Hunting neighbors sunflowers

The rancher that manages our lease runs a lot of cattle and refuses to plant sunflowers as he says theyre a terrible rotational crop. The neighbor on our NE fence line has a beautiful 15 acre or so sunflower field. I was out this weekend and they'd already mowed lanes and the dove were super thick. My question for the group is what is the acceptable etiquette around hunting that area.

a)as long as your on your own property, hunt as close to their fence line as you want?
b)if you want to hunt the fence line, offer them a couple hundred bucks and if they say no, move away
c)if you want to hunt the fence line, offer them a couple hundred bucks and if they say no, hunt it anyway
d)set up a couple hundred yards off the fence line, out of their view
e)don't hunt anywhere in the general vicinity

We try to be really good neighbors, protein feed like crazy and really manage the wildlife to the best of our capabilities. Its resulted in good relationships with the landowner, rancher and the neighbors and the goal is to keep it that way. Its just that this trip I have my young boys, inlaws and BIL and would really like to get them on birds, but not enough to do long term damage to our situation. Thanks in advance for your responses.

I would set up a couple hundred yards away and pick off stragglers.

I would figure out where the birds are flying and hunt there. Obviously be courteous if you see the neighbors, but I wouldn't hesitate to hunt the fence line as long as you aren't shooting onto their property.

If you have a good relationship, why not just ask your neighbor if you can hunt his field? I wouldn't be surprised if he said you can hop the fence and come on over. If you don't think he would want you hunting his field, than I would opt for the two hundred yards away option. I could see some guys getting a little peeved if you were hunting right on the fence line. Nothing illegal about it at all, but it isn't necessarily the most considerate thing to do.

This^^^^^ Ask first and go from there.....

I have a big sunflower field and every year there are hunters on the other side of the fence. As long as the shoot toward their land I am fine with it. Their land, their birds. Now if they want to cross the fence that is another thing altogether.

We just make sure that everyone is aware of everyone else.

I'm not 100% sure but I believe legally you cannot hunt within 100 yards of a fence line if you don't have permission to hunt the land that is on the other side of it. I would call him and tell him that you would like to hunt next to his field but that you will only do it on the days that he has hunting on his place. I farm my fields strictly for dove hunting. It's a lot of work and expense. If someone was banging away at the birds next to one of my fields while I was trying to let the field rest I would not be a happy camper. But if you tell the guy you will only hunt when he hunts, he will probably be very accommodating. Heck, he may even invite you to hunt on his place. Just my advice. I have had a few situation with this matter. And take it from me, guys who plant fields for dove hunting take it very seriously. It's a year round job. Good luck.

Nothing wrong as long your shots don't cross the fence. Last lease we had a pond a few hundred yards away on our side which was in fly line. Sunflowers on neighbors. They had a lot more birds but pushed plenty our way. They would even yell out to us that birds were on the way. Seems to me dove hunters are more tolerant and friendly that way.

You should have stopped there

Nah, the advise got better the further you read.

If you are not shooting across the fence there is nothing he can do at all. I understand it's better to be nice and neighborly about it and I would be, unless he started having issues with me hunting my property.

Good chance the birds are set up in daily flight paths. Go sit and watch them for a while and you might find a good spot away from the fence.

I read some good and not so good. A man can hunt every sqaure inch of his own property whether you are a happy camper or not. There is no 100 yard rule/law. I do agree the OP should just go talk to the landowner/crop owner. Take him a ham or something as a good faith offering. Be a good neighbor.

It seems to me there is something missed here. If there is the OP and a ranch manager calling the shots I would tend to assume you are leasing from the owner of the place you are on. If this is correct then you can bet your best hound the neighbor and the ranch owner know each other. If that is the case and you tick off the neighbor, there will be a telephone call and you will lose that one. Landowners want your money, not your story, not your battles, not your problems, nothing. Pay me and go is their motto, for the most part.

Last year, I think our neighbor was confused and thought he was in the North zone, or maybe they were just shooting at flies in the sky, or something, but shooting across the property line and peppering me with pellets. Was not a happy camper. Just make sure to use a little common sense.

Id put my back to that fence at show them how to shoot

Pull

Exactly

You have just as much right to be on your fence line as does he, just because he has better sunflowers and more birds does not give him more rights. Just don't shoot over his property, and pick shots where birds land on your property.

I don't think he owns the property. Why start a pissin match if you wish to keep the lease. It is legal but that doesn't mean you win in the end.

When I was on the DJ Farm dove lease, the best shooting all season was catching birds going to sunflowers on another property.

