1. Soak plucked gamebirds in cold salt water for one hour; drain and pat dry. Set on a platter, tray, or cookie sheet large enough to hold all birds
2. Squeeze half-lemon over bird, inside and out.
3. Season with salt and pepper, inside and out.
4. Brush with oil, inside and oil.
5. Place garlic clove in cavity of bird and season, inside and out, with your herb of choice.
6. Allow birds to stand 1 hour. Grill over high heat—3 minutes per side per doves, 5 to 6 minutes for teal.
7. Serve immediately with sides of fresh garden produce

Note: If you prefer breasted birds, make marinade with lemon, oil, herbs, salt/pepper, and garlic—1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 cup of oil with other ingredients to taste. Soak breast for one hour; drain and pat dry. Grill until medium rare.
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Hunting season begins at different times for different people.

For some that’s Saturday of the 9-day gun deer season, while for others it’s the start of pheasant, grouse, duck, or bow. And for many NWTF members, it’s not really hunting season until their turkey permit says so.

While these may be openers for traditionalists, a host of migratory gamebird seasons begins September 1. These seasons give hunters additional opportunities. And surveys show that hunter opportunity is key in a world of plummeting license sales, where only enhanced recruitment, retention, and reactivation can save the day.

Mourning doves, teal, and Canada geese—the legal species that open on September 1—may seek out different habitats and may carry with them different hunting strategies and regulations.  But these gamebirds, which are largely local-raised and young-of-the-year, have one thing in common: they make for great eating.

Another unique opportunity that presents itself during the warm, waning days of summer is fresh garden produce. Ripe tomatoes and piquant peppers. Crispy green and wax beans. Sweet corn. Fresh herbs. And then there are apples, pears, raspberries, and blackberries waiting to be made into pies, cobblers, and sauces.
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As with many things in life, the motto “simplest is best” also applies to game cooking. For teal and mourning doves, that means a quick plucking or breasting followed by a one-hour soak in cold salted water to draw out the blood and shot.