Diana Firsr springer hunt

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Bedrock Bob

Bedrock Bob

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Jul 18, 2024
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I went out hunting collared dove with the Diana 34 .22 cal today. The first time i have ever actually hunted with a springer. We see a bunch where we usually shoot. So I figured that would be a good place to start.

I put a scope on the Diana and went to sight it in. Got it tuned in at 25 and found the spot at 50.

The dove were coming and going all around me while I shot the target. A couple landed right next to the target and marveled at my tight 50 yard patterns. They hardly flinched when the pellet hit the cardboard.

I decided the gun was ready and spotted one on a low branch at about 40 yards. I missed him 3 times before I connected but finally gave him a craniotomy. His mate flew off.

He flopped around a bit and I thought to myself he would make a fine bass lure. About that time a hawk swooped down and got him.

He drug him up under an acacia bush and spent the next 15 minutes eating him. Then he flew up in a tree and waited for me to shoot another.

After an hour or so I'd head shot 4 birds and missed a few long shots. He seemed critical of my hunting skills. You could tell he had his doubts as he observed my many misses.

He was sitting on a tree about 45 yards away. A pair of collared dove came in and landed on the ground a few yards in front of him. I got a nice shot off and the bird got a botched craniectomy. He was a flopper.

The hawk must have thought that was a pretty cool shot (I know i did). He jumped off the branch and dragged that one into the shade. It was worthy of his attention.

So I got 5 head shots on collared dove with a springer and a new hunting buddy.

I got a crappy cell phone photo of him stealing my first bird. A crappy video too. I know it's not high res action shots through a high dollar digital scope but he's still pretty groovy.

20240901_132937.jpg



I'm headed out this afternoon again. Maybe he's still hungry.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
I went out hunting collared dove with the Diana 34 .22 cal today. The first time i have ever actually hunted with a springer. We see a bunch where we usually shoot. So I figured that would be a good place to start.

I put a scope on the Diana and went to sight it in. Got it tuned in at 25 and found the spot at 50.

The dove were coming and going all around me while I shot the target. A couple landed right next to the target and marveled at my tight 50 yard patterns. They hardly flinched when the pellet hit the cardboard.

I decided the gun was ready and spotted one on a low branch at about 40 yards. I missed him 3 times before I connected but finally gave him a craniotomy. His mate flew off.

He flopped around a bit and I thought to myself he would make a fine bass lure. About that time a hawk swooped down and got him.

He drug him up under an acacia bush and spent the next 15 minutes eating him. Then he flew up in a tree and waited for me to shoot another.

After an hour or so I'd head shot 4 birds and missed a few long shots. He seemed critical of my hunting skills. You could tell he had his doubts as he observed my many misses.

He was sitting on a tree about 45 yards away. A pair of collared dove came in and landed on the ground a few yards in front of him. I got a nice shot off and the bird got a botched craniectomy. He was a flopper.

The hawk must have thought that was a pretty cool shot (I know i did). He jumped off the branch and dragged that one into the shade. It was worthy of his attention.

So I got 5 head shots on collared dove with a springer and a new hunting buddy.

I got a crappy cell phone photo of him stealing my first bird. A crappy video too. I know it's not high res action shots through a high dollar digital scope but he's still pretty groovy.

View attachment 493076


I'm headed out this afternoon again. Maybe he's still hungry.
Click to expand...
I haven't been dove hunting in so long, that I forgot today was opening day. It used to be a big deal around here, farmers would cut their corn and leave corn standing in spots around the field for blinds. Some years you couldn't keep the gun loaded fast enough, easily go thru 2 or 3 boxes and come out with 4 or 5 birds..lol. Not much going on here anymore.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
I went out hunting collared dove with the Diana 34 .22 cal today. The first time i have ever actually hunted with a springer. We see a bunch where we usually shoot. So I figured that would be a good place to start.

I put a scope on the Diana and went to sight it in. Got it tuned in at 25 and found the spot at 50.

The dove were coming and going all around me while I shot the target. A couple landed right next to the target and marveled at my tight 50 yard patterns. They hardly flinched when the pellet hit the cardboard.