I was simply stating what I would do. That is all. This is a forum not a courtroom. Post your opinions but don't attack others who post there's. Go buy a tractor and all the equipment plus seed, fertilizer,and herbicide. And bust your butt for 8 months making a dove field and then see how it makes you feel when your neighbor invites a bunch of people to come shoot at the Doves you attracted every day until they are gone. It's being respectful to understand this. Had the farmer not planted the field more than likely the doves would not even be there. Respect that and hunt when the farmer hunts. That's all I was saying. As far as the 100 yard from the fence line I will have to look into that. I was told that by word of mouth. I will research and see what I can find. Good luck to everyone hunting today and be safe.

Lots of people plant and mow and shred and and and, not just you. I am respectful until a neighbor tries to dictate how I hunt on my land. Are you the same guy that gets mad at neighbors for shooting "your" deer when they jump his fence?

OP also said that the land owner won't let them plant on their lease anyway. I don't see the issue of hunting your own lease, especially if you give the guy a call and just see if they're even hunting before this weekend. Don't see why or how the guy would get pissed if you are hunting your own land and have called.

No, I'm the same guy that invites my neighbors over to hunt with me because they respect what I do and know how much I put into it. They do much better hunting on my side of the fence I promise you. My neighbors also hunt my deer stands because I don't hunt deer anymore. Only doves and ducks. I'm not an outfitter and don't make a single red cent off anyone. I give my time and money to the enjoyment of watching my friends,family, and neighbors enjoying the great outdoors. I only gain respect and appreciation from it. For it is respect you get, when it is respect you give. What else would you like to talk about ??

I wouldn't call and ask them chit. You aren't leasing his land, you are leasing the land across the fence. Stay on your side of the fence and don't shoot over the fence. Did he call and ask if it was ok to plant sunflowers on his side? I'm with nav. I would put my back to the fence and get after em! There shouldn't be any pissing match if you are hunting the land you are leasing to hunt.

That's what I thought. Why even mess with the guy, just hunt it and if you see him wave and keep blasting.

bunnys

Rainbows, double rainbows

Sometimes it's good to have someone else shooting to keep them flying in circles.

So go bang them all up and piss off the farmer? Then next year he won't plant sunflowers and there will be no doves at all. Let me see, hunt when the farmer hunts and have doves every year, or, bang away this year and never have doves again. That's a hard one to figure out I guess. Maybe Im wrong. But I've gotten far in life and business by practicing what I preach. So I have to believe it's more than luck. I joined this site to share experiences and maybe gain some knowledge. I don't know everything, but I do know etiquette quiet well. I'm good at a lot , but I'm not the best at anything. I do what I do because I enjoy doing it. Not because I have to do it.

I don't know a thing about double rainbows 8pointdrop. I've talked about what I know. Now lets talk about what you know. Fill us in Sir.

I think it is ridiculous to get mad at your neighbor for hunting their own fence line. It should be expected.

Right... prolly should stop mowing within 20 yards of the fence also..... in fact just don't go there

Yeah, if you don't want to hunt/compete with your neighbor, don't hunt (or plant/mow/develop) the edge your property. Plant your sunflowers in the interior of your property, and hunt there, far away from the edge of your property.

This getting kind of funny. I farma lot of acres and have around 180 acres of sunflowers for dove. I have neighbors that hunt on the fence and the only time I ever said anything to them they were shooting onto my property, which I am 100% sure is against the law. I didn't really even mind that except they wer pretty some serious shot on us. I would not want to be your neighbor if you think because you plant sunflowers that someone can't hunt on your line of has to have your permission. You from New York City of something.

You can't argue with stupid. They will beat you down to their level and beat you with experience. I never said don't hunt. I said work it out to where you hunt the same day to keep the birds moving. And also give them a rest. I can hunt doves 7 days a week because I manage my fields. But what do I know. Go get um boys. Yall are good at it!

Bingo, there is a lot of that around here.

That is really funny.

Well,you guys have fun on the forum. I've got some white wing issues to deal with. Man life sucks.

Be safe, shoot straight and stay off the damn fence.

Lol You got it Gdogg

Have you worked this out with your neighbor? They could be his white wing not your's.

I planted the field. They are eating in it. So I guess that means they are mine. Let me ask all you know it all fellas a few questions. Let there be no doubt about how much I put into planning a dove field. Let's see how much yall really know.
Question 1 - How many pounds of sunflower seeds can 800 white wing doves eat in one day on average?
Question 2 - If you have an exact 10 acre field of sunflowers, how many days can you sustain feeding 800 white wings on average before the crop is gone?
And I'm not talking about Native sunflowers that come up on there own every year. I'm talking about Hybrid Black oil sunflowers that you have to plant every year.
These are question I take into consideration when planning a dove field and can be figured out with any crop of choice.
Let's see who can figure this out with all of these know it alls on here. I'm calling all of you out.
I will be back after my hunt to see who can figure this out.

