National prominence
Barred Dove
Barred dove (Zebra Dove) favors Hawaii's dry lowlands: agricultural fields, pasture breaks, and suburban edge with open, short-grass feeding ground near water. It's Hawaii's most abundant introduced bird, though little modern hunting pressure targets it.
How to hunt Barred Dove
Hawaii's dry lowlands: agricultural fields, pasture breaks, and suburban and urban edges, with open, short-grass feeding ground near water, up to about 1,000 meters elevation. The species is notably tame, often foraging and courting within a few feet of people, including around outdoor and indoor restaurant tables, and forms large flocks, sometimes 1,000 or more birds, at water holes and feeding sites. That's a different starting profile than mourning dove's wary, pass-shooting-adapted one.
No source gives an effective range for barred dove hunting specifically. Reasoned estimate: short-to-moderate, roughly 15 to 30 yards, shorter on average than mourning dove's 20-to-40-yard bracket. This species' tameness and habit of feeding close to people suggests closer encounters, and it's typically taken during walked-up hunts for other species rather than posted pass-shooting, which produces flush-range shots rather than long crossing shots.
Barred dove is taken incidentally during general walked-up upland hunts for pheasant, francolin, and chukar on the same public units and season dates, rather than through a dedicated dove hunt. There's no mainland-style posted pass-shooting or decoy setup built around this species specifically, and dedicated hunting of barred dove has been minimal since the 1970s.
What changes through the season
- Hunted alongside pheasant, francolin, and chukar rather than through a dedicated dove season
Barred dove is taken incidentally during general walked-up upland hunts on Hawaii's public units, not through a mainland-style dedicated dove hunt with posted pass-shooting or decoys. A hunter most likely carries whatever gauge is already in hand for the primary target, and the mixed-bag walking style produces closer, flush-range shots rather than long pass shots.
What to load for this hunt
Lead
- Gauge
- 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge
- Shot size
- #8, #9Estimate
- Gauge follows the same 12/20/28-gauge convention already standard for Hawaii's other upland species, since hunters most likely carry whatever gauge they're already using for the concurrent pheasant or francolin hunt. Shot size shifts one step lighter than mourning dove's #7.5 baseline, to #8/#9, given this bird's much smaller body (roughly 45 to 55 grams versus mourning dove's 120 to 135 grams), though not further, since #9 is near the practical floor for wingshooting shot. Choke opens to Skeet/Improved Cylinder, dropping Modified, matching the shorter range and smaller, more fragile body; nothing points to late-season wariness that would call for a tighter option.
- Choke
- Skeet, Improved Cylinder
Non-toxic
| Steel | Bismuth | Tungsten-matrix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot size | #7, #8Tested #7-8, matching the standard dove-category conversion (lead #7.5 to steel #7-8). Choke stays at Skeet/Improved Cylinder; no opening needed at this short a range. | #7, #8Agency #7-8, following the general dove convention of sizing bismuth one size larger than the equivalent lead load. Choke is capped at Modified as a ceiling, though not a binding one at this short a range. | #8, #9Estimate Same as the lead baseline, #8/#9. Tungsten-matrix's density is close enough to lead that no size or choke adjustment is needed. |
| Choke | Skeet, Improved Cylinder | Skeet, Improved Cylinder | Skeet, Improved Cylinder |
Where it is open, and what the survey says
- HawaiiNo season foundAwaiting survey — Hawaii 2026
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