Case Study: Dive into Dove Season and Reset Your Hunting Year

Finally, the time has almost come: pigeon season!

For many of us hunters, the start of dove hunting season is like a sunrise. It's a new day. It's a fresh start. We can start over.

All the mistakes we made in previous hunting seasons – all the mistakes we made in the field and in the woods – are over, and we start (again) with a clean slate. It's a new hunting season!

It feels like we've been waiting forever, but in reality it's only been a few months. We've survived the summer heat, we've made it to the beach and back, but all the while, we hunters have been thinking about fall and can't wait for hunting season to finally begin.

That is why the pigeon season is so special. It is the start, the beginning of what we have been waiting for.

(READ MORE: Don't say I didn't warn you pigeon season was coming)

If you're new to dove hunting, it's easy to start, but be warned, it can be addictive. A good day in the dove field makes a long, cold day in a tree stand seem like torture (deer hunters will understand).

Dove hunting is usually a lively pastime with friends and family and often involves lots of good food and cooking. Dove hunting is a great way to warm up your guns for later hunts on other game such as ducks and pheasants and get back into the swing of your favorite season.

(READ MORE: Pheasant hunting in Kansas was a wonderful lesson)

Here I offer some insights into the main components of dove hunting as well as some tips and ideas to prepare for your return to active hunting life.

The Pigeon: The main ingredient for good pigeon shooting is of course the Carolina pigeon.

Pigeons are considered to be calm, peaceful little creatures and those who seem to disagree with hunting will chide us for wanting to shoot such tiny birds. I mean, they are something of a symbol of peace, aren't they?

For the hunter in a hot dove field, however, the perceived character of the dove changes drastically. Mourning doves are notoriously difficult to hit (they can fly faster, 55 miles per hour), so the frustrated shotgunner sees the dove as a nasty speedster who will embarrass him or her in front of friends. (It is common to use up two or more boxes of cartridges to take a limit of a dozen doves.)

In reality, the pigeon is neither one nor the other and, like all wild animals, only does what wild animals do.

The mourning dove is very prolific and can raise up to six broods, usually two per brood, in a single year in warmer regions. Conservation officials estimate that up to 20 million mourning doves are killed by hunters each year (in some years it may be many more). This does not seem to affect the population, as it is one of the most common and widespread birds. Doves feed almost exclusively on various types of seeds, so they are attracted to a variety of agricultural fields, such as corn, sunflowers, wheat and other grains.

The hunt: A pigeon hunt at the beginning of the season can take many forms in different locations.

In many parts of the South, the opening of dove hunting season can be a gala event. Large organized hunts are often accompanied by extensive barbecues and social gatherings. In many areas, the first day of the season begins around noon – as opposed to the notoriously early hours of deer and turkey hunters – so there is plenty of time to catch up with those we haven't seen since last year.

These hunts often take place on large private properties that have been prepared for dove hunting, and sometimes a fee is charged.

Another form of dove opener is simpler but fun in its own way: You and a few friends head out to a public hunting area to study the dove population there. Many states now practice some form of small game management, planting sunflowers, millet and other small grains to attract doves.

Do a little homework and scout an area near you before the season. You probably won't have the area to yourself, but when dove hunting you may not want that anyway. When dove hunting, shooters often surround a field, and that can cause the birds to fly back and forth, so when dove hunting, more is often better.

The weapons: The first tool a pigeon hunter needs is, of course, a good shotgun.

While almost any shotgun in your arsenal can work, as usual you'll be more successful with the right gun. As we've discussed many times here, the “right” gun for you is the shotgun that fits you and that you feel comfortable shooting.

Every year, countless tried and tested Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 models are used to harvest a certain number of doves. If that's what you use and it works for you, go for it. However, there are a few other options to consider this year.

The Benelli Montefeltro sports model. Benelli saw fit to make some changes to the Montefeltro in 2023. All of the changes made last year are included in the Montefeltro Sporting model, which is new for 2024 but has some additional new features of its own.

This shotgun features a high profile rib with a center front sight and red front sight strip, the combination of which allows for good eye alignment along the barrel, as well as an elevated position to better see clay pigeons and birds. To facilitate quick follow-up shots, the Montefeltro Sporting features barrel ports that reduce muzzle flip and soften recoil. This shotgun has a 30-inch barrel that will turn heads out there.

My position is this: If you are considering a gun for both clay pigeon shooting and dove hunting, the Montefeltro Sporting is the one. Why? Because, as has been argued hundreds of times, the longer barrel swings easier on cross-shots, which will make up 95% of your dove shooting. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $1,649.

GForce Arms GForce Two Shotguns. There will always be room in the shotgun market for a reasonably priced, reliable hunting shotgun. New to the shotgun market this year is GForce Arms.

The GForce Field shotgun is an efficient and reliable weapon designed specifically for the needs of hardcore hunters. Much like its brother, the GForce One, the GForce Two utilizes inertia technology for smooth and consistent operation. With a barrel length of 28 inches, an overall length of 49 1/2 inches, and a weight of just 6.6 pounds, the GForce Two is a lightweight shotgun that can be easily carried around the dove field.

The gun, which has an MSRP of $699 to $799, comes with a lifetime warranty so owners can be confident in durability and quality. (GForce claims no questions asked!)

“Guns & Cornbread” was written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, West Virginia. You can write to him at [email protected].