Dove season right around the corner

Hunting is here-ready or not. The first season is doves. Dove hunting is better described as a social shoot. Doves are usually targeted as they go into or out of feeding fields.

Blinds are not needed. And hunters usually don't put much effort into flushing doves from the ground. A nice spot under a shade tree in late afternoon is in order.

Mourning doves are elusive targets and fun to hunt. Early hunts are opportunities to gather with hunting buddies for some fun. Here are some tips to enjoy your hunts.

Dove Fields

Doves have weak legs. They don't scratch to find seed to eat like quail and turkeys. They forage on exposed small seeds of vegetation in fields with some bare ground. You won't find them feeding in dense thickets. Weed seed are prominent in their diet. Particularly attractive habitat is harvested grain fields such as millet, milo, or corn. Sunflower fields are good bets for finding doves. New clearcuts are good habitat for a couple of years before vegetation grows too dense. Clearcuts that have been site-prep burned or herbicided to reduce vegetation density are especially attractive. Mourning doves are migratory birds and hunting over bait is illegal.

Pressure

Long term, it's better if hunters can set up in the doves' flight path or the edges of feeding areas rather than directly in the feeding habitat. Doves will come to the site longer if there's no direct hunting pressure.

Also, don't shoot out your field. If you have a good dove field, only hunt half days and only two or three days a week. Some doves will often remain and attract new migrating doves. You can extend your hunts if you can get everybody to cooperate in this strategy, and not hammer the doves until you run off those left. Rotate fields you hunt if possible.

Retrievers

A large part of the real fun of a lot of hunting is hunting dogs. In wing shooting you feel a real sense of pride and accomplishment as your retriever holds steady to your shot, marks the bird, races to the fallen bird on command, and prances back proudly displaying his trophy. It really adds to the hunt. The cover surrounding downed birds is usually not thick. But doves don't have much of a smell for the ofactory tuned canines.

Take it easy with your retriever on the first hunt. Particularly so if you haven't kept him in shape or there are health issues. Heat and retrieving can be a real problem. Retrievers have such prey drive they don't know when to call it off. So you'll have to watch them carefully. And carry plenty of cold water for them and you.

Hunting Regulations

• North Zone Seasons: September 5-27, October 10- November 8, December 10-January 15

• Daily Bag 15

• Dove species: mourning, white-winged, Eurasian collared, ringed turtle.

• Shooting Hours: one-half hour before sunrise-sunset, but noon opening day of first split on WMA's and LDWF leased dove fields

• Closing: Don't litter. Pick up everything, including your shotgun hulls. And look forward to the dove and other good hunting opportunities ahead in our sportsman's paradise.

Dr. James G. Dickson-Award winning -author, researcher, wildlife biologist, and professor. Email him at jgdickson14@gmail.com