Dove Hunting

Dove Cover Image

Dove hunting

Hunting mourning and white-winged doves is one of the best ways for friends and family, including youth, to spend quality time afield. Socializing during the hunt is part of the fun. Sharing a meal of delicious, healthy dove breasts after the hunt also makes it special. Because dove hunting is popular with experienced and new hunters, the FWC has public hunting opportunities on several of its managed dove fields planted throughout the state.

The FWC also offers Saturday Dove Club permits and Daily Dove permits, which enable an adult and one youth (age 15 or younger) to hunt on a special-opportunity dove field. We plant the fields – you do the hunting! Apply at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com .

The only firearm you’re allowed to hunt doves with is a shotgun, and it must be plugged to a three-shell capacity (magazine and chamber combined). You may hunt doves over an agricultural field, as long as the crop has been planted as part of regular agricultural practices. However, it’s against the law to scatter agricultural products (like corn) over an area for the purpose of baiting. The University of Florida extension and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have published a guideline to planting effective, legal dove fields in Florida.