I decided the gun was ready and spotted one on a low branch at about 40 yards. I missed him 3 times before I connected but finally gave him a craniotomy. His mate flew off.

He flopped around a bit and I thought to myself he would make a fine bass lure. About that time a hawk swooped down and got him.

He drug him up under an acacia bush and spent the next 15 minutes eating him. Then he flew up in a tree and waited for me to shoot another.

After an hour or so I'd head shot 4 birds and missed a few long shots. He seemed critical of my hunting skills. You could tell he had his doubts as he observed my many misses.

He was sitting on a tree about 45 yards away. A pair of collared dove came in and landed on the ground a few yards in front of him. I got a nice shot off and the bird got a botched craniectomy. He was a flopper.

The hawk must have thought that was a pretty cool shot (I know i did). He jumped off the branch and dragged that one into the shade. It was worthy of his attention.

So I got 5 head shots on collared dove with a springer and a new hunting buddy.

I got a crappy cell phone photo of him stealing my first bird. A crappy video too. I know it's not high res action shots through a high dollar digital scope but he's still pretty groovy.

View attachment 493076


I'm headed out this afternoon again. Maybe he's still hungry.
Click to expand...
Cool i like feeding the critters . shoot Squirrel for the foxes and maybe the vultures if the fox isn't around .
 
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My son and I used to hunt every day of the season. We still go once or twice every year. It's a ton of fun.

He hits pretty good with a shotgun. He really puts them in the bag. Limits out in 30 minutes. Then he sits and drinks beer while his old man tosses shot in the sky.

He teases me that before I get a limit my barrel will warp from the heat. I can miss 3 shots with that mossberg faster than you can blink an eye.

You can hunt dove here with a pellet gun on your own property in season. Collared dove any time. There are so many Collared and white wing you could shoot forever. In the right spot you can limit in a few minutes if you can hit them.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
I went out hunting collared dove with the Diana 34 .22 cal today. The first time i have ever actually hunted with a springer. We see a bunch where we usually shoot. So I figured that would be a good place to start.

I put a scope on the Diana and went to sight it in. Got it tuned in at 25 and found the spot at 50.

The dove were coming and going all around me while I shot the target. A couple landed right next to the target and marveled at my tight 50 yard patterns. They hardly flinched when the pellet hit the cardboard.

I decided the gun was ready and spotted one on a low branch at about 40 yards. I missed him 3 times before I connected but finally gave him a craniotomy. His mate flew off.

He flopped around a bit and I thought to myself he would make a fine bass lure. About that time a hawk swooped down and got him.

He drug him up under an acacia bush and spent the next 15 minutes eating him. Then he flew up in a tree and waited for me to shoot another.

After an hour or so I'd head shot 4 birds and missed a few long shots. He seemed critical of my hunting skills. You could tell he had his doubts as he observed my many misses.

He was sitting on a tree about 45 yards away. A pair of collared dove came in and landed on the ground a few yards in front of him. I got a nice shot off and the bird got a botched craniectomy. He was a flopper.

The hawk must have thought that was a pretty cool shot (I know i did). He jumped off the branch and dragged that one into the shade. It was worthy of his attention.

So I got 5 head shots on collared dove with a springer and a new hunting buddy.

I got a crappy cell phone photo of him stealing my first bird. A crappy video too. I know it's not high res action shots through a high dollar digital scope but he's still pretty groovy.

View attachment 493076


I'm headed out this afternoon again. Maybe he's still hungry.
Click to expand...
Maybe it's just me, but headshots with a springer on a dove at 40yds sounds immensely harder than shooting baby iguanas heads at 60yds.

So good on you for those 5 head shots!
Love reading your stuff, glad you were able to make a friend.

Maybe he will return the favor and help you out when you're having a long day of hunting, as he likely had today.
 
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JaceSpace1369 said:
Maybe it's just me, but headshots with a springer on a dove at 40yds sounds immensely harder than shooting baby iguanas heads at 60yds.

