Any dove hunters left here?

[FirstBubba]

I've recently started keeping bees

I'm in the middle of a pollen desert! 😖
Visited a neighbor. He planted sunflowers for his bees.
Do ANY of you plant sunflowers as a draw for doves?
What strain?

[FirstBubba]

It's been a couple of decades since I last used a shotgun on a dove. But I have a new 12 gauge

Had a place to hunt back in the late 70's near Mart, Texas.
We had a blast....but shotgun shells were about $3/box.

.....and a "case" of ammo had 20 boxes and was less than a hundred bucks!

[dewman]

Why of course I hunt doves. Doesn't everyone? (Where there is a season)

[FirstBubba]

I'm a transplant. I wasn't born and raised here.
A local told me that there used to be a "dove roost" just south of our house. Have you ever heard of a dove roost?

Regardless, since I first started coming into this area in 1979, there has always been a LOT of dove!

But my problem is my bees. Scanning my pasture and the neighbors fields, there are few - if any - flowers.
I helped a neighbor work a bee hive. There was a constant flow of bees with golden yellow pollen on their back legs.
I sat and watched my bees. Not one bee returned with pollen on their legs! WT....?
So I feed my bees sugar water. If I intend to have my bees stay, I need to plant SOMETHING they can feed on.
The ground us hard. The weather can be hot and dry. The ONLY thing I can think of is sunflowers. Those stupid things will grow when nothing else will.....and the flowers stay for a long time.
I just wondered if anybody planted sunflowers to attract dove, what strain did they plant?

[CD2]

Gave it up. Not worth the heat/ sun even though id limit out.

Work is hot n nasty My idea of a fun time aint roasting on a field no mo.

3d bow shoots in summer woods. Groundhog hunting creekbanks w pistols because bean fields too tall.
Bowfishing

Did all that and dove hunted, for decades.

Done.

Am literally burned out on summer/hot activities

[CD2]

I wont even drive an open top Jeep.
DId that for a long time too.

I want a solid roof, no friggin sunroof.......and AC.

My hair was black and brain cook was bad in summer. Never wear hat due to headache issues.

Now that Im grey the sizzle might be less, but am not gonna find out.

[DakotaMan]

I used to hunt doves a lot. Although I've spent a lot of time walking through thorn bush thickets flushing them, most have come from decoying. I used a large lone tree on the side of a large pond. I cut a few dozen dove silhouettes from Masonite and hung them in that tree. Doves would decoy to that tree by the dozen during the last couple hours of the day.

I don't know whether you can grow clover but that is what our bees live on. They also liked alfalfa. They are fairly hardy but don't know if you get enough water for them. You are right, sunflowers will grow on concrete I think.

[FirstBubba]

I used to hunt doves a lot. Although I've spent a lot of time waking through thorn bush thickets flushing them, most have come from decoying. I used a large lone tree on the side of a large pond. I cut a few dozen dove silhouettes from Masonite and hung them in that tree. Doves would decoy to that tree by the dozen during the last couple hours of the day.

I don't know whether you can grow clover but that is what our bees live on. They also liked alfalfa. They are fairly hardy but don't know if you get enough water for them. You are right, sunflowers will grow on concrete I think.

Sunk several grand into 18 acres of alfalfa. This AIN'T alfalfa ground! LOL! Got one cutting and then it died out.
BUT......I had deer bedding where deer hadn't bedded in ages! 😃!
Alfalfa seed was $75/sack (50#) then ('08 IIRC)
Last I checked, alfalfa seed was $250/sack!
YIKES!