Dove hunting in South Africa

Dove shooting in South Africa can be a very rewarding and great sport. Three species of Doves are mainly hunted and these include Laughing Dove, Cape Turtle Dove and Red-eyed Dove. According to recent ornithological publications, Feral Pigeons as they were originally known have also been renamed Rock Doves, so that would make 4 species that are most commonly hunted. Doves are most commonly hunted in the central plateau maize (corn) growing areas of South Africa. In grain-growing regions, the best shooting takes place from May – July during the harvesting season. However, good Dove populations can be found anywhere farmers feed grain to their domestic stock, places like dairies and feedlots. The preferred hunting season is the winter months as summer is known as the breeding season. However, when food is freely available the birds even breed during winter in many of the warmer areas. Doves are classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN and no special hunting permits are required.