Now, as all the veteran camp cooks out there know all too well, outdoor cooking requires a bit of planning! When the moon and planets are properly aligned and the birds flight pattern intersects your position on the edge of a dove patch, it’s possible to down a limit of birds on the morning hunt and prepare them for the noon or evening meal. But from past experiences, it’s best to have the makings of the meal tucked away in the ice cooler and ready to cook when the hunt is over.
When I assume culinary duties on a dove hunt, as I often do, I have a main course planned and often cook a few fresh dove breasts to snack on before the meal. Cooking in the field can be challenging and much thought needs to be given to insure all the ingredients and utensils are on hand. There’s two ways to meet the challenge, depending upon the time you have to spend cooking. If you plan to hunt much of the day, better slow smoke a wild hog ham or have several freezer bags full of BBQ in the cooler which can be heated up quickly. A few years ago when hunting near Dublin, I actually brought along my Smokin Tex electric smoker, loaded it with hams and loins from a small wild hog and let it slow smoke all night. But, this turned out to be not so good an idea. After hunting a couple hours the next morning, everyone came back to camp and smelled the slow smoked pork. When I made the mistake of opening my smoker to give them a peek at the tender meat, they talked me into boning the meat in a big aluminum pan. In no time, they were making BBQ sandwiches. In a matter of minutes, our noon meal was gone! We wound up eating a late lunch at Dairy Queen!
Another relatively time efficient option is to serve venison, pork or, dove fajitas. Just make sure and don’t depend too heavily on the dove. I’ve make dove camp fajitas from a wide variety of game meats; everything from venison ham steak to wild turkey breasts. I cut the meat into fajita strips the day before the hunt and season it liberally with my favorite seasoning. I dice a few jalapenos into the meat and squeeze in the juice for three or four limes. The bell pepper and onions are sliced and placed in separate containers. In a big cast iron skillet, I add a few tablespoons of olive oil and sear the meat for a few minutes before adding the onions and peppers. The entire cooking process takes about 15 minutes and dinner is served! All that’s required is a few flour tortillas and a jar of picante sauce. If hunting was good, you can always bone out a few dove breasts and add them to the fajita meat. Regardless, you’ll have plenty of food for all the hungry hunters in your group!
TAKE A YOUNGSTER - Dove hunts are tailor made for exposing youngsters to the overall hunting experience. Dove hunting is really more dove shooting than hunting. Hunting takes place before the outing and equates to proper scouting and locating concentrations of birds, then determining their flight patterns. I used to believe single shot shotguns were tailor made for young shooters and, they do work nicely but autoloaders have a lighter kick. When loaded one shell at a time, a little 20 gauge autoloader makes a great dove harvester for youngsters.
When training youngsters to hunt, I’ve always served as the guide and left my shotgun in the truck. I always position myself directly behind my charge for the day and instruct him or her to keep the shotgun’s barrel pointed in a safe direction. Years ago, this practice proved very helpful on a close to home hunt with my son. A flight of doves came over head just out of range of his 20 gauge. He raised his shotgun and tracked the birds but I advised him not to shoot. He lowered the gun and a few seconds later KA-BOOM, it discharged into the water of the pond we were hunting over. He had taken the safety off and forgotten to put it back on. It was obviously upsetting for a 12 year old but the necessity of keeping the shotgun pointed in a safe direction was engrained in his memory banks.. forever. Today, Matt remains one of the most safety minded hunters I know.
DOVE HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES - DOVE HUNTING TRIVIA -
QUESTIONS
1. The all-around favorite choke for dove hunting is the A. Improved cylinder B. Modified C. Full
2. Dove pairs nest for life. True of False
3. Female doves usually lay clutches of: A. Two eggs B. Three Eggs C. More than four eggs
4. Dove usually build their nest from small sticks. True of False
5. Dove are the most widespread game bird in the U.S. True or False
6. Male doves are a bit larger than the female and have a bluish crown and light pink coloring on their breast. True or False
7. Dove have a wing span of: A. 7-9 inches B. 10-12 inches C. 15-18 inches
8. Doves have been observed nesting up to 6 times per season. True or false.
9. The average amount of editable meat on a dove breast is: A. one ounce B. Two ounces C. 3 ounces
10. Doves require grit on a regular basis to aid in digestion. True or False
11. Doves, when harvested in warm weather, should be placed on ice as quickly as possible. True or False.
12. Dove meat is excellent eating, especially when wrapped in bacon and grilled over hot coals. True or False.
13. The very best dove hunting usually occurs the first day of the season, then success drops off quickly. True or False
14. Smart dove hunters usually hunt their fields during early morning and again late afternoon. True or False.
ANSWERS
1. Modified
2. True
3. A. If more than 2 eggs are found in a nest, chances are good they were deposited there by more than one female.
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. C
8. True. They continue to attempt nesting until they are successful.
9. A
10. True
11. True
12. True, just make sure and do not overcook dove.
13. False. Although opening day can be good, shooting is often even better when the migration of northern birds begins, usually around mid-September in this area.
14. True. This allows the birds to feed and loaf during mid day.