Doves are delicious small game birds which are one of most highly prized table fare. Other small game birds, such as woodcock, quail, pigeon, rails, and snipe, are also highly rated dishes.
"Doves make excellent tablefare. The desirability of a bird or animal for eating is not related to is size. If size of the game were a condition for harvest then Iowans would no longer fish for perch, bluegill, or crappie nor hunt for woodcock, quail, or squirrel, which all have about the same amount of meat (4oz.) as a dove." ~Iowa DNR
Adding to Iowa DNR's statement, there are in fact many small gamebirds hunted throughout the United States that yield around 4oz. of meat. In addition to the mourning dove and other game species indicated by Iowa DNR, others game species yielding around 4 oz. of meat are the: Eurasian collared dove, white-winged dove, Virginia rail, sora rail, common snipe, scaled quail, California quail, gamble's quail, mountain quail, Montezuma quail and the northern bobwhite quail. We also want to point out and emphasize that hunters with limited space, particularly urban hunters, cannot readily butcher deer at or in their residences. However, these hunters are able to clean doves in their kitchen sinks; much the same as they would clean a bucket of bluegills or perch. |