Dove hunting is a fun activity for everyone, whether it’s your first time or an annual ritual. It’s one of the easiest methods to learn how to bird hunt, and it’s a great way for seasoned hunters to practice.
Getting a new hunting license for the season should be at the top of your to-do list when you’re planning. Purchase hunting and fishing licenses, learn about state regulations and even get advice from our specialists.
Make sure you know where you’ll be setting up to hunt while choosing your gear. While dove hunters don’t need to wear orange for the bird vest, dove hunters need dove hunting camo clothing that sorta matches the surroundings.
If you don’t have access to private property, your state’s wildlife agency website can help you locate public land. While choosing a spot, look for open regions, dense tree lines, and locations where doves might feed, such as sunflower or cornfields.
In our guide, you can learn more about what to wear, and can doves see color or not? So by the end, no matter if you are on a corporate thing or out shooting with your best friend, you’ll know camo for dove hunting is a necessity. (Learn Where To Shoot A Deer)
What Do You Wear While Dove Hunting?
To begin, keep in mind hunting doves is a difficult task. But, on the other hand, maybe that’s why the hunt is so enjoyable. While you would wear blaze orange hunting apparel in most cases, it doesn’t have a place in dove hunting.
When hunting doves, an average hunter can be effective out to 40 yards, but it’s critical to figure out your range as soon as possible for various reasons.
When you’re convinced, it’s safe to go out into the field, walk directly to the spot and monitor it.
Look down and keep your eyes peeled as you arrive. Suppose you follow through on this. You’ll find most of your birds far faster than you would otherwise. And the sooner you locate your bird, the more time you’ll have to locate another!
Doves have excellent eyesight and can see you from a great way. If you’re dressed in colors and attire that make you stand out from the ground, shrubs, and trees, you’ll undoubtedly start to wonder why the birds are always soaring just beyond your reach.
At the very least, you must dress in drab apparel to assist you in blending in with your surroundings. Most people will advise you to wear camouflage pants and a camouflage shirt. We choose a camo or drab color shirt, and our shorts are the same! Pants are unbearably hot!
For hunting, safety is paramount. If you dove hunt in an area like Texas, which is a hub of slithering activity, especially during dove season, you might eventually come across a snake.
Wear boots dove hunting, and in regions such as Texas, wear snake boots are recommended. Snakes boots can be quite comfy, and such hunting boots offer many benefits when out shooting birds all day. (Learn How High Should A Tree Stand Be)
You’ll most likely be out in the dove field for several hours, so you’ll want to take a break now and then.
You’d be surprised how much water you’d lose just sitting there waiting for birds. Imagine a busy hunt where you have to trek a long distance to get your birds. Take plenty of water and frequently drink to stay hydrated, even if you’ll be sitting in the shade.
Shooting glasses. Take two pairs with yellow lenses for cloudy conditions and darker lenses for sunny conditions.
- Hearing protection.
- Sunscreen.
- Insect repellent.
- Rain jacket.
- Hydration drinks.
- Hand wipes after picking up birds.
- Fingerless shooting gloves.
- Heavy-duty brown paper bag for birds. Keep it in a shaded spot, so your birds stay cool.
- Sunscreen: Limit the use of heavy sunscreen—it closes your pores.
- Cotton or well-ventilated hat with loose-fitting, long-sleeved camo shirts suited to hunting in hot weather!
- Merino wool socks to keep your feet dry.
- No blaze orange.
If wearing short sleeves, consider using UV Insect Shield arm sleeves for summer hunting.
You’ll want to wear boots instead of tennis shoes when you go dove hunting, but you don’t have to. Tennis shoes don’t do well in the brush, and you’ll be spending the rest of the evening removing sticker burrs from your shoelaces.
Can You Dove Hunt In Blue Jeans?
Wear full camouflage, including pants and a shirt, a cap, a face mask, and even gloves.
Too many hunters believe that doves are untrustworthy and that they won’t see a shooter in blue jeans or with his white face beaming upward in the afternoon sun.
Doves are wary, especially after their first weekend on public property.
At the very least, you must dress in drab clothing to assist you in blending in with your surroundings.
Most people will advise you to wear camo pants and a camo shirt; however, you can choose a camo or drab color shirt and shorts.
Dove hunting rarely needs a full choke. Instead, avoid movement and dress in camouflage or drab clothing: Hunting in blaze orange has its place, but not for dove hunting.
