A dove's diet consists almost
entirely of seeds from cultivated fields and weeds along
fence rows. Dove generally do not feed in areas containing
heavy, densely-matted vegetation. Instead they prefer bare
ground on which seeds are plentiful.
Dove are primarily farm game birds that thrive where grain
crops are grown and require open or semi-open lands. Dove
can travel considerable distances in search of food, water,
and gravel, but prefer easy access to them.
Since the dove is a migratory species, local environmental
changes generally do not limit their ability to survive.
If you are hunting in the afternoon, it is usually to
your advantage to hunt near a body of water. Dove will
normally feed in the morning and afternoon and are notorious
for heading to the nearest watering hole for a drink prior
to going to roost. This strategy, while not fool proof,
can help a hunter get their limit.
Normally the best times to hunt dove are early in the
morning when they are leaving their roost in search of
food, or in the evening after they have fed and are heading
to roost. Some of the most ideal hunting areas are large,
open cultivated fields containing several bodies of water.
More White Wing Dove facts:
most
dove nests contain one to three eggs
doves
will typically lay eggs in 18 hour intervals
dove
chicks hatch in 14 days and can fly after only 10 days
some
dove live to be 15 years old or older
white-wing
dove are typically 33% larger than their cousin the mourning dove
because
of their increased size, white-wing dove can eat larger seeds
than mourning dove
studies
conducted by state officials in Texas have shown that hunting
pressures have had minimal impact on the quantity of birds.
most
dove nests contain one to three eggs