Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Winter Wheat Field for Doves

I have a wildlife plot that I sowed last fall in winter wheat for winter coverage. I tilled two other of the plots up in preparation to plant sunflowers for dove season and was thinking I might leave the one in wheat. If wheat matures around June, does anyone think there might be grain left to shot doves over in September? In KY it is common practice and allowed to sow food plots to dove hunt over. I truly enjoy dove hunting that time of year.

Thanks for any advice or replys, Chuck

I doubt there would be any grain left. My guess most would be on the ground and germinated

Brush hog it a couple weeks before season. We shoot lots of doves coming off wheat stubble that was cut in June. Should be good if some birds find it and get a pattern of feeding there established.

Why not milo?

I may use milo in the other two fields. I ended up with such a good stand of winter wheat that I thought I might leave and try it. Never considered it before. I am thinking sunflowers because of the seed size. I've used browntop millet the last few years, but we have had so much rain the past couple of years here in KY around dove season that the smaller grains tend to get washed or lost in the dirt. Milo does have larger grain size than the millet I've been sowing.

Local conservation area (state managed) combines the wheat as normal (June time frame), then a couple weeks before dove season they burn off the stubble. Walking through it, I was amazed at how much wheat seed was visible on top of the ground. Doves had wheat seed in them as well. If the sunflowers on the same conservation area were planted at the right time though, it'll be 10:1 as to how many doves on the sunflowers versus on the burned wheat stubble.

Sunflowers attract doves like soap attracts hair.

I would say combine it. If you leave it you may have a mess on your hands next year

Sunflower is the best to plant for dove as mentioned above.