Tips for Dove Hunting Success
Tips for Dove Hunting Success
Are you ready for it? Iowa’s September 1 mourning dove season is right around the corner. It’s hard to believe that Iowa has had a dove hunting season since 2011. The dove season has definitely become popular with Iowa hunters. Since the season was established, on average 104,000 doves have been harvested annually by 10,400 hunters or an average of 10 doves per hunter for the season. In addition to the mourning dove, there is also the Eurasian collard-dove, which is similar in appearance but has a distinctive mark or “collar” on their neck and are a little larger than the mourning dove. You can legally bag Eurasian collard-dove.
Hunters in all counties can expect to find huntable populations, but according to the Iowa DNR, the highest counties will be in the Loess Hills area and the southern three tier of counties. The cool thing (even though it will probably be warm and humid) about the dove season is that you don’t need a lot of equipment. Just you, your shotgun, a lot of shells, a bucket to sit on and to carry out the bagged doves and a spot that has doves using the area you plan on hunting.
To tip the odds in your favor, make sure to get out at least a week in advance and see where the doves are located. Even though they are pretty much anywhere, concentrations of doves occur based on certain factors. When scouting, try to check your potential spots in the early morning and early evening. Look to figure out their flight pattern.
Mourning doves prefer feeding on open ground and eat a variety of seeds and grains. As a result, several DNR wildlife areas in each county have food plots that have been planted to attract doves. Portions of these food plots will be cut down/disked a few days prior to the season to help attract doves to the area. The Iowa DNR has a list of public wildlife areas and private land enrolled in Iowa Habitat Access Program (IHAP) where dove plots – primarily sunflowers – have been added.
An ideal hunting spot would be a harvested/disked sunflower field, a supply of water (pond or slough) in the area and a nearby roosting area. Check to see what hiding spots are available. Standing corn? Standing sunflowers? Good fence line cover? Some tall grass prairie? Maybe a thicket or tree?
Look for multiple hiding spots, because these areas often will have multiple hunting groups in the same field. Check out where the sun will be when you hunt. If possible, avoid having to look into the sun. Best hunting times are early morning (the first two hours) and early evening (the last 1-2 hours). However, if you’re hunting a popular public area, don’t expect to just show up at sunrise or an hour before sunset and get your preferred spot.
During your scouting, you might happen across private land that meets all of the criteria. A knock on the landowner’s door just might mean a true “dove hunting mecca” that only you and your hunting party can hunt. Courtesy and respect for the landowner and the landowner’s property will go a long ways in nurturing a potential friendship.
Weather
Weather is very seldom exactly perfect. It might be hot and sticky, foggy, cold and windy…when it’s the opener, hunters just plain go. However, the perfect conditions for a dove hunt would include a cool morning in the 40s-50s or a mild evening with temperatures slowly cooling off into the upper 50s with a slight breeze to keep the bugs away (don’t forget the bug spray) and to keep you cool.
The hunt
Make sure to get to the area before the “optimum” hunting time and get concealed in a place where you can readily bring the shotgun up for a clear shot. Set up so that the shot will be inside 30 yards. When the doves do come through, expect them to come zipping through like little missiles.
They rarely give hunters an “in your face” shot. Rather it’s zig and a zag. For that reason, don’t fall into the trap of flock shooting in hopes of dropping one. Do your best to pick one out of the flock. Veteran dove hunters know it’s not unusual to go through at least a box of shells or more during a hunt. Unless you have a dog with you to retrieve downed birds, make sure to mark the downed bird. A good hunting dog will mark and then find downed birds. Definitely a good warm-up for your hunting dog, too!
Remember, this time of year can mean some hot weather. Always bring plenty of water for both hunter and dog. Dehydration can be an issue. Along with the bug spray, don’t forget the sunscreen. Dove hunters will often carry a camouflaged five or six-gallon pail for storage and to sit on.
Regulations
Since doves are considered a migratory game bird, hunters will need to have a plug in their gun limiting them to three shells and must register with the Harvest Information Program before they go hunting. Hunters will need to register with Harvest Information Program before hunting doves and other migratory birds. Go to www.iowadnr.gov and click on Buy a Hunting or Fishing License link and then follow the prompts to get to the screen with a link to register to hunt doves.
There is a requirement to have a valid Iowa small game hunting license and the habitat fee to hunt doves. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The daily bag limit is 15 doves with a possession limit of 30. Hunters must have a plug in their shotgun just as they would during the waterfowl season later in the fall.
Great eating
Oh, my yes! That’s the topping to the perfect hunt. It all begins with cleaning the birds soon after the hunt. If you are going to be in the field for several hours, putting the bagged birds on ice will help ensure that the birds will be brought home in good shape. Once home, breast the birds and wash them in cool water.
I like to marinate the breasts in Italian dressing overnight and then grill them the next day. Be careful to not over grill. Another good option is to cut the breasts in half and wrap them in bacon. Pair them with jalapeno peppers. Mix cream cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese, jalapeno peppers halved lengthwise with seeds and membranes removed and wrap with bacon.
I’ll bet there won’t be anything left!
By Steve Weisman
September 2019
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