With North Carolina’s mourning dove season opening on Labor Day, the hunters are probably wondering what to do with all the birds they’ve taken. Most hunters consider these (our number one game bird) to be among the finest of our wildlife species when it comes to eating quality. Other hunters either just don’t want to be bothered with cleaning them or don’t know how to easily clean them and offer them to another hunter who does like to eat dove.

If you’re planning to offer them to another hunter, the question of just how to legally do this comes up. The hunter who accepts the offered dove will probably be in possession of more birds than the 15 dove per day legal limit allows.

According to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, the hunter who is gifting the birds while still at the hunting site must have “a tag attached, signed by the hunter who took the birds, stating such hunter’s address, the total number and species of birds and the date such birds were taken.” Each individual bird does not have to be tagged. One properly filled out and attached tag covers each transaction.

Mourning dove are not the largest of game birds, but when properly looked after in the field they will make one of the finest wild game dinners you can have.

Not many dove hunters will go to the trouble of taking a small cooler into the field to keep the dove cool in this hot weather. If you want these birds to be at the peak of freshness upon consumption, it’s a good idea to do just that. It does not take long for a freshly killed drove to go bad under the broiling hot sun.

Chef Jeremy Hoefs has one of the best methods that I’ve tried to prepare dove for a really good wild game dinner. Keep in mind that you may need more than 15 doves to fill the stomachs of several hungry outdoorsmen.

 

THINGS YOU NEED

15 (or more) doves, game shears, knife, Italian dressing, bacon, mixing bowl, 12 toothpicks, grill, tongs, timer.

 

 

CLEANING

Step 1

Cut off the wings with game shears or sharp scissors.

Step 2

Hold the dove in one hand and poke your thumb into the body cavity just above the breastbone.

Step 3

Pull the dove into two pieces so you are left with the breast in one hand and the head, entrails and feet in the other.

Step 4

Peel the skin off of the breast and remove any excess feathers.

Step 5

Cut the breasts off the breastbone with a sharp knife by following the natural curve of the bones.

Step 6

Rinse the breasts with cold running water to remove any remaining feathers or blood.

 

COOKING

Step 1

Pour two cups of Italian dressing into a large mixing bowl.

Step 2

Place the dove breasts in the Italian dressing and allow the meat to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 3

Remove the dove breasts from the refrigerator and wrap each breast with one slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Step 4

Preheat the grill to low-medium heat.

Step 5

Grill the dove breasts for 20 to 40 minutes, turning them occasionally.

 

TIPS

Each filleted dove breast will be the size of about one medium stewing oyster so it would take at least a legal limit of 15 dove to yield 30 small grilled and skewered with bacon tid-bits of dove breast. You may need to save up a few daily limits of mourning dove to have enough of this delicious wild game meat to feed hungry hunters.