How to read a dove field from above for the most shot opportunities.

Hunting doves is a numbers game. The more birds that pass over you within range means more doves on the grill, and that shotshell manufacturers stay happy. Not every location in a dove field is even remotely the same, and learning to read a field will produce more birds.

A dove field needs to be viewed by hunters from the top down, with a knowledge of where, when and why birds will fly through it. Every morning and afternoon, a similar pattern of needs plays out, starting and ending with the nightly roost. Doves exit their roost trees in the morning, head to a field, feed, then exit. This path may or may not be the same for entrance and exit, and will likely be determined by some simple-to-discern landmarks that will guide the doves in and out. 

Beyond food, doves' daily needs also involve water, grit and loafing areas. Let's look at the daily routine of doves, then assess these patterns on some actual dove fields.

Food. Doves want an area where they can land and feed without fear. This means areas with low grass, mowed grass or crops, naturally bare spots scattered among feed crops, or edges along roads or natural paths. Agricultural crops, and especially freshly cut crops, attract doves by the hundreds and thousands because they provide copious food sources (they'll consume up to 20% of their body weight per day) and also safe feeding. When assessing flight patterns, think from a bird's eye view, but when assessing feeding spots they are drawn to, think about it also from a dove's eye level on the ground. Can a bobcat, snake or hawk get close to them? Is quick escape unimpeded by brush or tall grass? Wide open, flat spaces with either stubble or minimal tall grass and ground cover are best.

Water. The same need for safety applies for water. Stock tanks and small ponds with open banks that give the dove the ability to stand at the water's edge and grab a quick drink are optimal. A 6-foot open ring around the pond is perfect. You'll notice that ponds that have recently dropped in level are often preferred by doves, as this band of open dirt gives them ample space to drink and fly off if a predator approaches. Keep in mind that doves can get their hydration needs met from a tiny puddle, so during rainy periods ponds and other larger water sources might not get much traffic. Conversely, in times of drought and extreme heat, an accessible pond can get swarmed with doves, especially in the afternoon.

Grit. Doves need to ingest tiny stones and gravel to help them digest seeds, so one errand they'll run every day is to a dirt road or a sandy patch. While a good grit location might not be enough to warrant setting up on, a grit location in conjunction with food and/or water makes it an even more likely spot for dove flight activity.

Loafing. After feeding, getting a drink and a little grit, doves want to find a high spot to rest and preen their feathers. This spot needs to be safe from aerial predators, so either a wide open location like power lines that offers full views around it, or a taller tree with enough branches to inhibit an attack from above is desirable.

Food and water are priority in finding a spot to hunt, but adding in grit and loafing locations will statistically congregate more birds, so seek out these spaces in general. Once a general area is determined, it's time to dial in a specific spot based on their likely paths of travel.

How doves move into and out of a field is not random. Now is the time to reflect on the composition of the field from above, or, more likely, from a satellite map. Looking down on a field, note any anomalies that might guide a dove's flightpath. These include:

• Fencelines and roads. Doves will travel along straight lines, be it a fence, a road, a path or a mowed edge.
• Trees, especially single or taller trees. A tree in the middle of the field can act as a waypoint for doves to travel over or near. While a single tree might not afford enough cover to hunt under, it, in conjunction with another guiding landmark, can inform your hunting position. I once hunted a huge, (almost) completely cut cornfield by standing behind two tall, uncut cornstalks and had more shot opportunities than anyone else in the field. Doves were consistently orienting over this tiny blip of a landscape feature. It was also next to a bend in a road in the middle of the field, making it the most prominent combination of features in the entire 100+ acres of otherwise completely homogenous corn stubble.
• Gaps in a treeline. Mourning doves generally like to cruise at treetop level, or just above with whitewing doves often flying higher. A gap in a treeline pulls doves through it, so positioning on either side of a gap is a great idea. The end of a treeline is also a feature to look for, as doves will often fly over the tip.
• Powerlines. These can act as a guiding conduit for flight like roads, but also serve as prime loafing spots.
• Corners. This is where two straight lines meet, so corners are common spots for doves entering and leaving a field. 

