By Brandon Butler | The dove season opener is behind us, but there are still plenty of birds around to make for a great hunt. The dove opener is a tradition like few others in the outdoors. Family and friends gather for
shoots and cookouts across the country. But after the first day, many fields become wide open
for hunters looking to escape the crowds and enjoy a quieter experience. If you love to hunt,
finding time to slip into a dove field is a must in September.
Dove hunting is also a great way to introduce newcomers to hunting. The season opens early
when the weather is still nice, and the birds can offer plenty of action. There’s no need to be
quiet or completely still, so youngsters have a little more leeway than they might on a deer or
turkey hunt. Take advantage of the opportunity to bring an inexperienced family member, friend
or even the neighbor kid down the street on their first hunt in a dove field. Just remember to
bring plenty of shells.
Dove hunting equipment is pretty basic. Any 12, 16 or 20-gauge shotgun works well. For a real
challenge, try knocking doves down with a .410. Size 7 ½ or 8 shot works well for loads. Be sure
to check if steel shot is required where you are hunting. A good folding chair or bucket to sit on
is important. Decoys can help bring birds within range, especially when other hunters are
competing for their attention.
When deciding where to situate yourself and your party, try to locate a field edge with the sun at
your back. These birds are hard enough to hit without blinding yourself by shooting into the sun.
Stay low and break up your outline the best you can. Once you see birds in the air, don’t move
until you’re ready to shoot.
Once you have shot a bird, visually follow it to the ground. Mark the spot where you saw the
bird fall. These little birds can be surprisingly hard to locate, so thinking you can shoot multiple
birds and find them later is a dangerous idea. No one should be ok with wasting game, so do the
ethical thing and retrieve your birds immediately. A good retriever is a valuable dove hunting
asset and can make finding downed birds much easier.
Understanding how doves move across the landscape can also increase your chances of success.
Doves roost at night and often travel to water in the morning. They love sunflowers, but they
also feed on many agricultural grains. Try to position yourself along a travel route between
feeding, roosting and watering areas.
Dove hunting can be especially productive on agricultural lands near water. Since doves aren’t
considered a trophy species, farmers may be more likely to allow hunters onto their property to pursue them than they would deer or turkey. Asking for and obtaining permission to dove hunt can also help you develop a relationship with a farmer or landowner who may eventually grant permission for other types of hunting.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the mourning dove population at approximately
329 million birds. A mature bird is only around 12 inches long, possesses a wingspan of about 18
inches and weighs roughly 6 ounces. Doves are small, fast targets. These gray-brown rockets can
reach flight speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. Add in the erratic dipping and diving of their
flight paths, and you have one tough task when it comes to putting a limit of birds on the ground.
The social side of dove hunting often creates a relaxed experience, but when you find the right
spot, the action can be fast. With the right mentor, new dove hunters should learn firearm safety,
how to identify game, how to judge distance, how to lead a moving target and the responsibility
of recovering the game they shoot.
Perhaps most importantly, dove hunting is fun and the meat is great. You can sit in a field with
family and friends, talk between flights and enjoy an afternoon outdoors without worrying that
every whispered word or movement has ruined the hunt. Then you clean your bords and prepare
them for the grill. My preferred method of preparing dove is to breast them out, then wrap each
breast and one water chestnut in bacon. Marinate them in Worcestershire sauce, sprinkle on
coarse sea salt and grill them over charcoal.
The opening-day crowds may be gone, but dove season is far from over. September offers plenty
of opportunity to get outside, burn a few shells and put some birds on the grill. Find a dove
hunting spot near you, invite a new hunter to tag along and enjoy fun and safe experience.
See you down the trail…
Pic: A dove hunter enjoys a quality shoot in an open field.
For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or
anywhere podcasts are streamed.
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