1. Tree Fiddy
2. Til they're full

1. None because I shot them before they got over the fence.

2. Several because I shot them before they got over the fence.

Bravo, sir..

Not one of these questions is viable. Dove are not confined to one field like livestock would be so it makes no difference on how much seed it take, also they will migrate first 90% of the time. Good try but the point of the post was about hunting on your property next to the neighbor. If you have it down to such a science then what diffrence would it make if they hunt next door. If you have 800 whitewings that only eat on your place and you have the correct amount of Black Oil sunflowers for them why would they leave?

to the OP... if no one is hunting that field when you go to hunt on your leased side, no problem - but remember, landowners hate having folks climb fences to retrieve birds (stretches the wire, pops staples, etc) - so make effort to avoid having shot birds sail over the fence - as Nav said - back to the fence. Couple of pieces of family land I hunt are very near town = whitewings. the outfitters have most huntable places around us leased up and cram as many hunters as they can along the boundaries. It is very common to have folks hunting directly across the fence from us... Basically, just follow some simple rules of conduct and you'll be fine. Try to avoid getting into their immediate space. I always go over and talk to the other folks and let them know that i'll be shooting away from the fence (subtle way to give them the hint). I also retrieve a bird or two for them if they sail over.. after a couple, I'll be more blunt and strait up tell them to keep their shots on birds that are less likely to come across. Last year I had to get serious with some smart a$$es that had no respect for anyone around them or the property boundaries - but people like that are not common.

only thing I didn't follow in your post.

Lol, if I count 800 doves in the morning, and 800 doves in the evening for 5 days straight, then I have to assume that they are only eating in my sunflowers lol. It's an estimated figure, not an exact. And yes it can be answered. I just wanted to see how many of the dove experts could answer it. Because if I'm planting a field in an area that I know is capable of having a thousand doves at one time, I will size and plant my field accordingly. I don't want to spend 2000 dollars on seed and plant 150 acres if I don't need it. That's a waate of money, fuel, and herbicide. so anyone who cares to challenge me on growing and manipulating crops for doves. Here I am! I'm not an expert not a biologist. I do have many years of broken plows, busted axles, and worn out tractor tires. I've seen what works and doesn't work. I do take it very seriously because I am a perfectionist. I will walk a 20 acre field hand pulling pig weed to keep my field clean. I enjoy it and it relaxes me. And when the dove season is over. I use what is left of my land to feed the birds while they are nesting so they have a good breeding season. That is my way of preserving the sport for our children. So any of you who would like to fire across my bow, remember, the birds you shoot next year may have fed on my farms all spring. So you are welcome in advance.

That Cocaine is a hell of a drug huh?

This is a good thread, very entertaining. Just wished I had my shell belt on and a pellet gun pointed skyward, of course not over a fence line.

Had one of my best dove hunts setting up in 100% dirt. Dove flying over my field, nothing but dirt, heading to a field with food... We (me and my son) had 2 mojo and some decoys on the ground as our spread, simulating dove feeding on a pile of spilt seed, the dove dive bombed into our spread, it was awesome.

Question 1 - How many pounds of sunflower seeds can 800 white wing doves eat in one day on average?
Question 2 - If you have an exact 10 acre field of sunflowers, how many days can you sustain feeding 800 white wings on average before the crop is gone?

Check my math but avg WWD weighs about 5 oz and eats about 15% of its body weight a day so with 800 WWD they would eat around 37.5 lbs of seed a day if they only ate your plot.

A well managed acre of sunflower field will yield between 1000-1800 lbs of seed per acre depending on irrigation, herbicides, fertilizer, rain etc. So 1 acre should sustain 800 birds for about a month. If you have 10 acres you would have 10 months worth of food for your birds.

We have a similar situation but we plant 20 acres in a mixture of milo/millet and this fall will introduce sunflowers to the mix for next year. Like you we are already preparing the land for next year hunting season and this one hasn't even started for us. The funny thing is we have no birds right now because the 10's of thousands of acres of commercial farming surrounding us are currently being harvested. Once this is finished is when our hunting will get hot. Hard for me to say our little 20 acres justifies saying their 'my' birds when other farmers have been sustaining the population for far longer.

