQ lunch and door prizes. $225 lets you hunt Saturday and Monday afternoon hunts. Contact—Bill Hartley, 478.640.1001.