If going into the dove fields for you means driving up to your spot in your pickup truck and unloading before heading back to an out-of-the-way place to park, then you already have the ultimate carry all for your gear.

The pickup is undefeated in hauling hunting gear.

However, if you have to walk out to your spot, like I will have to do, since vehicles aren’t permitted in the area I hunt, then you may need something to carry all your dove hunting gear.

The past couple years I got away with going bare bones with just a shotgun, ammo in a carpenter’s style nail pouch on my waist and a folding chair. I didn’t need much else, and honestly, I was trying to get away with hunting with as little gear as humanly possible.

But after watching too many high flying birds pass me by, and wasting precious shotshells shooting at them out of frustration, I decided to up my game with some much needed decoy action to get those birds in closer for a higher percentage shot.

Using decoys is an excellent plan of attack for dove hunting, but suddenly my minimalist approach to hunting was out the window. I needed more carrying capacity, or a second set of hands. Since a second set of hands wasn’t a real option, I decided a backpack and a legit dove/upland hunting belt was the answer to my gear carrying issues.

First, I opted for the Pursuit backpack, in Realtree Edge camo, from ALPS Outdoorz. This pack is designed for bow hunters but is ideal for my purposes. Not to mention it’s comfortable and the Edge camo pattern works well for where I will be hunting.

One of the main features that piqued my interest is the drop-down pocket to carry a bow or, in my case, a gun. Since I will be shooting a semi-auto 20ga this dove season, and not an over and under that I can throw over my shoulder, being able to secure the shotgun to the pack leaving my hands free is what I call a high value product feature.

At an MSRP of MSRP: $119.99, the Pursuit pack is feature-laden. From its 44L capacity, to the drop-down pocket to carry a bow or shotgun, to its padded waist belt with pockets, and several more additional features, this pack is designed to get you and your gear out in the field.

The second feature that I really like, based on what I’ll need to carry out to my spot, is the strapping to attach a bow quiver. Again, I’m not using a bow but the versatility the straps offer allows me to easily stow the MOJO Dove Tree, which is comprised of three 29” sections held together by an internal elastic band. I can just pull the sections apart, fold them up and tether them to the pack.

These are two accessory driven features that help to make this an excellent pack for me. But the main event is the 44L capacity. As soon as I received the pack I started planning the load out of the three different decoy types I would be using.

I was relieved to find, that as I had hoped, the Pursuit provided exactly the internal capacity I needed for all nine decoys, and did so without me having to force any of the decoys into the backpack.

However, those nine decoys do take up a lot of room, which is why I opted to step up my upland hunting belt game with one actually made for hunting…instead of home improvement. The Deluxe Dove Belt, also from ALPS Outdoorz, gives a ton more capacity than my usual go-to of a carpenter’s waist apron.

Don’t get me wrong. I love this style of ammo holder, and started using one several years back for sporting clays. But dove hunting means carrying shotshells in, and spent hulls and dead birds (hopefully) out.

The Deluxe Dove Belt features a two inch wide belt for plenty of support. It has two ‘hold open’ punches for your shotshells and empty hulls. And the mesh bottom of the large game pouch helps condensation drain easily. These three pouches can be arranged on the belt to best suit your ergonomic preference, or you can remove any if you prefer a less is more approach.

The Deluxe Dove Belt gives you plenty of capacity and comfortably positions that added weight across your hips. With the two hold-open shotshell pouches you can easily access shotshells and then store your spent hulls, to carry out what you carried in.

In my book, because this is Arizona and I’ll be hunting in a desert, and the average temps on September first range from a low of 77 to a high of 102, the essential feature of this piece of gear is the water bottle pouch.

Here in Grand Canyon State, dehydration is the leading cause of feeling absolutely miserable. I’ve made the mistake of heading out into the field without water to drink, and that lack of water makes you want to call it a day a helluva lot sooner than you’d like.

I’ll have that pouch stuffed with an insulated water bottle that’s spent the last day of August filled with water and sitting in my refrigerator.

I should note, though, that the Pursuit backpack is hydration compatible, but my personal preference is to go out with a water bottle on my waist. If I were required to go farther afield, as a big game hunter might on their way to the blind or tree stand, then a hydration bladder tucked into the Pursuit would absolutely be the way to go.

The great thing about both these products is that while I am using them first and foremost for dove hunting, they can be used in other sporting applications. I will definitely make use of the Pursuit backpack beyond dove hunting. And the Deluxe Dove Belt will turn into the ‘Deluxe Clay Target Belt’ in no time at all.

If your dove hunting season plans have you searching for ways to handle more gear, then these two products from ALPS Outdoorz may be the solution to your problem. They are for me.

– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network