As to the OP I would just say hunt the flyways. You don't have to be right on the fence line to find the best intercept point, but if it happens to be on the fence I would back off a little (50 yds)so you don't get a lot of birds that sail over the fence. At our last place we had awful soil had zero food, not much water, and very little habitat. But we were located just outside the city limits so when the resident city dove left every morning to go out to someone's food plot and return home at the end of the day they had to fly over our place. We would get waves and waves of WWD twice every day like clock work. The dove would fly across our property without so much as looking but we always had our limit as they passed over. Just because the hunters aren't right across the fence doesn't mean someone 2 miles away aren't killing your dove relentlessly. You never know how you alter fly ways with your food plot. Just the nature of things be happy to enjoy killing all the coors while working on those dove plots.

First, thank you guys for all the responses. Secondly, I'm worried my status is going to be Unintentional Pot Stirrer. This thread has definitely taken on controlled burn status. Based on what all you guys have said, I plan on going in and setting up 50 or so yards off the fence and making sure we only shoot birds that will land on our side and making sure our shot doesn't cross the fence line. In addition to that if they shoot birds that land on our side and they will as they set up on the fence, I'll be happy to throw them back. I understand I have just as much right to hunt the fence line as they do, but also realize that its their work that has produced this hunting opportunity. Much in the same way I'd expect them to lay off young bucks because they know we protein feed like crazy and let our deer get a minimum of 5.5. It just feels like a mutual respect thing to me.

Well done mattyg06. You know your stuff pretty well. Don't forget to figure on only 85% germination at best, and subtract another 20% for finches, deer, and raccoons. 1000 to to 1500 pounds per acre at best. And that is if you are willing to buy the right seed and invest in enough fertilizer, and would also include liquid nitrogen fertilizer. Any little bit of weed competition will reduce the size of your flowers dramatically. The people who plant the cheap bag of black oil sunflowers from Walmart would be looking at about 250 pounds of des production for acre at best. And it ms hard to get those flowers big enough to support the weight of a white wing. They will eat them
Off the ground but they prefer to land on the standing flower and pick the seeds out. I guess they feel safer up off the ground. I experimented this year with Browntop in one of my sunflower patches. It worked well to keep the weeds out when the Browntop dried and fell over. But the blackbirds are up the Browntop as quick as it was ripe. Plus it did too a good bit of size from my flower heads. Do not over seed, most think that you need to put 20 to 25 pounds per acre when planting. This will make very small flowers. A 25 pound bag of Clearfield Hybrid #3 size seed is 225,000 seeds. It will plant 10 acres perfectly. That is 2.5 pounds per acre. Doesn't sound like much I know, but talk about flowers bigger than your head! The bigger flowers take a little longer to cycle. Figure on 120 days to maturity from germination. I have seen 3 WW sitting on the same flower at once. Pecking away. When you do your 20 acres, do 10 in just Clearfield Hybrids. The best thing about them, they are Beyond resistant. A 1 gallon jug of Beyond is 500 bucks. But it kills grass and broadleaf. I like to spike it with a little Select Max as well. When your flowers start drying up, the ground underneath will be supper clean. I have a blast walking into a field with friends are family to shoot a limit of doves. But when you walk into a field that you planted and watch them
Poor in, it is so much more gratifying and makes it all worth it. And for those of you who would like to try it out, it doesn't take much land. I know several people who plant 1 acre sunflower fields and hunt 8 guns and harvest anywhere from 800 to 1000
Doves a year. True Story. If I can ever be of help to anyone interested in planting a dove plot, I would be more than happy to help out or offer advice. I would love to share my knowledge. The more plots we make, the easier life is for the doves. I don't spend time trying to find a way to cheat the system, I find ways to make the system work
For me. I spent many a season hoping the phone would ring with an invite for an opening day hunt, most times it never came. Now I can hunt whenever I want to. And I do t have to depend on anyone else. Now I'm the door getting knocked on. And if a stranger shows up and is respectful and especially if he is hunting with his son or daughter, they usually don't get told no if we are hunting that day. Good luck to all hunting tomorrow and be safe.

Mr. Buck, I don't know who you are, but you can hunt on my place anytime. Thank you for your courage to be respectful!

Lol
That's funny right there! Thanks for the laugh!

I don't know Sir. Why don't you tell me. Is it?

Doves like to land in the dirt Guy. They like to dust for mites and also need the grit. Not uncommon to kill doves in a completely plowed up field. Plus, there are seeds there as well. You may not see them, but the doves do. There is always a seed bank in the dirt waiting for the next rain to germinate. Oh how I wish it wasn't so. The money I have spent on herbicides over the years. Anyways, I have seen the tiniest little seeds in their craw. It's amazing how they find them things so well.