Dove hunting - What gun are you taking?

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of dining on dove breast.... Someday I hope to.

Are they anywhere near as fabulous as woodcock breast?





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Taste more like a hawk.

Woodcock and doves have pretty much the same type of meat since migratory. Some people think doves,woodcock and duck are too gamy. To each his own.

Harry deboned and brined his for about 10 mins which really is helpful taking away a good bit of gamy flavor and is excellent table fare for different recipes for the over. Unfortunately when I get a mess of Doves its breast on the bone wrapped in some half cooked bacon over the grill with a sliver of jalapeno inserted into dove meat. I can't seem to get by this one and believe I could eat half my weight with this recipe sans those pesky daily limits.

Those doves by the bird feeder are stacking up and taunting me right now.

[Tom Flanigan]

Wild ducks are among my favorite meal. Nothing better than a fat woodduck or mallard, carefully picked and roasted so that the skin browns nicely but the meat is moist.

[Southpaw]

Harumph! Harumph! Wood ducks are very mild. A mallard or gadwall hard to beat. I have had ducks lots of ways but the simplest and best recipe I have found is to cut the breast meat into slivers about a half inch wide. Make a marinade from a package of McCormicks meat marinade mixed with Zesty Italian and don't marinate more than 30 mins or it will overpower the duck. Slap it on the grill with some cherry wood smoking but don't overcook it. Served it to people who hate taste of wild game, (mostly non hunters) but afterwards are ready to slap on the waders head to the marsh.

BTW in the odd chance you have some leftovers, it makes an an incredible duck gumbo. I was skeptical at first but could not make one argument against it.

Ya know reading all this makes me hungry. Is there a recipe section on this forum?

[Pa. Parker Pal]

hunted with my son shot a couple of doves. Dove hunting in PA. is no where near like it was in the 70's but still had a great time with my boy and my 16 ga. trojan

[Kevin McCormack]

Mills, that picture of your son smiling so wide with your dog on the tailgate is worth 3 limits!! Our dove opener was 'hexed'; 2-300 acres of freshly cut corn (first in the county) and great strips to hide in left for the hunters, but the birds may not be here in numbers yet. Very few flying; Sept. 1 opener here in MD featured very high heat and humidity, almost no breeze, and I doubt we saw a dozen birds all afternoon (2-6PM). Second (Labor Day) hunt I was unable to make. Today (Sat. 8 AUG) it rained off and on all day so no joy.

My moments of glory on opening day consisted of two very awkward over-the-wrong shoulder shots at 2 passers that had been shot at 3-4 times already; swung my butt around on my dove stool like a sinkbox shooter and killed both dead in the air. The new-this-year 32" AE Fox 20 ga.swung itself and the "harmonic motion" of the long barrels kept me from falling off my dove bucket onto my keister (follow THROUGH!!). Two birds with 2 shots put me into the high guns for the afternoon.

Thinking about some dove breast h'ord'eurves on the way home, had to stop for a bottle of red Zinfandel to offset the tangy taste. My current favorite is "1000 Stories", its a bourbon-barrel aged Zin with the image of an American Bison on the label.. I take the meats off each breast, toothpick a tiny sliver of jalapeno pepper between them, and saute in hot oil for only a few seconds each (till the meat goes grey), then drain and serve. This leaves the insides of the breast still pink but cooked and yet not overdone.

Years ago served 2 limits (24) that way taken as appetizers for an outdoor end-of-summer party; most people thought they were chicken livers but couldn't place the mild flavor. They gobbled them in about 12 minutes; guests ate everything except the metal cookie sheet I served them up on.

[davidboyles]

Mills I guess us Texicans can’t claim Dove poppers anymore. Seems everyone have discovered Japelenos toothpicks and cream cheese. Well I’m back out near Austin and the Circuit of the Americas racetrack where a buddy has 143 Ac with gravel and Dove waterhole. Out with a rookie friend and my Model 21 20 ga Skt 1 and 2, plus new DHE 16 30” bbls should be a late evening waterhole shoot already thinking about poppers!! Speaking of food I have had fried Whitewings at Garcia’s Grill in Pearsall last Sat nite after our hunt. We take our Dove breasts into the grill where they have put on the menu the DAVID Boyles Plate: doves, boracho beans guacamole, grilled onions tortillas japelenos and lots of Cuba’s. Plus a good cigar by the campfire afterwards. Si Si Ados Amigo Good luck to all.

[Mills]

Poppers are everywhere now. Dove, duck, whatever. Still good though

Sounds like you have some good guns for doves

[TxHuntermn]

Couldn’t stand it any more! Have lots of “Mom” issues keeping me close to the house, so this evening I grabbed the 1 frame VH 16 I bought a while back, and have never shot, a box of Herters 1oz, 1165 fps 8’s and my vizsla Hobbs, and headed all the way to my back yard. Shot the little gun well, 11 birds (2 white-wings, 2 mourning doves and 7 Eurasian ring necks, burned up 17 rounds of the Herters ammo. FWIW, the Herters shells felt as though the recoil was pretty soft, and the killed the poo out of the birds, a couple at 45 yds or so with barrel #2!!

Bacon Wrapped grilled doves tomorrow night!! Would have had them this eveining, but the Speckled Trout Meuniere was already tee’d up for tonight!!

Hobbs did great on his first work of Fall 2018!,

[todd allen]

People, please. The secret is, don't over cook dove. Sauteed in butter and garlic works, just don't overcook. Whatever recipe you use, rare is better. Enjoy the shoot, eat well.
That's all.

[Dean Romig]

I completely agree - do not overcook.

I’ve never had dove but it sounds like it has a slightly more delicate flavor than woodcock and I braise woodcock breasts in sizzling hot butter for 1 minute on one side and 45 seconds on the other and take them out of the pan quickly!






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