A dove can detect bright-hued clothing as it stands out from its surroundings; these birds will flare. Therefore, it is essential to wear drab clothing. (Learn How to Turkey Hunt)
You can dove hunt in blue jeans and a t-shirt, although it is better to wear a light weight shirt with a print that fits the surroundings. For example, a tan fishing shirt will undoubtedly suffice with your vest.
During daylight hours, when hunting with guns is allowed on public hunting grounds (state, national forests, and grasslands), all persons must wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange material with orange headgear and at least 144 square inches on both chest and back.
Can You Wear Shorts Dove Hunting?
Aside from your pistol and ammunition, the rest of your dove-hunting gear is cool, comfortable, and inconspicuous.
Foremost, don’t underestimate the value of secrecy in the dove fields. Doves have excellent vision and can easily detect light colors or shapes not found in their natural habitat.
Dress in camouflage, but keep in mind that, depending on where you hunt, September temperatures can be quite hot, so make sure your clothing is breathable and lightweight.
Most dove hunters on the field wear camouflage, but there’s always someone who wears a camo shirt with white shorts. Light-colored clothing is the worst thing to wear in a dove field since doves can see light colors miles away.
Hunters should set up a blind besides wearing camo. This isn’t as vital if you’re hunting on the edge of a tree line, but if you’re hunting amid a dove field with no natural cover, you’ll need to break up your human shape.
Hunters are also advised to wear shooting glasses during the shoot to shield their eyes from the sun’s strong glare and help them spot doves as they fly into the field. Polarized glasses are the most effective for a successful hunt.
Here are a few other dove hunting tips.
Avoid movement and dress in camouflage or drab clothing:
Hunting in blaze orange has its place, but not for dove hunting. When they notice brightly colored apparel that stands out from its surroundings, these birds will flare.
A brown or olive-colored garment is nearly as effective as camouflage clothes, but whatever you wear, don’t move when a bird or flock is in view.
Doves become especially alert after being exposed to some hunting pressure and will flare if a hunter repositions himself or starts to elevate his gun before they are in range.
Hunt early and late:
The greatest time to hunt doves is on opening day. The birds haven’t been fired at yet, and they frequently fly near to the ground, making for easy shots.
Another reason to be out on the opening weekend is that there are a lot of other hunters out. This keeps the birds going from field to field, giving you more opportunities to shoot.
But don’t put your dove pistol away after the opener. Many hunters call it quits after a few days. By scouting, you can discover fields with many settled birds and little competition.
Bring the essentials:
Earplugs, sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat with a brim to keep the sun out of your eyes, food, cold drinks or water, binoculars to track dove movements, and shooting glasses or sunglasses are all essential items for a dove hunt in the summer heat.
Before the dove season begins, conduct a pre-scout:
Then, before the dove season begins, spend at least a couple of afternoons scouting. Stay far enough back so that the doves aren’t disturbed by you or the vehicle, and watch with your eyes and binoculars.
Most aviation activity occurs between 2 and 3 p.m. Figure out which routes the birds use when flying into fields and select a few good ambush spots.
Focus on the best dove stand locations:
When choosing a dove stand location, look for areas distinct from the surrounding habitat. Look for a lone tree growing out of a fence row, a spit of unplowed, weedy soil jutting into a cultivated field, a field’s corner where it enters the woods, or a dip or gap in an otherwise straight line of trees, to name a few examples. (Read Can I Carry A Crossbow In My Car)
If you take a position around these points, shoot quickly.
Low-angle shots should be avoided at all costs during a dove hunt. Low-flying birds should be passed up as you face the chance of hitting fellow hunters.
Doves don’t like cool rain, so the cold front coming means you can take a deep breath as your hunting spot will leave you with a bumper day.
You don’t want to be trapped out in the field for obvious reasons when a monsoon or tornado passes through. However, keep an eye out for rainstorms and a cold front in the vicinity.
Doves dislike cool rain and will flee if it comes through, but if you detect a cool front approaching your hunting location, you may win the jackpot and have a swarm of birds flying through in a way to beat it. This might be a spectacular hunt with many limited opportunities.
When dove hunting or conducting any shooting, always use earplugs. There is no exception, and it is a simple decision. But, of course, you are exempt from this condition if you do not have a brain.
