Wild Game Recipes: Mesquite-Smoked Dove
Many hunters might agree that few meats taste better than smoked meats. When you get back from a successful dove hunt, taking time to smoke the dove meat could be one of the best wild game treats you've rewarded yourself with.
We're here to help! Today, we talk about how to stay safe when dove hunting and wild game recipes. Specifically, we share a delicious mesquite-smoked dove recipe from Charbroil.
3 Tips for Dove Hunting Success
Before you can enjoy a delicious meal made with love and dove meat, you'll need to return from the hunt – safely. Here are three tips to help ensure a successful dove hunt.
1. Be Safe
Be aware of your safe zone of fire!
Shooting outside of your safe zone of fire is dangerous. The last thing you want to do is pepper your fellow hunters with lead.
When setting up to wait for birds to fly by, check your surroundings and gauge the distance between you and other hunters. Make a mental note of your safe firing zone, then keep it in mind as doves travel overhead.
Only fire when birds enter your safe zone. Don't throw any Hail Marys.
Being a responsible hunter means knowing when to let a dove go. Any dove outside of your effective range will be very difficult to hit. You don't want to end up wounding the dove and sending it across a property line to expire. Take good shots!
2. Choose the Right Choke
Match the choke to your conditions. Most modern shotguns have screw chokes that allow you to change them on the fly. If you know your hunting area and can predict the rough range of the doves' flight path, use a choke that sets you up for success.
Instead of a full choke, opt first for a modified or improved cylinder. The choke controls how much shot will hit in a certain area at different ranges.
- Improved cylinder: Range of up to about 30 yards
- Modified: Range of up to about 35 yards
- Full: Range of up to 40 yards
Many hunters make the mistake of using a choke that is too tight. Doves are extremely difficult to hit, so using the right choke can increase your odds.
3. Have Fun
Take a buddy!
Dove hunting is the perfect way to introduce a new hunter to the sport. The weather is typically nice, game is plentiful (hopefully), and communication is easy. For these reasons, many new hunters prefer small game or bird hunting as introductory hunts.
Wild Game Recipes: Mesquite-Smoked Dove
Now that we've covered how to have a successful dove hunt, let's get cookin'! This bacon-wrapped dove recipe will be well worth the work.
Prep. Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 10-20 minutes
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 gallon of water
- 1 c. salt
Marinade
- 1/4 c. sherry
- 1 c. apple cider vinegar
- 1 c. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1/3 medium onion (sliced)
Everything Else
- 10 dove breasts
- 10 thin, fatty bacon slices
- Cracked black pepper
- Mesquite wood chips
Start by making the brine. Mix the salt and water in a container that will fit in your refrigerator. Then, soak the dove breasts in the brine overnight.
Mix together all of the marinade ingredients. Remove the dove breasts from the brine and pat dry. Add them to the marinade and chill for at least two hours.
Remove the dove breasts from the marinade and pat dry. Wrap the dove breasts in bacon slices, sprinkle with cracked black pepper, and cover. Chill until you are ready to grill.
Add mesquite wood chips to your grill's smoker box and warm up the grill. Next, add the dove breasts to an area with indirect heat. Remove the bacon when it is crispy.
This tastes great with wild rice. You can even smoke that, too, for added flavor!
Learn Hunter Safety for a Successful Dove Hunt
We covered a few safety tips today, but there's much more to safe and successful hunts than we can fit into a blog! Most states require hunters to pass a full, approved safety course before buying a license and heading out for a dove hunt.
If we tempted your taste buds with this recipe and you're eager to get out into the field when dove season opens, make sure you are prepared for a safe hunt. A Hunter-Ed course gives you the knowledge you need to carry firearms safely, understand the safe zone of fire, and keep other hunters safe in the field.
Our courses are 100% online and convenient to take anywhere you can connect a mobile device or computer to the internet! Find the course for your state and start learning with our free online study guides.
Originally published September 1, 2015. Content updated May 31, 2024.
