Photo by Mark Romanack

Mourning doves could offer the best public hunting opportunity of any game bird in the Prairie State. Thousands of the little gray rockets swoop through Illinois every fall, congregating in sometimes incredible numbers in sunflower fields and food plots grown with this migratory bird in mind on both public and private lands.

Landowners are more likely to grant access to private property for hunting because of the migratory nature of these critters in a time when pheasants and even quail are viewed as almost endangered species by those tasked with stewardship of private lands.

You don't have to rise at oh-dark-thirty and travel to a distant marsh to break ice and set decoys for this game bird. The late afternoon is often the best time to hunt, with short-sleeved shirts the clothing of choice early on, and maybe a sweatshirt later in the season in October.

These birds aren't that wary until they've been busted a few times. You don't have to dress like an enchanted stump and remain motionless for hours to lure them within range. Uneducated birds are pushing south throughout the season, providing almost continuous action for those serious about the sport.

Camouflage clothes, a little stealth and a keen eye are the basic prerequisites for getting into position to bust a few caps throughout the season. Once doves start using an area, their behavior is easy to predict -- although I never could figure out how the birds decide to travel on precise vectors over an old dead tree or copse of conifers every time without another bird to follow to the food, water or roost.

These game birds display definite preferences for habitat needs. They like to roost in locust trees. They love sunflower fields that are weed-free between the rows with open places and the heads bending low, with fields near water and grit being absolute dove magnets.

Doves prove the adage "if you build it, they will come." A number of public sites on state and federal lands are managed successfully for dove shooting. These feathered rockets in short order will locate other areas -- like thistle patches or freshly cut sorghum --.

One of the best ways to find where doves are working is to cruise back roads with a pair of binoculars and a plat book. Doves don't take evasive action in their travels through the air if they aren't being shot at. Find doves sitting on the power lines or an old dead tree and watch where they travel in flight. See several birds taking the same vector and you have a pattern.

Getting some shooting is basically a matter of setting up between Point A and Point B -- either pass-shooting at doves following established routes or intercepting them upon arrival at food, grit, water or roosting sites.

Of course, you still have to hit them! The average is something like one bird in the bag for every four or five shots taken. If you can bag a 15-bird limit with less than two boxes of No. 7 1/2s, you're doing well.

The dove's breast provides some outstanding eating. They're exceptional cuisine when pan-fried in butter, baked in a casserole over wild rice or skewered on a shish kebob. One favorite way to serve them is as appetizer with a half-breast pinned with a toothpick to a jalapeno pepper, slice of onion or tomato, and grilled.

Other than the need to purchase shotgun shells by the case, this sport requires little capital outlay. All you need is a 5-gallon bucket to sit on and to carry adequate water for both you and the dog, insect repellent, sun block and a pair of sunglasses to hide a look of embarrassment from cronies after missing another easy shot.

Dove hunting provides an exceptional training opportunity for your retriever. But hot weather and bright sun are hard on a dog. Choosing an ambush point with some shade is better than roasting in the hot sun at ground zero in the dove's flight path. Waiting until later in the afternoon is usually a good strategy. Even with that pea-sized brain, doves realize they're better off sitting up in trees when the sun is high overhead and there is no wind.