What Do I Wear Dove Hunting?

What Do I Wear Dove Hunting
Image courtesy Torrey Wiley via flickr. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Dove hunting signals the hunting season around the US, which comes about in autumn.

It’s an adventuresome and challenging sport, as doves can be as elusive a prey as deer or waterfowl.

Dove hunting is considered an easy and less stressful sport compared to big game, deer, or waterfowl hunting.

Even so, you’ll need to secure the appropriate licenses, right gear and accessories, clothing, good skeet shooting skills, and a good place to hunt.

Doves generally inhabit places with thick vegetation and trees, where there is abundant food and water sources, graveling spot, and a good place to roost come nighttime.

They are swift and very adroit flyers. These birds have exceptionally sharp eyesight that can spot a hunter at high vantage points, and will take evasive moves by flying around the hunter or danger area.

This article covers things what to wear dove hunting. Here are some of the appropriate things to use and garments to wear when on a dove hunt.

1. Use drab-colored cap or wide-brimmed hat – a cap with its visor will protect your eyes from the glaring sun and help cover your face from being spotted by birds flying overhead; on the other hand, a wide-brimmed hat, which serves the same purpose as a cap, offers a much wider protection from the sun.

2. Wear long pants – it helps keep your legs protected from harsh and prickly vegetation, mosquitoes, leeches, tick, and other insects. Water-resistant pants would be a good choice, too – it makes you comfortably dry throughout the hunt.

3. Wear well-built, durable boots – preferably the waterproof type boots to go with your rainproof pants to keep your feet dry and your ankles safe from grass burrs and tree stumps.

4. Wear shooting glasses – it’s very important that you protect your eyes from wayward pellets. Wearing a pair also helps reduce the sun’s intense glare.

5. Wear ear plugs and shooting gloves – the ear plugs protect your hearing from deafening shotgun blasts, and the gloves protect your hands against accidental scrapes and cuts from reloading, and hot gun barrel.

6. Apply sunscreen – summer daylight hours can be viciously hot, especially in early September. You need to apply sunscreen to protect against sunburn.

7. Keep insect repellents in good supply – apply mosquito repellents on your skin and tick repellents on your clothing moderately.

8. Wear a lightweight vest or a sturdy strap with pockets – the vest allows you to stuff your carry essentials handily like shells, bottled water, munchies, flashlight, hand sanitizer, and what not.

9. Wear a camouflage net or paint on your face – this makes for effective concealment from the bird’s sharp eyesight.

10. Pack a jacket, sweater, and raincoat – early mornings are generally cold and you never know when a sudden downpour will hit you. Preparedness is of the essence. Keep a jacket handy.

Wrap up of what to wear dove hunting

The need for concealment is absolutely crucial if you want to go home heavy with bird meat instead of empty-handed.

In brief, wear clothing that closely matches the natural environment you’re in.

While you’re at it, you may need to camouflage your gun and hunting gear to complement your clothing.

Remember, concealing one’s self also requires using natural cover and loads of patience keeping still while the prey nears one’s position.

Also keep in mind that hunting regulations vary by state and understanding them is vital so you don’t break any hunting law senselessly.

Hope this clears up what to wear while dove hunting.

Originally posted 2023-01-06 06:01:31.