Dove season is three weeks away and it’s one of my favorite times of year. In Texas we barbecue everything and dove is no exception, so I would like to share my barbecue dove recipe.

First, prepare the barbecue sauce:

3 tablespoons chili powder
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 lemons sliced
2 limes sliced
10 oz. Worcestershire sauce
9 oz. jar of mustard
1 lb. real butter
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce

Simmer everything together in a sauce pan for 45 minutes. When cool, bottle and refrigerate.

Wrap the dove in bacon and hold with a toothpick. For a real Texas taste place a fresh jalapeno slice under the bacon. Place in a pan and baste with barbecue sauce. Let stand for 30 minutes. Grill until the bacon is done, about 10 minutes depending on size of bird. Be sure to turn the birds while cooking and baste.

I can't wait! Try this recipe:

Breast the dove out, the take a toothpick put on a piece of onion, then half a breast, then a little bit of cream cheese followed by the traditional piece of jalapeno, then wrap with a half slice of the thinnest bacon you can find. I can eat them till I pop! I am going to try and break my season record of 205. Wish me luck!

Leswad

Back years and years ago we wouldn't have thought about breasting them out. We picked every one of them, singed them, and split 'em down the back. It was a job to get a mess of doves cleaned. Of course, like we do most things in the South, we salted and peppered them, floured them good, and fried them in hot grease. They fry a whole lot better with the skin on them. A pan of Mama's cathead biscuits, some grits, and a jar of peach preserves made a mighty good meal.

For the last thirty or so years, I have gotten lazy and breasted them out. I buy the largest jug of the cheapest Italian dressing I can find, and marinate them over night. Wrap a piece of salt pork around them, and grill. I haven't had any in several years. I think I'll try to get a mess that first weekend for a traditional Southern "bird supper."

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Georgia On My Mind

In MI the antis won a referendum and put dove off limits to hunters.
One of the most common lies they spread to win was:
"You can't eat doves, they're too small."
Everytime I heard that I thought of a recipe I'd seen that sounded like the one given in the first post of this thread.

I wish I could look forward to dove season.

I am sorry that the antis got away with this but it does make for more to be shot when they get down here in the South!

Yep; I like shooting them, but don't like eating them, fortunately the guys I hunt with like 'em so I let them take 'em.

Unfortunately, opening day this year falls two days after I'm scheduled for a round of chemo. I'm usually pretty tired after that, but have a feeling I'll find myself out there with a shotgun in hand on Wed afternoon.

Going this weekend to bait the field. Uhhh, I meant bush hog ten acres of sunflowers so that it's a legal field come Labor Day weekend. Love to shoot them and love to eat them even more. Make it more sporting, try using a 410 or 28 ga. You'll find out how good of a wing shot you REALLY are.

Class III

Very much looking forward to it! The bacon-wrapped,jalapeno, cream cheese thing is great,but I still prefer the grits-and-gravy dish. They make the BEST gravy,bar none! FWIW,I use an old Remington Model 1148,skeet-choked, 28 guage for those little gray missiles. The cost of shells makes me choose my shots more carefully,which usually produces better results than the "blast 'em" method preferred by most.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Absolutely I am looking forward to it!

The breast out jalapeno recipe sounds good, me and my hunting buddies have a similar recipe and we call them dove poppers. September 1 is one of my favorite days of the year.

Problem with opening day down here is two fold. First of all it's TOO DARN HOT and secondly, by the time the season opens all of the best fields have been shot out So I continue to fish and wait for the early teal season.

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Forum consigliere

I remember back in the '80s, I think, the antis were trying to stop the legalization of dove hunting in Ohio. Lots of weepy commercials about the "gentle bird of peace". The measure passed and dove hunting is legal in Ohio now.

I've got absolutely zero interest in bird hunting (and not that much more in hunting in general), but anything that makes PETA stroke out is at least worth a look.

You better know I'm ready! And I'll be down in the greater PHX area, where doves are all over the place. Me and my 3 best hunting buddies will take down our usual 4 limits, as we do EVERY time we hunt them. I also like the taste of doves very much, so the eating part is NO PROBLEM. I just have to remember to lead 'em more than it seems possible!

That's how I start kids hunting-150 rounds and six birds-they're hooked. There are those times when I would have done just as well with rocks.

Few, if any Doves on our lease this year due to the drought. ALL the tanks are bone dry, fish are dead, haven't seen a single fawn, which is very rare. The rancher's cattle have been moved to other locations for water. There's not even any sunflowers. Our season will have to be a late one with the Kansas Dove migration. On the positive side, the opening week of Dove season is usually a wet one - hope so!!

My OP was from last year prior to dove season. As it turned out, it wasn’t much of a season at all…very few dove. This year, I’m afraid, is going to be even worse. It’s been so hot and dry in Brazos County that I haven’t seen a dove in over a month. We desperately need rain and a break in this daily 100+ degree heat wave.

I've never hunted doves but am hoping to soon. Iowa just passed a law making it legal, however the anti hunting and environmentalists managed to ram through a lead shot ban. So what non-toxic would work best for doves?
Jim

Steel shot is non-toxic. Steel tends to give a tighter pattern so use a more open choke.

I am waiting for parakeet season. My wife has this really annoying parakeet that chirps all the time and bites. Anyone know when it starts?

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Fidelis Ad Mortem

All of my shotguns are at least 50 years old, so I don't want to shoot steel in them. What other options would work for doves?
Jim

looking forward to it as well. this is how we cook them up also.

When I was growing up, in SC, my uncle would take me dove hunting. Man! We had some great hunts! Since retiring from the Air Force and moving to Northwest Georgia, Ringgold, I haven't had a decent hunt - ever! Last year not even one dove entered the public dove field we have about 40 minutes away. I left after four hours, very disappointed.

Anyone living around here who knows of a place to dove hunt, please let me know. I NEED a good dove field!

Can anybody tell me anything about prospects in Kleberg and Kennedy Cos. in Texas? Have access to a place down there but don't want to drive 500 miles if there's not gonna be any birds....Thanks

Our season starts here on Labor Day. I used to love dove hunting but haven't been in years. I don't even know anyone who dove hunts around here. I'm going to try one of the WMA's but will probably wait until the 2nd part of the season. Most of the crazies will be hunting deer by then.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

I have a couple of small fields prepared. I don't know if either of them will be ready for the 1st season. I am going to the Dr. in the morning to schedule surgery on my fingers, and I just bet the recovery period will extend into at least the 1st season.

The most enjoyable hunts I have had down here are late season, specifically either Christmas Day or New Years Day hunts. The weather is bearable, the doves are bigger, and the hunters are usually more experienced. These hunts are usually over peanuts or hogged off corn. The early hunts around here are generally over either millet or sunflowers. In my experience, nothing holds doves on a field like peanut.

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Georgia On My Mind

They fly??????

September down here means Teal season-short pants & tennis shoes-about 6 decoys. If they're there we get quick limits-if not we're out of the marsh by 7.

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Forum consigliere

Then it is clear that you have never tried cracked corn

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Forum consigliere

Jim,

I don’t know much about non-toxic shot shells other than one experience with steel on a duck hunt. I’ve heard of Tungsten shot and Bismuth shot (a bismuth tin alloy) but don’t know anything about them.

You may want to start a thread on the ammo forum and ask what non-toxic shot shells others are using.

Kel