Introduction
All around the world, beginner hunters and experts alike often gravitate towards one of the most popular forms of hunting, wingshooting.
Easy to start, but difficult to master, wingshooting provides a fun adventure for those looking for a challenging type of hunt, whether it be a new hunting venture or the start of a hunting career. For our sake, we will be focusing more so on the latter.
You don’t need a ton of fancy equipment to get started in wingshooting. Whether you’re an adult getting into hunting or a younger individual interested in the space, anyone could start with some basic hunting clothes, a license, and a half-decent shotgun.
We will explore the equipment you need, the world of wingshooting shotguns for beginners, and finally, some tricks to increase your chances of success as a novice winghshooter.
Come dive into the hunt that draws countless outdoorsmen every year!
Understanding Wingshooting and Dove Hunting
What is Wingshooting? When someone is talking about wingshooting, they are referring to the classic hunting practice where shooters seek out and take shots at birds in flight.
This practice of hunting birds with a shotgun dates back hundreds of years, creating a rich and widespread hunting heritage that differs wherever you go wingshooting.
Shotgun advancements, such as the semi-automatic variant, have since made the sport slightly easier. With that being said, the core task and required skills still remain the same; needing to hit a moving target in flight through quick, precise movements on the part of the hunter.
There is a wide variety of bird species that wingshooters can target depending on local regulations of where you find yourself hunting. Doves are one of the most popular targets due to their relative abundance, but other upland birds like duck, perdiz, pheasant, grouse, and many more can be hunted in this manner as well.
Why Dove Hunting is a Great Start for Beginners
As mentioned earlier, doves have a high relative abundance in North and South America, particularly in countries like the United States and Argentina, making them a common target for beginners.
Once you can secure access to public or suitable private land to hunt on, beginners will have plenty of opportunities for mistakes while still having a chance at landing a shot.
When dove hunting, the chance of missed shots is typically high with beginners and birds can be prematurely scared, but you can almost always find more. Some states in the US, like Texas, have no seasonal bag limit on doves, making them extremely accessible year-round.
What is the Right Shotgun for Beginners?
With a wide variety of shotguns on the market, it can be hard for a beginner to find the ideal gun for their first wingshooting trip.
Here are some critical factors to consider before we recommend a few options.
Factors to Consider
The first and most obvious choice when finding the right shotgun for wingshooting is finding the appropriate gauge.
The gauge of the shotgun will determine the power behind the shot; you want something that can quickly hit your target, but without blowing it to shreds.
From there, consider the ideal action for your shotgun:
- Semi-automatic
- Over/under
- Pump-action
Each type has advantages and drawbacks that can cater to your needs.
Which Shotgun Gauges are Best for Dove Hunting?
For wingshooting, many hunters prefer to opt for either a 20 or 28-gauge shotgun. While there are arguments out there for 16 and even 12-gauge shotguns for dove, 20 or 28 are far more popular.
These options provide enough power to take out a moving bird, while still allowing you to have a prize after a successful shot. Moving the gauge up or down from here can impact the success of your trip, depending on how far you are shooting from.
Recommended Shotguns for New Dove Hunters
For beginners, when finding a shotgun that works for you, you want a durable shotgun that operates smoothly, feels comfortable, and has an appropriate shot.
Below are some of the great options for first-timers on the market:
Stoeger Condor
Basic, yet solid over/under shotgun option, affordable
Winchester SXP
Durable, dependable pump-action shotgun
Remington V3 Field Sport
Reliable and easy-to-shoot semi-automatic shotgun
Mossberg Silver Reserve
Flexible, classic double-barreled shotgun
Essential Gear and Accessories for Dove Hunting
While the gun is the obvious first piece of the puzzle, there is a long list of other equipment that you should bring on a wingshooting outing to stay safe and bring home some good-looking doves.
Must-Have Accessories
For a safe and successful wingshooting hunt, you should be properly dressed in warm clothing (if appropriate) that has camouflage, but also blaze orange to identify you to other hunters.
You should have a hunting vest equipped with a shell pouch for ammunition, as the last thing you want to do is make twenty trips to stock up on ammo.
Next, shooting glasses and hearing protection are essential so that you can hear yourself think after a long day of shooting and don’t catch anything in your eyes.
Another important thing to have is maps, a compass, or even GPS for navigation and finding the spots you wish to hunt.
Lastly, a hunting bag to help carry in/carry out other supplies like water, food, hit birds, and whatever else you need for success and comfort is always a plus.
Safety Equipment and Tips
Hunting safety is of the utmost importance on any hunt, as you might have surmised.
This starts with getting proper licensure and approval to hunt, continues on to dressing appropriately for the weather and wearing the proper hunting attire, and finishes with proper gun safety.
Guns, as obvious a statement as it is, should never be pointed at other individuals and should have their safety turned on when not in active use. If you have any doubt about the safety of a shot, do NOT take it. There is no better way to ruin a hunt than shooting someone in your hunting party.
Techniques and Tips for Successful Dove Hunting
While it’s easy to get out and see doves in the wild, actually hitting your target isn’t so easy a task. Before getting out on a hunt, it’s always a good idea to hit the range to practice your shot with the proper safety techniques for your respective gun.
The last thing you want is to get out on an expensive hunt only to miss every shot you take.
Basic Shooting Techniques
A successful shot starts with a firm, stable stance. Hitting a stationary target is a start, but that isn’t what wingshooting is about. You can practice the art of hitting a moving target with clay disks or even pull string targets as an easier option.
Wingshooting requires a very reflexive hunting technique. Unlike game like deer where you can line up your shot, with birds in flight, you have to move, aim, and fire quickly.
Naturally, to do this, you track the target through the air with your gun. You must lead your target ever so slightly to account for the movement and follow through with the sweeping movement, as opposed to abruptly stopping after taking the shot.
There is no exact science to hitting a moving target like this; wingshooting is a very feel-oriented art, and every hunter has their own tactics.
Tips for Attracting Doves
With doves often flying in high volumes anywhere they nest, there are a variety of techniques one can use to attract doves and find that perfect shot.
First, you can use a dove decoy. These devices mimic doves to give the impression to other doves that an area/perch is safe, luring them in for a shot.
Food plots and water sources can be other great places to search for large dove populations as well, for obvious reasons.
On the topic of locating the best spots to hunt dove, we spoke with an expert on Argentina dove hunts who recommended even hunting dove not at their nest or water and food sources, but the highly traveled path between the two. This not only keeps them from fearing where the eat, but also prevents any negative effect of hunting at the roost.
Where you end up finding doves, try to hone in on a specific bird to make your shot more accurate. Birds like doves thrive from the chaos created when a flock takes off together.
Conclusion
With a low barrier of entry, but a huge ceiling for skill, wingshooting is a great hunt for beginners and experts alike. The fast-paced, reflexive nature of wingshooting provides a different feel to a hunting trip than most other animals. The high population of doves also means minimal regulations/bag limits allowing you to have a tremendous amount of fun with no cap.
Finding the right equipment to get started with wingshooting can be a problem for some. With basic hunting clothing, access to public land, and a proper shotgun outlined above, you can be on your way to your own wingshooting adventure in the near future!
This article and its images were written and provided by the great folks at Rancho Christobal. They are very experienced in the area of dove hunting. Check them out.