Many dove hunters seem to think that all that is required for a good dove hunt is some water, any water.
I have seen hunters sitting around a windmill with a concrete water tank in which the water was 3 feet from the lip of the tank. I have also seen hunters hunting around a dirt tank with brush, grass, weeds, and other vegetation growing right up to the edge of the water.
Truth is, neither of those are good places to hunt doves.
Doves require some pretty specific circumstances of their watering holes. First is, they have to be able to actually reach the water, which they could not in the first instance above. Second, they have to feel comfortable and safe.
If a dirt stock tank have brush, grass, and weeds growing up to or even into the edge of the water, the doves are going to avoid it. The greenery is perfect camouflage for predators that like to eat doves. Snakes in particular seem to take advantage of such circumstances.
The best waterholes are those in which the water has receded from the vegetation, leaving a wide strip of clear dirt between the water and the ground cover. If there is no such strip one can be made with a tractor and a rake.
Another good hunting spot is at a windmill which as a leaky water tank. Lots of the older concrete tanks I have seen have cracked or shrunken until they leak a bit, leaving a small, clean pool of water. Assuming the vegetation is not so high as to discourage the doves, the hunting can be surprisingly good in such spots, although not for long, and not continuously.
The same criteria applies to streams as to ponds. If you have access to a small creek with clear dirt banks, the doves will make use of it. All it takes to find such places is a bit of preseason scouting.
Just back again putting in my two cents worth.It seem i have a ihntung story for every thing i guess. It was about twenty years ago ,a ihntung buddy and his girl freind all went ihntung with me . Back then you did not see many women ihntung . We all got in my truck in the morning early. ,I was surprized to see the little gal packing such big gun . I think it was a 303 british army sporter enfeild . Off we went down the logging , when we stopped the truck to take a pee , When me and buddy were out of hearing range ,I ask him can his girlfreind shoot that big gun , his reply was I dont know .Well off we went down the road again. All of sudden here runs some doe deer across the road and a very big 5 5 whitetail buck. my coffee hit the floor along with its container,I got my truck stopped .My buddy I and hopping around getting buck fever bad ,yet the little Gal remained comm and in collected mamer went to side and ahead of the truck put a bullet quickly into here gun and shot the buck, down it went . Well we were, some what shocked my buddy and I . So asked the Gal , did she get nervous. no she said , no time too. But I do feel like I,m going to puke now , after a minute our two she was ok. Off we went to see the downed buck ,125 yards later at here buck , the buck took the bullet right behind shoulder great shot . She said, that this was here first buck ,so I ask were she learned to shot like that .She said here grandfather taught her on his farm shooting tin cans ,were as she pulled out a knife ask for help gutting the deer.Granpa told me you got to clean your own game please give me a hand. Well I tell youI have seen alot things ,but she was something ,the little lady with the big gun! My Buddy did marry her ,and there still out there ihntung every year. Ha Ha .
Liz is not just ANY page turner. Liz is the Heifetz, the Pavarotti, the veritable Yo-Yo Ma of page turners. She is the kind of page turned who, if I was completely fumbling a difficult passage, would suddenly have an uncontrollable puking fit so as to draw attention away from my screwup. She also knows exactly how many pieces of sushi you might need at intermission. At least that’s my experience; your mileage may vary One last bit of clothing advice for page turners: No dangly loose jackets. I once played a whole violin recital with silk caressing my left cheek at every turn. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but it was kind of distracting.