I just pulled in and had 2 buzzards in my side yard eating something. it had been over grown and had several volunteer squash plants growing over there. I bushoged it yesterday. I thought maybe I killed a rabbit or fawn but when I walked over the only thing out there whare they were was busted and pecked out squash .

that's something I have never seen before didn't know they would eat anything but meat. thought I would share that odd tid bit.

I was once invited to an out-of-town dove hunt. The large field next to a lake contained over-ripe leftover cucumbers. I think they were bush-hogged or trampled by cattle. My group had to leave early and as we were driving out of the farm, a car with federal wardens was driving in and a helicopter hovered over the field.

The seeds of large orange over-ripe cucumbers were surely a common agricultural practice so I don't know what violations occurred other than shooting over the limit. Glad I had to leave early.

I imagine buzzards arrived the next day to feast on lost birds.

Shooting over bait?

Just about all dove hunting is done over "bait", meaning mostly mowed sunflower fields.

Here a mowed sunflower field would be considered baited. The regs say anything other then a normal harvested field is considered baited. I have seen hailed out fields posted by the Game and Fish.

A mowed field is ok for Doves, but there are other stipulations under Fed Law in that manipulation of sunflowers.

Here is what the Feds say.
No person shall take migratory game birds:

By the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area, where a person knows or reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited. Baiting means the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or other feed that could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.

Here the DNR plants and mows sunflower fields on public hunting plots specifically for dove hunting.

Title 50 Chapter I Subchapter B Part 20,

(l) Manipulation means the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural crops by activities that include but are not limited to mowing, shredding, discing, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening, burning, or herbicide treatments. The term manipulation does not include the distributing or scattering of grain, seed, or other feed after removal from or storage on the field where grown.

Interesting. In addition to Iowa, I've hunted sunflower fields managed by the state of Missouri.

Some States can be more restrictive than Fed Law and not allow manipulation of crops.

Ohio DNR manages fields for dove hunting by mowing sunflowers and other grains too.

Keith

Here’s how it is in Georgia…
I could mow an entire field of corn and dove hunt it.
I believe I could pick the corn and miss the trailer and dove hunt it.

But for ducks and geese, I can plant the corn and leave it and can duck or goose hunt it. No manipulation of any kind for ducks and geese.
I even got a warning when hunting flooded Jap Millet and walking through it to get to our dry spot. I was told that was manipulation. Only way we got the warning was because we walked the same path in and out. We were told to find a new way in if we hunted it again.

That warning was bogus if it came from a Fed. : It is LEGAL to hunt MWF when . . .

"Standing or flooded standing crops where grain is inadvertently scattered solely as the result of hunters entering or leaving the area, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birds. Hunters are cautioned that while conducting these activities, any intentional scattering of grain will create a baited area."