Choosing a location in a field. So many dove hunters walk in or drive to a spot and just set up, hoping the doves will fly by there. While some doves might randomly pass over a spot, you're looking to increase your odds by being in a spot that more doves are wanting to pass over. Some goals in setting up:

• Have the sun at your back, for obvious reasons: you can see the doves and they'll be less likely to see you. Also, dove season is usually pretty hot in many parts of the country, so a little shade is good for comfort and decreasing your visibility.
• Shoot over areas where you can find birds. If you're taking shots and dropping doves into a brushy section, you'll be spending precious time looking down for dead doves rather than up for your next shot. Pick a spot that affords you the most opportunities to drop birds in the open where they can be easily found or marked.
• Choose a spot with as many of the above anomalies as possible. For example, a corner spot with a gap in the treeline and a feeding area immediately adjacent is optimal. Throw in a small pond and a solo tree in the field in front of you and you'll likely have the best spot in the entire field.
• Flexibility: If there are multiple hunters in the field, it pays to watch what patterns the doves shift to upon being shot at. Sometimes, with consistent shooting pressure in one area, the doves' flightpath might be altered and a reactive movement might be in order.

Here are three real world dove hunting situations, and where the best setups are.

The Pond

This first one is a really great spot: it has water, pronounced fencelines (in black), large feeding areas, a powerline over the pond for loafing, and it's adjacent to a large roosting area (the solid yellow line on the left/west). Dove flight patterns are shown as yellow arrows here, feeding areas in green and hunting locations are numbered red lines.

The pond is a great afternoon spot, as doves come from the roosting/loafing area to the west and north to feed and get water. Birds fly along the two fencelines directly to feeding areas and water or straight to the pond from the loafing/roost area. The only problem here is cover. There is just one small tree (1) on the north side of the pond that provides even the most minimal amount of cover, so you pretty much have to post up here. Placing decoys at the edge of shotgun range acts to attract birds to the area and distract birds from your scant hiding spot. This spot is right in the middle of the three main flightpaths here.

This setup is difficult in the morning, though, with the rising sun in your face. Morning hunts at this property are much better from location (2), where you have the sun at your back and there's some brushy cover along the fenceline. Here you're taking passing shots on doves entering and exiting the feeding area from the north. The fields around the pond are all short stubble, with large patches of desirable croton, also known as dove weed. 

The Sunflower Field

It's not unusual to hunt this field with dozens of other hunters, so there are some real sweet spots on it. These are almost all defined by the field anomalies discussed above: corners, gaps in treelines, protruding/taller trees and fencelines. Here, it is key to set up on a spot that has the most traffic. When this field is hot, it can have a startling amount of doves feeding in it.

(1) provides a great position: a large, protruding and taller tree that's adjacent to an overgrown road behind the field (just visible on this map) that doves love to cruise over when entering and leaving the field. Large feeding areas in the field attract lots of birds, but their points of entrance and egress are specific. (2) is the best position here, with birds flying parallel to the treeline from both directions, and birds also using the corner as a waypoint for entering and leaving the field. (3) is another corner that birds will pass over with more frequency. Hunters positioned between any of these three locations will commonly shoot half as many birds as those at these hotspots.

The Island

This location is a small grove of pecan trees next to a busy highway, flanked on both sides by huge, open cornfields. These trees aren't usually used for overnight roosting, but are very popular for midday loafing (we commonly get a couple of birds right away as they flush from these trees). While there is some feeding in the fields here, the general area is a heavy-producing corn region, so food sources are generally abundant. Therefore, most of the shots here are at passing birds on their way to or from roosts (over a mile away on the outskirts of some suburbs) or to these other food sources. This location really shows how a few trees in an otherwise barren landscape can concentrate flights over them and provide some great shooting. Think of it as a rest stop along a travel route.

Most of the choices for positioning here are based on time of day. Doves fly from the roost to the west (left) to the east in the morning, so position (1) is best, with the sun at your back. Birds might also follow the line (no fence there, but a visible line nonetheless) from the north along the western edge of the grove. They also fly along the nearby highway/powerlines, but don't offer shots in this direction due to the proximity of the busy road.

In the afternoon, birds might be coming in from the west early, and the east later on as they head back to roost. Position (2) gives you some shade, and you can shift around the tree as dictated by the birds' flight and the location of the sun. One downside of a stand of tall trees like this one is that birds approaching from behind you aren't visible until they're right above, offering difficult passing shots.

A modicum of map studying these subtleties and observations before a hunt can give you a distinct advantage in the dove field this season. Try these approaches, but stay flexible and mobile, too, and be willing to move if possible.