December is the hunter’s rush hour. Ducks, geese and deer seasons are in full swing, and it is not easy working as many trips in as possible between all the playoff football games and family holiday gatherings. For the more serious hunters it is the other way around.    

Doves, snipe and woodcock are often overlooked as late season game. Doves are without a doubt the most forgotten late season quarries.  Dove hunting is regarded as a late summertime hunting season kickoff.  It is usually associated with freshly harvested grain fields lined with hunters and their dogs. It’s a social event. Leg band recoveries since 2003 show approximately one-third of the banded doves are taken by hunters on opening day. Another third of these banded birds are taken by the end of opening weekend. I contend those figures are not the result of a lack of birds later in the year but a lack of hunters going after them. 

Well, for a very few of us who some might consider anti-social, late season is the most enjoyable time to hunt doves.  Think about it. The September opening in Louisiana is usually in 90 plus degree heat complete with bugs and a guy next to you who thinks his 20 gauge has the range of an anti-aircraft gun and whose dog you’d like to be left alone with for just 2 days.  Not only do few hunters venture out for doves; most don’t even realize we have a mid December to early January season. No, there won’t be a freshly mowed field to stand in and for sure you won’t see as many birds but you won’t feel any bug bites and won’t have to put up with Joe Yahoo. You probably won’t hit many because the fact they’re alive and flying proves that no one else has managed to hit these fast flyers either. And they haven’t gotten any slower. The key here is finding and setting up on their natural flyways. Food sources are slim this time of year, look for whatever they’re feeding on and they won’t be far away.  Another late season dove tactic is to jump shoot them. Look for small feeding flocks to be well hidden in thin straw-type grass that has those tiny black seeds late in winter. These patches are often found in clear cuts. Tallow tree groves will also hold birds feeding on their dried seeds. At last some useful purpose for these unwanted exotics that have been swallowing up St. Tammany woodlands for the last 30 years. But that’s another story for another day. 

Since these birds are the wariest you’ll encounter you might want to move up to #7 1/2 shot or even 6s to get the extra distance 8s won’t provide. Upgrade the quality of your shotgun shells as well. Those 100 packs of cheap shells available at your local store don't cut it in January. Pay a little more and use some quality heavy field loads for the long passing shots required in late season hunting. Most of your shots will be longer than those you attempted on opening weekend. You will need all of the shot you can get.

The cheaper loads usually come with just 1 ounce of shot in 12-gauge. A 12-gauge heavy field load holds up to 1¼ ounces of shot. One and one-eighth ounces of 7½ shot contains 44 more pellets than 1 ounce of the same shot. The difference is 87 pellets between 1 ounce and 1 ¼ ounces. Using better loads reduces the chances of crippling birds as well.

Ponds at low levels in late December – January can be dove magnets. Doves pick seeds and small grit from the strip of dried mud along the bank that was under water in spring. This is an excellent place to construct a ground blind with brush. Yes, a blind. These, unlike early birds, that for the most part fly fast and straight, dive and dart away when they spot shooters. Late season dove hunting is similar to hunting warier birds like ducks and geese. Cattle pastures and feed lots also offer overlooked dove in the third and final segment of the dove season. Cattle trampling promotes the growth of pigweed. This plant drops many small black seeds that doves love. Feedlots contain bare dirt and waste feed grain. They hold surprising numbers of doves later in the season. Those with a water hole nearby are the best to try. 

Scouting and looking for concentrations of doves saves time and gets you on birds. Doves use specific flight paths to orient themselves in the air to their feeding areas, watering holes and roosting spots. These late season hunts are more individual than the early season hunts. You won't be hunting in big groups.  Find where the doves’ flight lines are, get under some good cover and go from there. Wear camouflage from head to toe when hunting late season doves. The doves in Louisiana later in the season have survived a lot of pressure from north to south as they migrated here. They flare easily. Patience is required for later season dove hunting. It is harder hunting than early September, but bagging a limit or near-limit of doves at this time of the season is one of the more rewarding challenges in wing shooting. 

There are more benefits to late season dove shooting. You might need a sweatshirt or even insulated outerwear. Your retriever will enjoy hunting in the cool conditions too. And without the heavy summertime vegetation the birds you down will be easier to recover. The third segment dates are Dec 19 – Jan 4 in the North zone and Dec 12- Jan 4 in the South zone. Locally, the Sandy Hollow Wildlife Management in Tangipahoa is open for public dove hunting during the north zone dates. 

 Hunting small game late season style means changing tactics, locations and even species, but it also means doing more of it. The greatest thing about it is that nobody else is there.