SECRETS TO TAKING MORE DOVES WITH TONY ROSETTI

More Secrets That Will Help You Dove Hunt Successfully

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tony Rosetti not only has the reputation in years past as one of the nation's best shots but also has proved his prowess with a shotgun in national and international competitions. He was the United States International World Champion in1969, 1971 and 1972; the National Skeet-Shooting World Champion, an aggregate of all four gauges .410, .28, and .12, in 1970 and 1972; the World Champion in 1972 in .12 gauge and .410 gauge; the last person to win three of the five World Gauge Championships; a member of the Pan-American Games Gold Medal Team in 1971; the Silver medal individual winner in 1971; a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Shooting Team; and the past winner of the Mississippi State Championship and many other championships and big-gun shoots.

Have A Good Dog: "I have a Boykin spaniel named Ammo," Rosetti says. "The Boykin spaniel has great ability to retrieve doves and is a very good pet. Ammo is not a large dog and can come into the house without knocking over everything. Although I don't know whether a dog is essential in a dove field, I'm sure I pick up more birds because of my dog than I ever did when I didn't have a dog. On a good dove hunt, often a sportsman picks up seven or eight doves of the 10 he shoots. A retriever should locate all 10 birds. The dog is especially beneficial when you're hunting in high grass or trying to shoot a double. When shooting two doves that are coming to you at the same time, you have to take your eye off the first bird you've shot while the bird still is falling to aim and shoot the second dove. Usually you can recover the second dove right after you've shot it. But you may spend considerable time trying to recover the first bird. However, a dog like Ammo can go out and retrieve both birds more quickly and efficiently than you can."

Wear Shooting Glasses: Rosetti emphasizes the importance of wearing shooting glasses. "Shooting glasses will help you shoot better because they decrease the amount of glare you have to face on bright day. They also protect your eyes. If doves are raining into a field and numbers of hunters are shooting, then the shot will fall on you all day. Shot may fall into your eyes, cause you to miss the bird you're shooting at and make you have blurred vision for the rest of the day."

Use Ear Protection: Hearing becomes a critical ingredient in the dove field as you listen for ...
* the wing beats of the doves coming in from behind you before you see them,
* other hunters shooting to determine the direction from which the birds will come and
* hunters shouting and telling you about approaching doves that you haven't spotted. But, "If you shoot a lot, you can damage your hearing if you're not wearing some form of ear protection," Rosetti advises. "Even the small, foam inserts that can be placed in your ears protect you from hearing loss. I recommend you use them."

Camouflage Yourself: "I wear Mossy Oak camouflage from head to toe and try to sit in the shade," Rosetti mentions. "Doves can detect movement. By being completely camouflaged, even when I do have to move to bring my gun to my shoulder or to reposition myself for a shot, the doves are not as likely to spot me. The worse thing you can wear in a dove field is a solid-white shirt or any solid-colored shirt. Doves can see solid blocks of color more easily than they can broken patches of color. To take more doves, be sure you're camouflaged."

TOMORROW: ROSETTI'S SAFETY TIPS AND EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS