Mourning Dove Facts

Dove

Mourning dove are migratory birds, with hunting seasons opening up in September, as they fly south for the winter. Dove hunting is a social hunting sport, traditionally kicking off the season. Male and female mourning doves look similar with grayish-brown backs, buff-colored undersides, black spots on the wings and behind the eye, and white feathers in the tail, which show during flight.

Latest Dove Tips

Wade's World Hunting: Being a better shot is a goal of every hunter who pursues doves, pheasants, quail, waterfowl and other gamebirds. Consistently connecting with these birds brings great satisfaction for those who develop this skill.Being a better shot is a goal of every hunter who pursues doves, pheasants, quail, waterfowl and other gamebirds. Consistently connecting with these birds brings great satisfaction for those who develop this skill. Following are tips for improving your ratio of hits to misses.

September is a month when dove hunters are in the fields in many states. In terms of hunter participation, the mourning dove is this country's most popular gamebird.

Here are more secrets that will help you take more doves this season.

For some, dove hunting is a social "event" in that signals the unofficial beginning of hunting season. On a serious side, having success afield is always high on the list. These tips will help you take more doves this season.

Doves flying into a field are there to eat, and the sooner they can get on the ground the sooner they can get to dinner. In most situations, the ideal setup is to have enough shooters around the field to keep the birds in the air. If there aren't enough guns, the doves will land in a quiet spot. Decoys can help in either case.

Wade's World Hunting: The same “spinning wing” concept that works with duck decoys, works equally as well for dove.