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Annual dove baiting conversation
Posted on 8/6/26 at 7:58 am
Posted on 8/6/26 at 7:58 am
This year I've got about a 25-acre field, with about 10 acres of it in millet next to 125 acres of corn. The corn is commercial ag that's leased out for farming.
My plan is to burn the millet, disc the other 15 acres, and top-sow wheat. I also have about a 20-yard-wide grass strip running alongside the corn field next to a gravel road with power lines overhead. I'll lightly disc that strip and top-sow wheat as well.
Now, I know this isn't legal in some states... sorry, Tigers.
Serious question, though: If top-sowing wheat isn't recognized as a normal agricultural practice in Louisiana for dove hunting, how is it considered a normal agricultural practice in Arkansas and Mississippi—two states that share a border with Louisiana?
Also, the recommended wheat planting dates start around August 15 in Mississippi, while Louisiana's don't begin until around September 20. That gives us MS boys a pretty good head start on those dove birds.
Taking sugarcane out of the equation since it doesn't really compare to grain-crop management, Arkansas has about 7.9 million acres of cropland, Mississippi about 5.0 million, and Louisiana about 3.8 million acres, excluding sugarcane. It seems like Arkansas and Mississippi have a pretty good handle on what constitutes a normal agricultural practice.
You baws should be able to top-sow wheat.
My plan is to burn the millet, disc the other 15 acres, and top-sow wheat. I also have about a 20-yard-wide grass strip running alongside the corn field next to a gravel road with power lines overhead. I'll lightly disc that strip and top-sow wheat as well.
Now, I know this isn't legal in some states... sorry, Tigers.
Serious question, though: If top-sowing wheat isn't recognized as a normal agricultural practice in Louisiana for dove hunting, how is it considered a normal agricultural practice in Arkansas and Mississippi—two states that share a border with Louisiana?
Also, the recommended wheat planting dates start around August 15 in Mississippi, while Louisiana's don't begin until around September 20. That gives us MS boys a pretty good head start on those dove birds.
Taking sugarcane out of the equation since it doesn't really compare to grain-crop management, Arkansas has about 7.9 million acres of cropland, Mississippi about 5.0 million, and Louisiana about 3.8 million acres, excluding sugarcane. It seems like Arkansas and Mississippi have a pretty good handle on what constitutes a normal agricultural practice.
You baws should be able to top-sow wheat.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:05 am to Insurancerebel
You having to do millet and wheat to pull the birds into your field from the corn? Sounds ideal with gravel and power lines. Or do find a way to hunt the corn as well.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:05 am to Insurancerebel
I saw Martin, from Duck Dynasty, showing where they grew sunflowers and said they were going to mow them in a few weeks for dove.
I thought it was illegal to grow anything with the main purpose of luring migratory game birds.
I thought it was illegal to grow anything with the main purpose of luring migratory game birds.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:19 am to NorCali
quote:
You having to do millet and wheat to pull the birds into your field from the corn? Sounds ideal with gravel and power lines. Or do find a way to hunt the corn as well.
We will hunt both fields, but 120 acre field is big and they get spread out.
Millet and wheat pull more birds which is the goal, also concentrates them where we will be hunting.
Corn field tends to better after opening weekend. We get more hunts throughout the season on it. The millet and wheat seem to be good for the first two weekends and then they start germination.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:23 am to The Torch
quote:
I saw Martin, from Duck Dynasty, showing where they grew sunflowers and said they were going to mow them in a few weeks for dove.
I thought it was illegal to grow anything with the main purpose of luring migratory game birds.
Doves are different than waterfowl. Federal regulations allow you to manipulate agricultural crops specifically for dove hunting in ways that would be illegal for waterfowl. For example, you can mow, shred, disc, roll, burn, or otherwise manipulate standing crops like sunflowers, millet, corn, or sorghum, and legally hunt over them, provided the crop was grown there and the manipulation itself is legal.
You could even plant rows of corn next to your sunflowers and use a silage chopper to throw chopped corn into the sunflower rows as part of manipulating that standing crop. That's one reason dove regulations are very different from waterfowl regulations. Just don't confuse crop manipulation with bringing in grain from somewhere else or scattering harvested grain as bait—that's a different issue.
