Get Started Dove Hunting

Is anyone else itching for cooler days and hunting season to finally be here? Fall is just around the corner, and one of my new favorites is kicking it off on September 1st here in Iowa. I say new favorites because although I have been a hunter for most of my life, dove hunting is a relatively new venture. I really can't believe I didn't do this sooner. And our young hunters through Outdoor Mentors seem to have a blast!

If you are new to hunting, and wing-shooting, want to improve your scouting and permission-asking skills, get someone new into hunting, and are looking for a laid-back hunting experience, let's talk about dove hunting friends!

Dove hunting is one of the simplest types of hunting, with very little equipment required. It includes a shotgun, a couple of boxes of shells, a field, and a bucket, waiting for the doves to come in...and shoot!

So, how do you get started?

Where to Dove Hunt

Time to go on a little drive and snag your binoculars before you hit the gravel roads. You probably already know one place to look for doves! Keep your eyes on the sky, or the powerlines anyway! Once you see birds and have a good idea of where you want to be, it's time to sit for an hour or longer and observe. Often you are looking for public or private mowed sunflower plots and other ag fields like corn, wheat, and alfalfa that are fully or partially cut. These fields make an excellent location for the doves to feed. If you see dove numbers in the double digits when scouting, it's more than likely a great choice!

If you are checking out a private field, it's time to brush up on those permission-asking skills I mentioned. And be sure to check your State's public access lands for maps and dove plot locations for more options!

What to Wear

Being entirely concealed is unnecessary; just another great bonus Dove hunting offers! Camouflage or earth-tone clothing is all you need! Early September can be pretty toasty, so be sure and check the weather and wear lightweight layers. 

What to shoot

When dove hunting, you are either shooting birds that are decoying or you are pass-shooting. Loads of guns can be a dove hunting gun! If you have one you regularly use, it's most likely the best choice! For most, your ideal dove hunting gun is probably your 20-gauge or 12-gauge semi-auto. You want the least recoil and be confident with shooting around 30 yards, and of course, one that feels good in your hands and on your shoulder!

You want your shooting pattern to be dense enough to hit your tiny target multiple times. To set yourself up for success, set your gun up with an improved cylinder or modified choke and load it with smaller shot sizes: 7, 7-1/2, or 8s. I personally love my 555 E 20-gauge from Savage Arms; even though it’s not a semi-auto, it fits me perfectly. I used it for the upland season, and I am confident in my shooting!

Dove hunting is a fun way to start hunting or introduce others to the hunting lifestyle. Doves are delicious, and the shooting can be a ton of fun, but it's all about the easygoing time outside and the camaraderie that comes with it. Good luck out there!

3 Tips for Picking Your First Coonhound

March 20, 2023

By Steph Lane

Alright, so you have made your decision. You are going to run with the raccoon hunters. You got your gear and your walking legs ready. Now, you need yourself a coonhound! But where to begin?

Of course, there are many ways to go about this; tons of research can be done, finding a reputable breeder, understanding what to look for in breeding hounds, coonhunting forums to follow (like the Houndsman Trail on GoWild), and so much information is just at your fingertips! It can be overwhelming, and for some, it can keep you so busy you never actually get started. All these things are a must, but nothing is more effective than hitting the woods! 

Here is what I would do. 

For a Beginners Guide To Raccoon Hunting With Hounds Read This Article

3 Steps To Take To Find Your First Coonhound:

1. Ask Yourself What You Want From Your Coonhound 

And by that, do you want a hound for pleasure Hunting? Competitions? Trials? You may not even know what you want yet, and that's okay! 

1. Get Firsthand Experience Around Coonhounds

Go with as many people as possible to coon hunts, competitions, trials, etc. Many times you can tag along and walk with the handler and observe. Take it all in. What the handler is doing, but most importantly, what the dog is doing. They have so much to teach us; we just need to stand back, watch, and listen. What didn't you like? What did you like? What got you the most pumped up?

1. Decide How Experienced You Want Your Coonhound To Be Initially

Now, the research and picking your dog come into play. Take what you've learned and experienced, and evaluate your options. Everyone's situation and the opportunities available to them are going to be different. Are you going to get a puppy? Started hound? An ole' veteran? If and when I do this all over again, I would get a coonhound that has already proved they can do what I would like them to do (i.e. tree raccoons). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE puppies. But as a new coonhunter with much to learn, a coonhound that's at least been started, will teach you at a faster rate. You can hit the ground running so to speak.

