How to hunt Dove

Hunting doves can produce some of the most fun and rewarding hunting memories of your life. Not only is it a blast to actually hunt doves but they also taste delicious too! The history of doves goes back to war times and even biblically, the dove and its semblance has been a key part of human culture for years. How do you hunt them though and what’s the best way to do it? I have heard of quite a few hillbilly redneck ways of hunting these beautiful birds in the past, but they  have never stood out to take the number 1 away from sitting with a spinner as being the best way to do it. 

Sitting with a spinner:

In 2024 you can pick up a motion dove decoy for around $30. Very inexpensive and very valuable to the dove hunter! Most all of you know that fact by now and almost every dove hunter that goes even if it’s just once a year will be running one. What about when you do use a spinner and it’s still a little bit unsuccessful? Well, l put it simply you need to move, sitting and waiting on a dove to fly directly into your mojo isn’t going to get you more dove on the ground or on the grill. During the first hour or so of the day you should be able to assess whether or not you're in what is known as a “flight line” or not. The best way to know where a flight line is and to find one is to go and scout for it the day prior to your trip. However, it is understandable that many of you won’t have this as an option. So, during the first few hours of your hunt don’t waste time, be on the lookout for the main flight of birds and where they are coming from and where they are going. Set yourself within those two points. Make at least a small effort to hide yourself, put that mojo out 15 yards in front of you and enjoy getting shots on birds landing in your face! I see a lot of people that will hunt from shooting light til only about 10 A.M. or so, I find this to be not efficient for the afternoon hunt and here’s why. Typically birds will begin to show signs of their afternoon flight patterns starting anywhere from 11:30 - 12:30. If you can hold out till then, A; you’ll probably get a few more birds than if you would’ve left at 10 and B; you will already know where to set up for the afternoon hunt. 

How to set up to catch the majority of the Flight Line:

I know that it’s fun to hang out right next to your buddy or your family and hey it’s dove hunting so when in Rome hang out with your buddy at least a little, but if you wanna get the most out of the flight what you do is try and get spread out evenly along the lines the birds are running. I typically will try and hold 2 guys closer to the crossing point of two or more flight lines, then spread the rest out like so:

During a multi hunter shoot this is one of my favorite ways to set up. Obviously you need to mind your distances when setting up like this and practicing safety is number one even over what would be the best format for killing birds. If I’m just by myself I will typically try and set up right where both flight lines cross each other. Understanding that you’re not hunting a specific spot and more so hunting an active flight line of birds is what will lead to your success in the field. Be willing to move with the birds if these flight lines change. If you scout the day before opening day of season also realize that oftentimes opening day itself will change these flight patterns so be willing to adapt quickly. 

Bird count per hunter within a given flight line:

Something that isn’t often talked about is the quantity of birds per hunter. You should keep as a general rule of thumb that you will need to see on average 40-45 doves per person within the flight line that you plan to hunt! I prefer to see around 60 but I understand that is pushing it in most cases. If you get a few hours before sunset to scout to see how many birds total are running your flight line then divide that out by how many hunters you have planned to hunt, and that’s your bird per hunter ratio. An easy and really cheap way to increase that ratio is to plant black oil sunflowers for the first week of the season. Clear out some rows 1 to 2 weeks before opening day and watch the birds pour in. With all this in mind you should be set up to have one of if not the most successful and fun dove shoot you’ve ever had. If you’re looking for gear check out the Vera Camo line HERE.