Thread: Labor Day dove shoot

In my area of Iredell County NC up to about 3 years ago I know of a couple places you could pay $50-100 per day depending on what the owner wanted to charge. There were a lot of people going that route. This was mostly on opening day and a day or 2 after. Now most of those fields aren't planted in corn, nor anything to attract doves, or they cut the fields way too soon. There is a preserve near me run by 2 brothers that offer dove hunts(they own land just up the road from me and used to hunt there) $100 opening day, $50 afterward they will bring you drinks and snacks.

That's why not many kids today take up hunting. I grew up in the country and 3 or 4 of us would just go from field to field finding doves. Farmers all knew us and welcomed us to shoot. We also hunted ducks in the swamps. Never had to pay or even ask, it was just expected. Not sure times today are better or worse.

Back when dove hunting was state operated you could just stop at a field and get permission to hunt with the crowd already there for free. Fields were everywhere and doves were plentiful. Once it turned federal and the farmers were told when and what they could plant along with when it had to be cut the hunting went south! Used to you'd have to field strip your gun and clean it so it would keep shooting during the day. Nowadays youre lucky if you get on a field that has enough doves to get a limit. When it went federal is about when pay fields started. Now it's plain ridiculous what you'd have to pay to shoot doves. I always get an invite or three to hunt doves but never go.....just aint enough doves to make it worth it to me anymore. Guess I'd rather just remember those good 'ole days where you'd shoot 6-8 boxes of shells a day when hunting.