When we were teenagers, our hunting budget barely covered shotgun shells, much less decoys. Since (as they say) necessity is the mother of invention, we developed a solution: homemade decoys We’d cut some cardboard into the silhouette of a dove, glue cotton balls to each side of the silhouette to give it some bulk, apply some spray paint to make the whole thing look somewhat like a dove, and use some clothespins to clip the thing where we wanted it.

They were crude, and wouldn’t win any dove beauty pageant award -- but they worked. A dove coming by out of range would often veer over to get a better look at these ugly dove imitations. In the process, it at least got his wits scared out of it as the ground suddenly erupted with loads of No. 8 shot headed its way.

Now that we have some idea on the best way to hunt the birds, let’s take a look at some of the best dove shoots in North Georgia.

Some lucky hunters have standing invitations to private shoots; for most, though, finding a dove shoot can be a research project. Happily, though, there are no better places to look to for a well-prepared field than some of the region’s state-managed wildlife management areas.

“Berry College WMA seems to have one of the best dove shoots of all the northwest Georgia WMAs,” senior Wildlife Resources Division wildlife biologist David Gregory suggested, “Last year, opening day was good, with hunters shooting birds over sunflowers and millet, with some grain sorghum mixed in. The area was hayed prior to the season, releasing a fair amount of seed that helped draw in the birds. A powerline for roosting running through the field is always a nice touch, and the Berry field has a good one.

“What many hunters missed out on last year was the late-season hunting. With the mild weather last fall, a second hay cutting was done late in the season; this released seed and exposed bare ground, creating the second round of perfect conditions for doves.”

According to Gregory, this season looks to be another good one. “Last fall, we planted 10 acres of wheat,” he stated, “and it remained fallow all summer, hoping to draw and hold a large number of resident doves. In the summer we planted additional acreage in sunflowers and millet for a fall food source.

“Hunters do need to recognize the popularity of Berry College WMA, so expect to see lots of hunting pressure and hunter competition. Still, this WMA would be a great choice for a good shoot this fall.”

Two fields in Crockford-Pigeon Mountain WMA, near Lafayette in Walker County, offer hunters some possibilities in the extreme northwest corner of the state. “The fields at Estelle were just fair last year,” Gregory admitted. “They were planted in browntop and hayed prior to the season. The field produced some birds, but a limit would have been hard to come by. On opening day, a few birds flew all afternoon, providing slow but steady shooting, but we didn’t have large flights of birds.

“For this season, the field will be treated in the same manner. Hunters can expect about the same thing: steady shooting -- but the skies will not be black with birds.

“The Bluehole fields were slim pickings last year,” Gregory next pointed out. “Even though they were prepared in much the same way as Estelle, they just didn’t seem to have as many birds.” As a result, many opening day hunters left early since they weren’t getting many shots. The hunters that stuck it out were rewarded with a fair shoot at the closing hour.