re: Sunflowers for doves

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Are you broadcasting?

Never seen doves go into a thicket of sunflowers... I am curious though.

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Depending on if the drill is available I either drill on 15" rows or I broadcast. If drilling I do about 35,000 seed per acre and if I broadcast its more like 40,000 to 45,000.

The first time I saw it I was a guest at a guy's place. And what initially struck me was that it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon and 90 degrees and sunny. And birds were already pouring into the field.

And it was the thickest sunflowers I had ever seen. Like you would have trouble walking through them. But when I got down on the ground it was cool and shaded and clean. And I could see a long way down the rows.

And as Iwalked along the rows I was jumping doves up maybe 10 or 15 feet in front of me. And instead of flying away they would go maybe 30 feet and drop back into the sunflowers. And it was the craziest fastest shooting I've ever seen.

That was when I was a kid and I've been tinkering with thick sunflowers ever since.

Also when I went to Argentina 20 years ago the lesson struck home. Because we were shooting roosts. It was like a tangle of thorn trees/bushes. And it reminded me of their need to stay out of the sun and be protected from hawks etc.

Also another tip: a very important aspect of sunflowers for doves is the oil. They use it to preen and help their feathers stay waterproof. And the element that makes hard shiny seed casings with lots of oil is potash. So when you're fertilizing don't skimp on anything. But especially don't skimp on the potash. They will focus on using the fields that have the highest oil content in the seeds.