If you want to see how it's done, look up Vandy Collins on Facebook or YouTube. He hunts Alabama, Georgia, and Florida and does a good job showing how he farms and manages dove fields.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:36 am to Insurancerebel
Do you burn anything or just cut it?
Posted on 8/6/26 at 9:45 am to wickowick
quote:
Do you burn anything or just cut it?
usually burn the millet, it'll stay longer if you do that.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 10:21 am to Insurancerebel
quote:
Just don't confuse crop manipulation with bringing in grain from somewhere else or scattering harvested grain as bait—that's a different issue.
And this is where things usually go sideways with greenjeans concerning dove fields.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 10:37 am to MWP
quote:
nd this is where things usually go sideways with greenjeans concerning dove fields.
You can sow wheat legally as it's considered a winter crop. Absolutely nothing they can say about it unless there is a pile of it where it spilled.
This is in MS and comes directly from a state land agent.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 10:49 am to bbvdd
If anyone needs some one to run interference on potential violations, let me know. I’ll offer my minor kids up as green Jean bait while yall make a break for it.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 10:52 am to bbvdd
We used to broadcast wheat a few weeks before the season and run a disc over it the afternoon before. Same as planting a food plot - just in a different order.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 11:30 am to SCwTiger
Here are 2 links from the MDWFP on preparing a field for dove:
MDWFP - field prep and regs
Dove management for landowners
MDWFP - field prep and regs
Dove management for landowners
Posted on 8/6/26 at 11:49 am to bbvdd
What state did the guy get busted a few years ago for top sowing wheat and not covering it?
I think that's where they'll get you because top sowing wheat without covering is not a normal practice recommended.
I think that's where they'll get you because top sowing wheat without covering is not a normal practice recommended.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 11:52 am to Piebald Panther
quote:
I think that's where they'll get you because top sowing wheat without covering is not a normal practice recommended.
Not according to the 1st link I posted:
quote:
Can I legally hunt doves over top sown winter wheat?
Yes, as long as it is done in a manner consistent with a
normal agricultural practice. For example, the planting of
wheat for wildlife food plots, winter grazing for livestock,
and a planting for agricultural erosion control are all
considered normal agricultural practices.
Must wheat be sown on prepared ground? No. Wheat
can be no-till drilled into unprepared ground. Also,
overseeding of wheat or rye prior to harvesting soybeans,
corn or cotton to establish a cover crop is recognized as a
normal agricultural practice.
What is the planting rate for wheat? Wheat is to be
planted at a rate not greater than 90 lbs
(1 1/2 bushels) per acre that is spread evenly across the
area. It may not be piled or clumped.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 12:01 pm to Piebald Panther
quote:
I think that's where they'll get you because top sowing wheat without covering is not a normal practice recommended.
MS it is considered normal. Other states no
Posted on 8/6/26 at 12:02 pm to SCwTiger
quote:
We used to broadcast wheat a few weeks before the season and run a disc over it the afternoon before. Same as planting a food plot - just in a different order.
No legal on LA I don't think
Posted on 8/6/26 at 1:32 pm to Insurancerebel
quote:
No legal on LA I don't think
Well, that was many years ago.
Wasn't the first rule I've broken and probably won't be the last.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 1:33 pm to Insurancerebel
You can dove hunt over top sewn wheat in Louisiana, provided it is done in a method consistent with LSU ag or local extension services. That includes the time of year it is sewn. You can also plant whatever seed you want and manipulate it however you want, as long as you aren't introducing foreign seed to the field. Also, many folks don't realize that putting water or gravel out for the purpose of attracting birds is also illegal. Yet you can hunt over both if it was there for other intended purposes
This post was edited on 8/6/26 at 1:34 pm
Posted on 8/6/26 at 1:43 pm to The Torch
quote:
thought it was illegal to grow anything with the main purpose of luring migratory game birds.
Nah, that’s just what the Flyway Federation wants you to believe.
Posted on 8/6/26 at 2:55 pm to Insurancerebel
Hunt the power lines and you should be golden.
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