12 Dove Breast Fillets
1/8 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 sm/med Onion, finely sliced
1+ Clove Garlic, minced
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
12 strips Bacon

Season fillets with salt and pepper and marinate in soy, oil, onion & garlic four (4) hours.

Wrap fillets with bacon and secure with toothpick. Grill over high heat for 7 – 9 minutes, turning as needed. Alternatively, bake in shallow dish with bacon strips on top at 350 deg (f), for 30 minutes. Important not to overcook dove or it becomes dry and liver-like. Serve hot over sticky rice or with grilled veggies.

 

The bird season is finally here. The dove season kicks it off tomorrow and I’m excited about it. I’m not seeing a lot of doves around, but I’m sure there are enough around. It usually goes with out fail that about August 28th or so we get a day or two of cooler rainy weather and it moves the doves on south just before the opener. This year, at least so far, the weather has been consistent and the local doves seem to have stayed.

If you haven’t had a chance to get that new pup around and work with him on birds and give him a proper introduction to the gun, opening day of the dove season isn’t the time to do it. You’d be better off leaving him at home, or better yet, instead of taking the day dove hunting, take him out and put him on some training pigeons and give him a proper introduction to the gun, where there is a positive connection with birds and gunfire. All too often I see young dogs taken straight to the hunting field as their introduction to birds and gunfire. The results can be long-term negative for the dog, and very hard, if not impossible to overcome.

I know I’ll get some negative comments about dove hunting from this post. The answer is, yes I do enjoy shooting the bird of peace. I find them quite a sporting target, as they fly almost 50 mph, and I find them quite tasty. What can I say? This is a hunting dog blog. Tomorrow I’ll post one of my favorite recipes.

 

 

Photo of Mike Leggett. Taken from the Austin360.com 

I’m excited for dove season, but I’m also getting nervous. This happens almost every year here in central Utah, just before the dove hunt we get a cool spell and the doves move out. Over the past month we have had really good dove numbers, but I’m anxious to see what we have in a week. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.If you are planning on hunting doves, get your license early. It’s now easy online at the DWR website. Also, get your hip registration number so you’re not trying to do it on your way to the dove field.