I used to hunt doves, years ago, and have taken them mostly with a .410 or pellet gun. On other forums I have seen people advocating using everything up to 12 gauge on them. I swear some folks are just too competitive... That or just lousy shots... It's not exactly hard to sneak up on a dove, and as long as you're a decent shot you can take them out with almost anything. I used to eat dove breast, but it's been years. Tastes fine, just don't hunt them anymore, and knowing that bird flu has been found in the U.S. I'm less likely to just eat any wild bird now. Doves are pretty common, and their sounds are distinctive, so I basically went out looking and listening for them and shot them where I found them, no voodoo required. I was in the SE area as well, Perry County to be exact.
gp911