Dove Hunting for Beginners: Shoot Like a Pro in 5 Easy Steps

Up for a night roost of hunting doves?

Dove-hunting was a real challenge for me at first, so it took a LOT of time and patience.

That being said, I’ve prepared some tips and tricks to help you out with the gear, grain crops, and the shooting itself!

Join me in this journey of dove hunting for beginners! Migratory birds can be tricky, so you’ll need some tips for a successful hunt.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Dove Hunting

Step 1: Find the Perfect Spot

The first step to making the perfect shot when you’re dove hunting is finding your sweet areas and comfortable range.

The range that I always go for is at least 25-30 yards away from my target game bird. This distance is helpful for you to achieve the following:

• The birds WILL NOT notice you
• You have a GOOD GAUGE of your target

As a beginner, you’ll want space for you and your shoulders to move around!

I always use fewer shotgun shells and lighter loads to prevent your shoulders from flinching and bruising.

Step 2: Wait for the Doves

This next step requires some patience and peace of mind. Wait for the birds to come to you.

I made the mistake of approaching them myself, which only scared them off! It’s definitely tougher to shoot a flying dove.

On that note, what you should do is BE ON STANDBY while the birds approach your target range.

In my experience, I was able to shoot around 2-3 birds before they’re out of your way.

As new dove hunters without experience, you’re going to need some practice. You can also opt to wear a bird vest for a better experience.

But DON’T FRET!

You’ll get your hunts as long as you continue following the steps I’ve laid out and stay patient when dealing with these migratory birds.

Step 3: Eye on the Gun

Finally, the step you’ve been waiting for in this extreme sport: HUNTING and SHOOTING!

When you’re shooting, you want to make sure your eye is well on the target. Plus, it won’t hurt to have your hunting license ready, just in case.

Keep in mind these steps when you’re about to shoot:

• Head on the stock
• Set on the target
• Eye on the gun
• Take a deep breath
• Pull the trigger in one smooth movement.

Step 4: Practice Makes Perfect

It’ll take a while before you’re able to master dove hunting, but PRACTICE WILL HELP.

What I did to practice my aim was visit shooting ranges. You could do the same!

Once you’ve mastered the art of shooting, you’ll be saving yourself tons of shotgun shells and time!

You might even buy yourself some more time to hunt (or save) more birds.

Keep in mind that even just a little bit of effort every day to get you through a long way, so blast the doves!

Step 5: Extra Shots

Don’t forget to bring in EXTRA SHOTS! I usually need about 3-4 shots before they’re successful at hunting one bird.

You don’t really want to miss that dove just because you didn’t bring enough shots?

On the other hand, maybe you could bring fewer shots to lessen the damage you’re making to the poor birds themselves.

Wink, wink.

Essentials in Dove Hunting: Everything You Need to Know

Assuming that our last paragraph didn’t convince you, here are the basics you need to succeed at this sport!

1. Habitat and Behavior

You can’t have any dove hunting success if you don’t know where the doves are in the first place.

Don’t worry! I’ll guide you throughout the hunting process so that you can have a smooth sailing session at the field.

Here’s the information you have to pay attention to!

How to Attract Doves to Your Dove Hunting Spot: Food

Doves are animals of habit; they’ll behave almost completely the same in terms of activity patterns.

These birds mostly like these types of food:

• Sunflower seeds
• Wheat
• Oats
• Corn
• Other grains and weeds

Bringing these to the hunting area or feeding sites is one of the BEST strategies for the flying doves to come closer.

Ever since I started packing these foods, I’ve had a lot of luck with drawing doves in and shooting them at close-range!

What These Doves Do with Their Food

One of the things beginner dove hunters don’t realize is that these birds CAN’T actually digest hard seeds.

Chewing down on grit gravel helps them digest these hard foods better.

That’s why they also tend to be at places such as gravel quarries and sand bars!

Where to Locate the Doves

These birds usually like to feed on the ground.

They DON’T have the strongest legs, so they like to use open fields as their feeding area.

On the other hand, if you want to hunt for a lot, you’ll see them in a watering hole or stream banks.

Perhaps you could give them a peaceful and friendly visit and spot them drink from muddy ponds, mud holes, seeps, and water holes!

Scouting

You can scout the said areas above or begin this challenge by bringing them to your own fields of hunt area!

2. Choosing Your Weapon for Dove Hunting: Tips and Tricks

Doves are quick animals to hunt, so one of the best dove hunting pointers is that you need to be ALERT and MINDFUL all the time.

The thrill, challenge, and fun factors are limitless. To effectively hunt these doves, you’re going to need the right gun to do the job.

Gun Basics

I personally use a 12, 16, or 20 gauge shotgun, which I think is the best all-around choice for dove hunting.

You could also choose a gun with double barrels, pumps, and a screw-in choke tube.

This will ensure that you’re able to shoot 3 bullets in a short span of time.

Shot Sizes

Doves are small birds, which increases the limit at which they’re challenging.

Again, they aren’t even big enough to have sufficient food. But carry on, I guess.

A few are enough to knock down a dove, and that’s great for you because a smaller shot size equals more pellets.

Here are some shot sizes that I usually use when hunting:

• 7.5
• 8
• 9

Pellet Count

Here’s the pellet count of the many types of guns:

• 8-ounce gun: 410 pellets
• 6-ounce gun: 224 pellets

There isn’t much of a recognizable pattern, so I always evaluate each one based on my taste and efficiency.

3. Attract the Doves: Decoys

Decoys are the best and most effective way to attract these doves for hunting!

