our Italian stock probably cared more about which region of Italy was represented than the species of the bird.

I would think that a buttery red sauce with a side of polenta would be great!

buon appetitto!

as the 2 native species, imo. I have taken a couple of rock dove (pigeons) as well, and they are roughly the same in flavor. I incorporate all into regular dove recipes and have been happy with the results. Further, I don't buy into the pigeons-are-tough argument. All these birds are firm in texture, and marination can ameliorate that, but I usually don't bother.

The EA dove seem not to have adapted (as yet) to best survival practices in bird-hunting Texas. One flew straight from a mesquite tree to a hack, big as a pigeon with me bumbling around in the clear, and landed out in the open on the end of a lower branch. Another flushed with mourning dove, but instead of putting cover between itself and me, circled back and (again) landed in the open on a lower limb. They can be harder to bring down with light field loads.

Ah! today I head up to Coryell County to try my luck again. Got a limit of mourning dove there on opening day!

Last edited Wed Oct 15, 2014, 01:00 PM - Edit history (1)

Hunting a muddy maize field in Milam County, Tx., everyone was getting mourning. Then a big one flew by and I puffed him (they don't readily go down with one shot). Ended up chasing him down on foot after crossing a fence. Really large bird. I'm up to 44 dove taken this season.

My neighbor came over and asked if she could go shooting with me. She's 78 and a retired attorney but she's a tough old cowgirl and a hell of a shot. We wound up with eight of them but it took almost the entire day because you have to be careful what you are shooting at. It's closed season on the mourning and white wings until Nov. 8 when the second half of the split season opens.

after the third wk. in October, starts again in latter Dec.