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Dove Hunting Guides and Outfitters – Trips and Guided Hunts

Dove Hunting Guides and Outfitters – Trips and Guided HuntsDove hunting guides and outfitters offer guided trips and hunts in most parts of North America. This popular game bird is a great sport for those just starting out. Each guide or outfitter listed below are in different places and offer unique surrounds for a dove hunt. Each trip package they have may offer different services. Look at each company before making a final decision on which hunting guide or outfitter to use when planning hunting trips of any kind.


Dove Hunts in the United States

The dove hunts that the guides and outfitters offer will be different from company to company. Please keep in mind the area of the United States that you will be in when planning a guided dove hunting trip.

Dove Hunting States

Dove Hunting States

The states for dove hunting listed above will each have different surface features and weather conditions. Please keep that in mind when you contact the dove hunting guide or outfitter.




Dove Hunting in Canada

Dove hunting in Canada is not as frequently hunted and we have few Provinces listed for this type of game bird.

Dove Hunting Provinces

Not many providences in Canada have dove in them, mainly because of the northern location of those areas. But there are a few dove hunting guides and outfitters that do offer trips for this game bird.


Information on the Dove and Habitat

Dove is a bird closely related to the pigeon. One of the best-known kinds, the mourning dove, lives in North America from southern Canada to Panama and from Maine to California. It gets its name from the soft, sad cooing call of the male. The mourning dove's fast flight, quick changes in direction, and alert nature make it one of the most challenging small game birds to hunt. And is why many hunting guides and outfitters offer bird hunts in a wide range of areas in North America. While flying, the dove can be identified by their small heads, long pointed tails and wings, and steady wing beats.

The mourning dove is sometimes wrongly termed a turtledove, which is a European dove and also lives in woods and on farms, and migrates to warm climates in winter. It also feeds on small grains and seeds. The turtledove is also shy and seldom seen. They may raise two broods of young in a season. The female lays two eggs in a loose nest placed in a low tree, shrub, or hedge.

They roost throughout most states. Dove can be found in recently harvested soybean, corn, hay, or wheat fields. They can be hunted over standing crops, flooded standing crops, flooded harvested croplands, and in areas where grain is found scattered solely as the result of normal agriculture planting and harvesting. Places like this are an excellent area for a guide or outfitter to take their clients for guided hunts. Its adaptable life-style and high reproductive rate have allowed its population to flourish in both agricultural and urban areas, making it one of the most common game birds in the United States.

The mourning dove is about ten inches long. Its body is olive-brown with bluish-gray wings or can be mostly grayish-brown, with a tinge of pink on its breast. The tail has a white border and black spots. It feeds on grains and on grass and weed seeds. The mourning dove is a devoted mate, but a careless housekeeper. It builds a flimsy nest which is usually made of a few sticks placed loosely together. The dove sometimes builds its nest on top of another bird’s deserted nest. The dove lays two white eggs. The young hatch in about two weeks and there may be three or four families in a season. Very young birds put their beaks in the parents’ throats and feed on partly digested food, mixed with a fluid that is called pigeon’s milk.

The dove is all over America. As a migratory bird, the “Migratory Bird Treaty Act” regulates them, as well as snipe, ducks, geese, swans, and other migratory birds. Each year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimate the number of mourning doves in the U.S. and establish guidelines accordingly. Most states have established hunting seasons based on federal regulations. The guides or outfitters we list should have more information on these laws and regulations for their area. Please ask them so you can be prepared on your next dove hunting trip.

Scientific Classification: The dove belongs to the family Columbidae. The mourning dove is genus Zenaidura, species Z. macroura.



Tips on Dove Hunting

Dove hunting being such a popular game bird sport, we thought we would list just a few dove hunting tips for you. These are just a few thoughts off the top of our head, but hope they help. The outfitter or guide you hire will surly have more.

  • Tip One: Never go dove hunting alone. It is not safe and let’s face it, it always more fun to have a group of people hunting with you.


  • Tip Two: Take plenty of ammo. It is not uncommon to shoot many times while on a hunt like this.


  • Tip Three: Use the right size buck shot. This is not a big game bird, so use the appropriate shot.


  • Tip Four: You must shoot at the right distance in front of each dove. The wind can play a large factor in whether you get your kill on every shot. Many dove hunting guides and outfitters will have a place for you to practice shooting.


  • Tip Five: Wear a bright vest so other hunters will see you.


  • Tip Six: Make sure of the direction that your shooting. You don’t want to have buckshot hit on your friends, and end a great trip.


  • Tip Seven: We always take a small safety kit with us just incase of an emergency on all hunts.


  • Tip Eight: Don’t dove hunt near homes or suburban areas. Plan all hunting trips out well so you will not have this problem.


  • Tip Nine: Practice shooting before you go dove hunting. This will more prepare you for the trip.


  • These few dove hunting tips are obvious to most hunters, but one or two may be something you didn’t think of. We just want every one to hunt safely and have a great time on hunting trips of all kinds.





    Choose a State for Your Hunting Trip

    These upland game birds are great fun. They change direction very fast and are an excellent way for a beginner hunter to get his or her feet wet.

    Keep the area you are planning your dove hunting trip in on your mind in regards to weather and surface features. Make sure that area offers or comes close to the requirements that you will need for a successful dove hunt, as each state or providence offers something different.

    The dove hunting guides and outfitters will be happy to help you with any questions that you have. The guided dove hunts and trips they offer can be found on their website. Please contact them directly to find out more.