You've waited all summer for this and you're ready - frothing-at-the-mouth, champing-at-the-bit ready. Tomorrow is opening day of dove season. You've earned, won or wrangled a spot on a good bird field, and you're certain a wonderful shoot is in the offing. Maybe, if the old eyes are still sharp and the reflexes haven't waned, you'll even be coming home with a limit of birds in the game bag.

By hunt's end, unfortunately, you are not the "happy camper" you were just a few hours before. Your rapt anticipation of a dream dove shoot has turned to disgust, the expected enjoyment and a chance at a limit of those little grayish-brown rockets all for naught. Back home, you mentally file your unpleasant experience away and vow never to be so optimistic again. You retire late at night, lamenting today's fate, hoping against hope that your next dove hunting opportunity may prove more fruitful.

So, what in the world was the problem? What caused this consternation? Did you suddenly find yourself unable to shoot? Were your sour grapes the crop of a pouting harvest of complaints that doves are just too darn hard to hit while on the wing?

Nope, no realistic dove shooter bothers with such. All have been passengers on that boat. You probably shoot as well as the next fellow and never have been one to gripe and moan over a poor shooting day now and again. The problem, instead, likely had more to do with where you were than what you were doing. You simply set up all wrong.

Dove hunting is a very easy sport to foul up, in ways that have little to do with missing shots. Rather, most dove hunts that go awry do so long before a shot is fired. Often this is caused by placing oneself in an improper spot or setup on the field and then doing the wrong thing after placement has been decided upon. Let's have a look at some of these fouled-up situations you might want to avoid.

Photo by Steve Carpenteri

Obviously, the situation must be one over which you can exercise some degree of control. You must have some input as to where your shooting spot will be. This is not always possible during certain managed public-land dove hunts or some of the pay-to-hunt shoots that have gained popularity in certain areas of the country. For our purposes, let's assume we have a choice where our set-up is concerned.

Given this, a simple but vital rule must be established. Arrive at your dove field at the earliest practical hour, or at least be secure that you have scouted out the good and bad locations on the field well ahead of time. At a first-come, first-served dove shoot, the early arrivals, who have done a bit of homework, generally experience the most success.

When you get there, think first about your cardinal directions (you know, the ones you learned in geography class). Namely, give utmost attention to where east and west are. For a morning shoot (where legal), it is wise not to set up on a field's extreme western end, especially if the eastern, or sunrise, boundary lacks at least a moderately tall screen of trees or other brushy vegetation.