So good on you for those 5 head shots!
Love reading your stuff, glad you were able to make a friend.

Maybe he will return the favor and help you out when you're having a long day of hunting, as he likely had today.
Click to expand...

I'm sitting here snapping a few more. The hawk is not around. Probably too fat to fly.

Headshots are hard. Missed quite a few. Blew the beaks off a couple. Made a clean kill on a couple. A bird brain is small stuff. Farthest headshot is about 50 give or take. I miss a lot but they don't scare. Always a second or third chance.

Shot 2 thru the wing at 65 yards. Only dropped one.

It's harder than I expected. A solid hit isn't always a down bird....
 
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The breeze picked up and the hawk is sitting on a pole at 200 yards. Lots of white wing flying over but no collards. They all are sitting on the water tank to the left of my rifle barrel. Probably a dozen.

The tank is 647 yards away. Do you think this springer will reach that far?

20240901_185456.jpg


There are a couple dozen pigeons behind me. Picking gravel out of the wash at 250. I'm going to see if I can get a shot.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
I'm sitting here snapping a few more. The hawk is not around. Probably too fat to fly.

Headshots are hard. Missed quite a few. Blew the beaks off a couple. Made a clean kill on a couple. A bird brain is small stuff. Farthest headshot is about 50 give or take. I miss a lot but they don't scare. Always a second or third chance.

Shot 2 thru the wing at 65 yards. Only dropped one.

It's harder than I expected. A solid hit isn't always a down bird....
Click to expand...
It happens sometimes, although we do our best, sometimes we are off. Some of these doves/pigeons can take a solid hit and fly off. With pellets that is, I haven't had any fly off with slugs before.
 
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I screwed up the pigeon hunt. There's always tomorrow.

Total of 3 birds tonight. They are around during the day but I think they fly into town in the late evening when the white wing and mourning doves fly.

I wounded 4 or 5. I recovered two of those. You can hit them with a smack and feathers will fly. But so will they.

The forensic analysis shows a pellet will ruin a dove breast. Big time. If you plan on eating it don't hit it in center mass.

Head shots are tough past 35 yards. Even then they're not easy. But they sit there like nothing when you knock all the feathers off their cheek. So a couple more shots are possible.

I probably shot 4-5 times at one at 65 yards before I hit him. Pellets whizzing all around his head. He was oblivious. Hit him in the center of mass and he dropped.

The next one at 65 didn't. But at that range I could have hit him anywhere. I knocked all the feathers off him and he flew away in his underwear. He's going to need medical attention.

A couple headshots didn't work out. I saw the hit in the scope. A bit too far forward. They flew far and fast. No chance of recovery.

It was a learning experience for sure.

I hunted quail with a rimfire all my life. I shoot them across the back or in the butt. Brings them down every time. Cuts them in half. No meat damage.

I think that strategy would work with a pellet rifle on collared dove too. It's a bigger target than the brain and misses count for more. It's easier at range. It's hard to hit a vital up high without ruining the breast. A pelvic shot might anchor a bird better than a shot through a wing anyway. And it would damage less meat.

I'm going to try a couple of those shots tomorrow. And see if I can't get close to a fat pigeon.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
The breeze picked up and the hawk is sitting on a pole at 200 yards. Lots of white wing flying over but no collards. They all are sitting on the water tank to the left of my rifle barrel. Probably a dozen.

The tank is 647 yards away. Do you think this springer will reach that far?

View attachment 493111

There are a couple dozen pigeons behind me. Picking gravel out of the wash at 250. I'm going to see if I can get a shot.
Click to expand...
We talking about a barn sized tank? I think you got a chance or two lol
 
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Just Zack 2 said:
@ Bedrock Bob, for future reference...
Yeah, that springer can take those collards that are out there at 647 yards... But you're going to have to walk at least 550 yards first
Click to expand...

It was a choice of walking up there or walking to the pigeons. I had a cold beer opened and I didn't want it to get warm before I got back. The pigeons were closer.

That tank would be a hoot. It's got a big fence around it. You couldn't recover your birds. But you could sit there and shoot a bunch.
 
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