So a friend bought some land late last year and planted 4-5 dove food plots this spring. They came up well although he might of over seeded a bit. It was his first time to plant. He has sunflower, millet, and a third unknown "dove seed".So my newb questions are...

1. should he cut down the plots before hunting? If so what is the timing of the cut? one day, one week, two weeks?

2. He has two corn feeders in the field so how does he make sure a warden does not ticket him for baiting. Just turn off the feeders 2-3 weeks before the hunt? Or should he empty them altogether.

3. A third feeder is approx. 100-120 feet away from the plot field separated by a fence but you can see it from the field. Should he do what to do in the field to this one as well?

thanks

Quote:

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It is unlawful to:

hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited area;
hunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removed and a game warden has confirmed removal of baiting materials;
place or allow the placement of bait on or adjacent to any area where migratory game birds could be attracted for the purpose of hunting migratory game birds by any person;
hunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet in the first year after planting;

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Quote:

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Baited area
Any (public or private) area where bait is found. For migratory birds, this could include adjacent properties. There is no set distance from a baited area that a bird/animal may be hunted if the flight path or behavior is altered by its placement. It is the hunter's responsibility to know if an area is baited. These areas are unlawful for ALL migratory birds and Eastern Wild Turkeys and Public Hunting Land.

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I knew there was something about millet but it's only for waterfowl so you should be okay.

Typically what i see around here is people start shredding strips about a month out. Then additional strips maybe every week or so.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/dove_management/dove_agricultural_operations.pdf

Best dove hunting ive ever seen was full field uncut. When you downed a bird you had to watch carefully or you would lose it in the heavy vegetation.

From that experience, I say leave it uncut.

No idea on other Qs.

Will be able to test your theory. He is not planning on cutting all four plots at once

Shred strips. Yep, cut in intervals throughout the season , not all at once.

Disc around the edges. Dove like clean ground. Stake mojo. Enjoy.

Oooh I like that. (GIF). I'm not very good at estimating land so in football field measurements each is 1/3 field wide and length of the field long. So disking the edges make sense.

Cassius said:

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Best dove hunting ive ever seen was full field uncut. When you downed a bird you had to watch carefully or you would lose it in the heavy vegetation.

From that experience, I say leave it uncut.

No idea on other Qs.

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Unless you're hunting in a field of snow, the above in bold should apply

Assuming it is nearby...Let me know if you need someone to come check it out on opening day or any other days after the season opens.
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To answer the questions and IMO:

1) most places i see are shredded a couple of weeks before the season starts to allow them to not be considered baited.

2 and 3) Corn feeders (I assume he is hunting deer) should be fine. If he decides to sit near the feeders and shoot the birds under the feeder, different story.

I am becoming very aware that I need some new friends. Mine suck.

tamc93 said:

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2 and 3) Corn feeders (I assume he is hunting deer) should be fine. If he decides to sit near the feeders and shoot the birds under the feeder, different story.

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I'd check with the local GW prior to the season to get his/her idea of an acceptable distance to hunt dove near a deer feeder.

That being said, I'd wager that a federal GW would be much more strict.

If you pull the deer feeder for a couple weeks, they will find it quickly once it is put back. If you are like 90% of us, you will mainly hunt doves during the early part of the season anyway. Shred a couple weeks before the season and again a couple days before the season.