On the other hand, I fully understand the gratification that comes with raising up a pup from the beginning, and the cuteness. But whether you're doing trials, competitions, or pleasure hunting, it's a lot of work and a big commitment.

Which Coonhound Breed is Right For You?

But what breed of hound should you get? The seven coonhound breeds recognized by the United Kennel Club have specific traits to do well in Hunting Competitions, Bench Shows, Water Races and Field Trials. All of these events are ways to test a coonhound's natural ability. 

7 Recognized Breeds of Coonhounds:

1. Black and Tan coonhound

2. Red-bone coonhound

3. Treeing Walker coonhound

4. English coonhound

5. Bluetick coonhound

6. Plott coonhound

7. American Leopard hound

Now with all that said, you do not necessarily need a "recognized coonhound" to have a successful coon hunting companion. The United Kennel Club has over 50 breeds grouped under "scent hounds," and scenthounds are then divided into two groups, "trailing hounds" and "tree hounds." The seven recognized coonhounds all fall under the "tree hound" group.

In just my few short years racoon hunting, I have seen many more breeds than the seven listed above be successful and kick the competition's tail! You just need to get out there yourself and ask questions.

Get Out There with Coonhounds

Go coon hunting or to competitions as much as possible before committing to chasing raccoons or entering competitions with your future hound! If you can hunt with different breeds, take advantage! Do your research. Observe, listen, and pay attention to the dog and its communication with different bawls, barks, and howls. And be open-minded. This is not a perfect science. Dogs, like people, have unique quirks and strengths. You can do all the research and all the planning, and none of it goes according to plan! But that's part of the fun! 

Find out more coonhound breed information, events, and more at https://www.ukcdogs.com/coonhounds

The Power of Common Ground

I have always wanted a bunch of friends I could go hunting, fishing, or adventuring with. I never would have imagined I’d have friends across the country as ready and wild as me.

Especially so many wonderful women!

The last few years I have joined in on as many all women hunts and trips as I could, while also hosting multiple myself. I’ve raccoon hunted, squirrel hunted, ran hounds, bowfished, grouse hunted, crane and duck hunted. I’ve pheasant hunted, fly-fished, trapped, rafted, hiked and canoed with all women just in the last 3 years…and something powerful happens on those trips. Every. Single. Time.

Squirrel Hunting in Tennessee with Artemis Sportswomen

I first came to this “ah ha! moment in the Summer of 2019. When two of my best girl friends and I went on a canoeing and portaging trip up in the boundary waters of Minnesota and Canada. We have been friends since High School. We have a strong bond built already. We have been in each others weddings, kids birthdays, group chats, you get the picture. But although we are all individually pretty adventurous, outdoorsy ladies, we really hadn’t done anything like this together before. A lot of our time together since High School was built around Busch Lights and bonfires.

If you aren’t familiar with what a boundary waters trip looks like. You are carrying everything you need with you in a shared canoe while you row and portage (hike with all your gear, while one of you carries the canoe, and btw the pregnant one carried the canoe most of the time) from campsite to campsite. So the idea of carrying Busch Lattes or anything extra was a no go.

One of the nights of our trip I had this realization. We had rowed about 11 miles that day, portaged, made camp, cooked dinner, and we were all sitting on a log, two of us journaling, and one reading and I remember thinking, I couldn’t love my friends more. I was so proud of them, of us. This trip without a doubt made our friendship closer.

Since then, and at all the adventures I previously mentioned, something so profound happens. When people get together based on a common passion, and most definitely if it is outdoors related. It doesn’t matter if they are strangers, life long friends, or complete opposites in every sense. Common ground is found, and connection and community are made.

Common ground is how we connect with one another. It allows us to lower your defenses, it allows us to trust. When we uncover common goals and passions, we form deep bonds (sometimes with complete strangers). We begin to care for the humans across from us that maybe moments before we weren’t sure we had a dang thing to even say to them.

Trapping in Missouri with WildHERness

I have been around bonfires, on boats, in the woods, with people who at first meeting have obvious and different points of view. And somehow when the subjects that they always say you shouldn’t discuss (you know what I am talking about) come up. There is no fighting, yelling, or disrespect. They listen, they seek to understand, they come together.

Friendships are made, it can become a safe place for someone who needed it most. Healing happens.

I am not saying a canoe trip or tromping through the woods, or casting some lines with strangers or your buddies will solve all the worlds problems but…it will make a dent.

Women’s Bowfishing with WildHERness and Woods and Waters Project