John’s Note: The winged warriors from hell, also known as mourning doves, streak across the fall sky like World War II Kamikaze pilots. Their ability to dive, pitch and roll will challenge the skills of even the best wing shooters. Southerners especially enjoy the tradition of dove hunting which opens soon in many states, and probably like it as much as eating black-eyed peas, speckled butter beans, a pone of cornbread and a glass of buttermilk. But just because you go out and sweat in the hot sun of early fall, get bitten by redbugs in the grass and punctured by industrial-strength mosquitoes, you still may not take home a mess of doves. Here’s some accessories that will help you in the dove field.
*Insect Repellant – When you prepare for a dove hunt, start with insect repellent. A strong concentration of Deet in the repellent will keep off redbugs, ticks and mosquitoes. You can’t shoot doves, scratch redbugs and swat mosquitoes all at the same time. Also consider using a ThermaCELL (http://www.thermacell.com/) and spraying your clothes with Permethrin before dressing.
* Camouflage/Eye Accessories/Ear Protectors – Next, put on full camouflage, including a headnet and gloves. Then you won’t cause any birds to flare when they see the whites of your hands and face. Never wear a solid colored shirt because doves can see solid blocks of color more easily than they can broken patches of color like camouflage. Wear shooting glasses, sunglasses or regular glasses to protect your eyes when doves rain into a field, numbers of hunters shoot, and shells fall. Don’t damage your hearing. Even the small foam inserts you place in your ears will protect you somewhat from hearing loss.
* Dogs – If you have some type of retriever, taking a dog on a dove shoot really makes the hunt more enjoyable. On a good hunt, a sportsman often picks 
up seven or eight doves of the 10 he shoots. But a retriever will locate all 10 birds, even in high grass or if you’ve shot a double. Don’t forget a bowl and a bottle of water for your dog during the hot weather of early dove season.
To get the Kindle e-cookbook “The Best Wild Game & Seafood Cookbook Ever: 350 Southern Recipes for Deer, Turkey, Fish, Seafood, Small Game and Birds” by John and Denise Phillips, click here.
About the Author
John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
