Sonora dove season: what to expect month by month
Mourning and white-winged doves pour through Sonora's ag valleys from September to February. Here is what each month looks like — and the case for booking November.
Sonora is one of the great dove destinations on the continent. The combination of milo, sunflower and wheat agriculture, year-round water, and migratory bottleneck geography puts hunters under flights other regions only dream about.
Month by month
- September: Resident populations plus early migrants. Hot weather, mostly mourning doves. Good but not the peak.
- October: Migration kicks in. Mixed bag of mourning and whitewing. Pleasant temps. Underrated month.
- November: Peak whitewing migration. Cool mornings, evening flights that fill the sky. Our most-requested month.
- December: Strong volume continues, weather is ideal, and you can pair with mule deer in the same trip.
- January–February: Volume tapers but quality shoots are still common. Best paired with deer or quail.
What a day looks like
Two shoots per day — morning over water tanks or harvested fields, and evening over feed. Expect to shoot 6–12 boxes a day per gun in peak weeks. Bird boys retrieve, count and ice your harvest. We provide shells, loaner shotguns and water in the field.
Combo strategy
Bringing a non-hunting spouse or a friend on a mule deer hunt? Add three days of dove on the front or back end. It's the cheapest way to double the trip's value and the easiest hunt to share with someone new.
