Dove Field Rotation Ideas?

John Paul

John Paul

Well-Known Member
My main dove field has been in Clearfield sunflowers for 5 out of last 6 years. I’ve been thinking of splitting the field in two and rotating sunflowers and something else. I’ve done corn, not that big a fan. I’ve had good and bad results with Proso (white) millet in other fields. Had a great ooops moment in a field last year of buckwheat. Heard good things about sesame but no experience with it. I think wheat might be a good crop to try and Grow to burn for early season and Have the sunflowers come in later and for keeping birds around longer. What opinions do the masses have?
 
How often do you shoot the field? Early season only, or are you wanting to have a field for early and late?
 
Wheat, for me, is extremely difficult to maintain until dove season and still have any heads intact. Deer, hogs, and coons eat wheat heads like candy. I have had pretty good luck with browntop millet. I cant grow sunflowers because the deer eat them up
 
Milo, I get cheap seed through NWTF. Seed lighter and get plenty of ragweed pop up.
 
I’ve got 7 acres of wheat maturing for the doves as we speak, and I plan on planting 4.5 acres of benne (sesame) next month. Sunflowers are king around here but everyone plants them so I want to mix it up.
 
gut_pile said:
How often do you shoot the field? Early season only, or are you wanting to have a field for early and late?
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We usually shoot the field once a week till there isn’t any birds. Some years the birds run out after a month. Some years we get into mid October with good birds still. We have had some great December hunts into January but that’s been years since we got a healthy dose for late season.
 
E_308 said:
Milo, I get cheap seed through NWTF. Seed lighter and get plenty of ragweed pop up.
Click to expand...
I haven’t had much luck with milo until after the late season closes here. I had plenty planted this year and the dove are still hammering it right now but they didn’t “find” it until after the late season closed. And yes dove LOVE ragweed around here.
 
cutman said:
I’ve got 7 acres of wheat maturing for the doves as we speak, and I plan on planting 4.5 acres of benne (sesame) next month. Sunflowers are king around here but everyone plants them so I want to mix it up.
Click to expand...

How does the sesame work? What kind of maturity does it have? Is it anything like a millet to grow?
 
SwampCat said:
Wheat, for me, is extremely difficult to maintain until dove season and still have any heads intact. Deer, hogs, and coons eat wheat heads like candy. I have had pretty good luck with browntop millet. I cant grow sunflowers because the deer eat them up
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I have friends around here that swear some of their best hunts were over brown top millet. I can NEVER find the seed locally around here or I would plant it.
 
John Paul said:
How does the sesame work? What kind of maturity does it have? Is it anything like a millet to grow?
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My dad used to plant it for our dove club, but this will be a first year planting for me. I’m going to plant 1/2” to 1” deep with my no-till drill with every other row blocked off to end up with 15” spacing. Residual weed control with Dual and grass control with clethodim.

Check out this link:

https://baylor.agrilife.org/files/2011/05/sesamegrowerguide2008.pdf
 
Brown top millet is planted a lot in SC and it’s fine if you don’t have any surrounding dove clubs to compete with. It’s mostly used for cheap, early season food. Army worms wiped mine out last year.

Doves will choose sunflowers over millet every day here.
 
cutman said:
Brown top millet is planted a lot in SC and it’s fine if you don’t have any surrounding dove clubs to compete with. It’s mostly used for cheap, early season food. Army worms wiped mine out last year.

Doves will choose sunflowers over millet every day here.
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Deer will choose sunflowers over millet every day here. Do you electric fence your sunflowers, there? Ten acres of sunflowers here will not make it past knee high before the top is eaten out of every one.
 
Benne is a pain in the butt to grow, but when it does right it is an awesome dove food

Brown top, when done right, can be deadly. Burning it takes it to another level. Having access to a hay rake is a must

Corn is good for late season, and hiding. Other than that, I don't see a reason to have it in a dove field.

I've had better shoots over brown top than wheat. Its just hard to get wheat to make it that many months around here unless you plant a lot of it.
 
My wheat wont have a seed left my mid July. Pretty amazing to go into the wheat field after it gets ripe with a thermal scope. There will be critters of all sorts out there eating it
 
SwampCat said:
Will your local farm store not order it in for you?
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It’s always been a late in the growing season ideas and by then no one can find anymore seed. I’ve got a reminder to call my COOP guy next week and try and locate some Browntop millet because I’d like to try it for once.
 
I like to get millet planted mid May. It takes about 75 days. I like it to me mature several weeks before dove season so dove numbers have time to build.
 
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