You could purchase stationary decoys such as plastic birds or inflatable birds perched on dead trees.

This way, the doves you’re targeting will be attracted to their own people.

How to Place the Dove Decoys

I usually place at least a dozen dove decoys at different positions to trap groups of doves in one place.

Don’t place them too far from your field of sight!

You could also put them on top of dead branches of trees and power lines. Be smart about the placement so that the power lines don’t get tangled.

The bird species shouldn’t matter all that much because you can apply these decoys to ALL TYPES.

Dove Hunting Tricks for the Best Way to Mimic Birds

Placing battery-powered dovef decoys with moving wings is the best way to mimic these birds!

By having them on water holes and stream banks, the rest of the dove species should feel comfortable about sitting with them at the same time.

They’ll feel safe to land around the water, and you’ll be able to find the perfect shot!

4. Hiding from the Doves: What to Wear When Dove Hunting

First off, knowing what to wear in your dove hunt is extremely important. 

Just because these doves are animals of habit doesn’t mean they’re not alarmed by stimuli.

Camouflage

That said, drab color patterns are your best bet when you’re dove hunting!

Wear a camo shirt with lots of green and brown colors to blend in. AVOID bright colors because doves can spot these immediately.

One of my biggest mistakes was wearing the wrong clothing; not only did it drive doves away, but it was also very uncomfortable.

If you happen to be wearing blaze orange for safety purposes, you’ll want to take that gear off once you’ve arrived at your bird hunting field.

A full choke is seldom a need when you’re dove hunting.

But of course, there’s still no harm in using a good choke for duck hunting and dove hunting.

5. Don’t Make Unnecessary Movements When Dove Hunting

I sometimes have a hard time staying still while hunting. If I’m completely hidden, what’s the point, right?

Unnecessary movements will alert them of a range of danger, and you don’t want that.

When a bird is in your field of range, BE STILL and CLEAR YOUR MIND.

Dove hunting is all about staying FOCUSED and keeping your presence unknown to these game birds for as long as possible.

6. Keep Your Focus on One Dove

You read that right.

For those dove hunters who live in a country that approves of hunting, stick to ONE bird at a time.

Multitasking can result in catching NOTHING.

By focusing and switching between doves all at the same time, you’re setting yourself up for disaster.

I was once in an area that had A LOT of doves that it became really challenging. I ended up going home with nothing that day.

That might also be the case for beginners!

When you’re a beginner at hunting, one of the most overwhelming things for you would probably be seeing the HUGE amount of birds up in the sky.

You’ll find it difficult to lead yourself to only see the doves, but the key to this is to focus on just ONE target in the field!

7. Keep Track of Your Target

This step comes after you’ve already shot the bird down. Watch the bird once it’s down.

Try to get a lead of WHERE it landed, and follow that while marking your path in the fields.

The LESS time you spend looking for the victim you’ve successfully shot, the MORE VICTIMS you’ll find laying on the ground areas in your hands.

8. Patience

Patience is a virtue wherever you are, and it’s no different in dove hunting.

Anyway, being patient when you’re dove hunting is important. You need to realize that you’re going to make many mistakes at the start.

When I was a beginner, it was very frustrating seeing so many doves and not taking down a single one.

Don’t feel discouraged because most dove hunters and beginners have gone through that phase.

More opportunities are waiting for you in the field areas, and the chances of getting a lead increase during dove season (and hunting season, in general)!

9. Avoid Being Spotted

Before setting your decoys at your selected areas around the trees, make sure to be in a position where the doves WON’T spot you.

Make sure to be in a position in the fields where the sun is facing your backside, too.

The Extras: Dove Hunting 101

Following the steps above plus having a lot of patience is key to a successful dove hunt. But it also helps to learn some extra tips, which I lay out below.

Hunting with Friends

Hunting is the PERFECT OPPORTUNITY to bond with the people close to you.

When you’re hunting with friends, family, or experienced dove hunters, make sure you are all positioned at least 100 yards away from each other.

Doing so ensures that doves won’t see you guys move in flocks, obviously waiting to hunt them down.

Dove Call

I’ve had A LOT of luck with dove calls!

A dove call is one of the best ways you could train your game for the hunting season.

Bring it with you, use it in the open, and attract basically a whole dove field. By doing so, you’re improving your chances at multiple shots!

If you’re interested, we have a guide on How to Blow an Effective Duck Call which can also be used for other bird species.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Best Time of Day to Dove Hunt?

It’s best to go dove hunting at around 8-10 in the morning or 5-7 in the evening. It is usually around these times when doves fly between roosting and feeding areas.

Is Dove Hunting Easy?

Unfortunately, it’s not. I would even say mourning doves are some of the most challenging animals to hunt.

It’s difficult enough to shoot down a flying animal to begin with that you might end up wasting a lot of ammo, which is definitely the case for me.

Despite that, I still enjoy it as dove meat is DELICIOUS and it really puts my skills to the test.

What Are the Legal Limits and Regulations for Dove Hunting?

The legal regulations of dove hunting can VARY from place to place, so it’s best to check with your local authorities.

These details can include number of doves you can hunt, shooting hours, and so on. You don’t want to risk doing something illegal.

Conclusion

Now that I’ve given you tips, I hope you enjoy dove season! Nothing should stand in your way as long as you follow the steps accurately.

However, don’t forget to do it ETHICALLY.

If some areas in the United States require you to have a license, you should comply with your state laws by all means. 

Other than that, bookmark this guide to dove hunting, and HAVE FUN!