As I was duck hunting yesterday over my Mojo Dove decoy, I began pondering what is the ideal choke for hunting doves? Notoriously hard to hit, the mourning dove is a very sporting bird to hunt as well as often lending ample opportunities to shoot.
The two things that need to be taken into consideration here is shot size and choke combination. Any time you are targeting smaller birds in the air it pays to downsize your shot size. When it comes to doves, however, most people are shooting the same thing - 8 shot. I would definitely recommend shooting 8's or 9's when targeting doves. Give that shot size, the choke now is front and center. After much reading and noting impacts in the field I say a modified choke is the way to go for doves. Smaller birds require tighter patterns to ensure hits when you are on target. There is nothing worse than being perfectly centered on a bird only to watch it continue flying due to insufficient pattern density. I have witnessed skeet and improved cylinder having this exact affect on doves.
I suggest you try a modified choke next time you are chasing doves. Use the same thinking pattern in if you are targeting teal vs. mallards and geese.