Turtle Dove

Hunting season: Second Saturday of August – November 30

The turtle dove is a migratory bird. The hunting season starts in August. The daily hunt in northeastern Bulgaria is very good. The area and the biotope are ideal for the species – enormous agricultural massifs with cereals chopped by forest and waterways. The number of shot birds can easily reach 40-50 pcs. The turtle dove is a real challenge for the experienced hunter. Its flight is fast and slick, and hunting is difficult and requires serious shooting skills.

Scientific Name: Streptopelia turtur

Habitat: open rather than dense woodlands, and frequently feeds on the ground.

Description: The mature bird has the head, neck, flanks, and rump blue grey, and the wings cinnamon, mottled with black. The breast is vinaceous, the abdomen and under tail coverts are white. The bill is black, the legs and eye rims are red. The black and white patch on the side of the neck is absent in the browner and duller juvenile bird, which also has the legs brown.

Hunting method: Shooting over decoys, lying in wait

Hunting available in: All areas of distribution in Bulgaria.