As we simmer in the dog days of summer, many hunters are noticing a change. At sunup and near dusk, bird hunters are seeing mourning dove race across the sky in the cooler parts of the day. They hear their calls from trees or neighbor’s roofs and know the season is close. The mourning dove opener can’t get here soon enough.
Mourning dove are migratory birds and often seen flying to and from watering and feeding areas in the first light of the day or near dusk. California has two mourning dove seasons: September 1-15 and November 9 – December 23. The daily bag limit is 15 birds per hunter, with triple that number in possession.
Hunters can do well if they spend a little time scouring out areas that hold roosting trees, an attractive food base and a reliable source of water. Roosting birds will take flight at first light to drink and then head out to feed. These flyways are flown daily and can provide hunters with a fast and reliable shoot if they are positioned correctly.
Staying still and dressing in camo clothing are a plus in pulling birds into shotgun range. I like to put the sun at my back and set up at the edge of an established flyway. To put them more at ease, I’ll set up decoys, both static and motorized to draw them in even closer.
Motorized decoys have changed the dove hunting game. The Mojo brand of battery-powered decoys utilize rotating, multi-colored wings that can be seen from hundreds of yards away. Placing static decoys nearby will encourage dove to slow way down and inspect the setup, giving new hunters a chance to take a shot. When my daughters were new to hunting, I would place them near the decoy set to give them a fighting chance at the fastest game bird in the state.
I try and get out and scout a few weeks before the season and firm up our opening day hunting area. If I can find a good watering source near large trees, I’ll get there before sunup and wait to see what’s flying early. While food is important for dove presence, their first action of the day is to head to water.
I’ll find locations where I can put a handful of hunters, and a relatively open spot for our decoy sets. I try to find areas where we can set up in the shadows of bushes or trees, near or close to the flyway to water. Early in the morning, hunters can intercept dove leaving their roosts and headed towards a watering source.
California is a lead-free state and requires non-lead shot for any game animal. I would recommend shopping for shells early as in the past, lead free shotgun shells, especially the smaller shot size have been tough to find.
Any shotgun in your safe will get the job done, and recently, I’ve been using a Ruger over and under 20 gauge that a good friend gave me years ago. I enjoy the simplicity of the lightweight firearm, and I get a little nostalgic hunting with Ken’s shotgun.
For us, the mourning dove opener kicks off the hunting season. It’s a time when we gather with good friends and new hunters and spend a few days enjoying each other’s company and of course hunting. If you scout early, you can find good spots that hold birds and provide hunters with plenty of action.
This season, get out before the sun comes up and look for that little gray rocket racing across the sky. It’ll humble even the best wing shooter. And please take a new hunter out. The mourning dove opener is the best way to introduce new hunters to the fold.
