Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Opportunity abounds in late season dove hunting in Arkansas

When Christmas approaches, a handful of Arkansas hunters go after doves.

That's right. While most dove hunting is done over a couple of days in early September, the challenging birds are around in abundant numbers late in the year.


The late dove season runs from Saturday, Dec. 21, through Sunday, Jan. 9, statewide.



Dove Hunt TN - GoProHD Video




Mes - a 1.5 year old Lab accompanies me on a Dove Hunt in Franklin, Tennessee.

For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Texas Dove hunt raises money for sick children Saturday, Sept. 21


In the year Hunt for the Cure has been in Texas, they've reached numerous families and touched countless lives. Now, with the help of local hunters, Hunt for the Cure is shooting for more.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, Hunt for the Cure will host its first annual benefit dove hunt at Nolan Ranch in Erath County. Event organizers said check-in will begin at 5 a.m. and spots are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is $60 per hunter and can be paid on the day of the event or pre-register online at www.texashuntforthecure.com.

Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served throughout the day - and not just for hunters Event organizers are inviting anyone interested in learning about the organization or in helping out, to join them at the ranch. Shirts, hats, visors and more will be available for purchase. Nolan Ranch is located at 755 County Road 230 in Stephenville.

While the organization continues to grow its participation numbers, director Stacy Stanberry said the group's funds are continuing to match thanks to a core group of sponsors and volunteers who keep the charity running. Fundraisers like the hunt and a golf tournament held in March, help to add more children to the list.


Stanberry said all the funds donated and raised go directly to helping take kids on hunts and fishing trips. He said the organization pays for all the meals, overnight stays and even provides vouchers for gas and other travel costs generated by the trips. The locations, hunts, guides and all other hunt or fishing trip expenses are donated and volunteer provided.

For more information on Hunt for the Cure or how to register visit www.texashuntforthecure.com or call Stanberry at (972) 750-8631 or (214) 329-5144.



Georgia Opening Dove Hunt 2012 - Video



Opening Georgia Dove Hunt 2012 filmed with GoPro Hero II


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com


Friday, August 30, 2013

Decoying Doves Over Soar No More Decoys - Dove Hunt - Video


dove hunting silage fields in ohio with mojo decoys


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com


Thursday, August 29, 2013

Dove hunters ready for early start


By Peter Ottesen

The most anticipated upland game bird hunting season in California opens Sunday when the first half of the mourning dove shoot gets underway and runs through Sept. 15. Approximately 87,000 shotgun enthusiasts are expected to go afield.

"There is greater participation among hunters who seek doves than for any other upland species," said Scott Gardner, upland game bird coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. "It's the first shotgun hunting season of the autumn and people experience a high success rate. They usually harvest some."

The daily bag is 10 doves per day. The possession limit is triple the daily bag after the first two days of the season. The second half of the season runs Nov. 9 through Dec. 23.

San Joaquin County residents, especially those near the outskirts of towns or in rural areas, should expect plenty of gunfire when the season opens at 6:05 a.m. Sunday, a half-hour before sunrise.

"The dove hunting tradition is extremely strong," Gardner said. "People plan trips around the season, perhaps to the desert or Sierra foothills. Many enjoy an after-hunt barbecue with neighbors and family. Since a typical dove shoot can accommodate quite a number of hunters, camaraderie is a big part of it."
State and federal scientists cooperatively band and annually assess the dove harvest and its effect on the overall populations.

"Doves are among our closest monitored birds," Gardner said. "There are plenty of them."



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Kentucky Dove Hunt - Video



Football aside, if its dove season, it's officially fall. To kick off the Sept. 4 opening day, the "Kentucky Afield" TV crew was busy nabbing its limit. Host Tim Farmer, who didn't hunt because he was recovering from minor surgery, kept everyone else in stitches in the field.


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com


Monday, August 26, 2013

IL Area Outdoor: Annual dove roundup shows promise


By CURT HICKEN

The dove season opener (Sept. 1) is, once again, nearly upon us. And as in the past, area hunters will find numerous public sites offering excellent gunning for these fast-flying targets. Early reports indicate large numbers of doves congregating at many of the public hunting areas throughout the River Bend. This can only mean exciting opening-day action!

Veteran dove hunters often spend as more time traveling the back roads searching for concentrations of doves as they actually do hunting. Fresh cut silage (though rare) and recently harvested wheat fields also serve as huge dove magnets. Feeding doves will swarm to these areas during the late afternoon and evening hours.

Gaining access to these types of hunting lands can be fairly simple if the landowners are approached in a appropriate manner. In fact, many times the landowners may also wish to join in on the hunt.
Good action can also be found at many federal and state managed public hunting areas. Most of the top public hunting areas offer gunning over carefully groomed sunflower fields. As even better news, most public hunting areas are reporting good to excellent stands of sunflowers. There are a few, due to a late planting, that may be less than ripe by the season opener.

Though regulations at many public sites require permits for the first few days of the season, a limited number of standby opportunities are usually available. In addition, many sites offer hunting on a first-come or daily draw basis after the opening-day crowds disappear.

Rules at most public hunting areas permit hunters to use only shotgun shells containing shot sizes 7 1/2, 8 or 9, or number 6 or smaller steel. Hunters using shells containing bismuth shot must use size 7 1/2 or smaller.

Some areas including Des Plaines, Green River, Horseshoe Lake State Park, Kankakee River, Mount Vernon Game Farm, Sangchris Lake and Silver Springs also require the use of shells containing only non-toxic shot. Hunters should always check for site specific regulations before planning a trip to any public hunting area.



Kentucky dove hunt season opener may be abnormally ... norma

If the weather forecasters are on target, the upcoming week should be hot and dry across most of Kentucky. That means conditions leading up to the Sept. 1 dove season opener will be close to normal — unlike most of this summer.

The strange summer weather — very wet and surprisingly cool — probably won’t have any measurable effect on the doves or the 55,000 or so Kentuckians who chase them each year.

“The weather has made some of the crops late, but most of our (public dove) fields are in good shape, especially in the west,” state migratory bird specialist Rocky Pritchert said. “I’ve had reports from Ballard (Wildlife Management Area) that some of those fields were holding up to 200 birds.”

Doves are migratory birds that are fairly weather-sensitive. A field can be loaded with them one day and seemingly empty the next.

Or vice versa.


“It’s true that it is hard to predict about doves, but I guess you could say that about ducks or geese or any other wild critter, too,” Pritchert said. “But the forecast is for hot and dry weather all this week, so I think we should have some good bird numbers.”



Texas Sportsman Fred Rodriguez White Wing Dove Hunting - Video



Texas Sportsman Fred Rodriguez goes out for a weekend of white wing hunting in the South Texas brush during the first weeks of the season, 2012.


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com



Saturday, August 24, 2013

More dove hunting sites up for '13 - Mississippi



The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks offers the Private Lands Dove Field Program. This year, there is even more opportunity.

With the addition of several new fields, hunts are now available at seven sites across the state, up from five last year.

Fields are located in Prentiss, Tate, Kemper, Rankin, Copiah, Jones and Pearl River counties and have been planted in various small-grain crops preferred by doves such as sunflowers, browntop millet and corn.

Only a limited number of permits are available on each field. They are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. A permit will allow for a person to hunt a field on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons for the first two dove seasons. Hunting only three afternoons per week helps maintain hunt quality.

MDWFP offers three different permits that are required for hunters 16 years old and older. Up to two youths can hunt with a permitted adult hunter free of charge.



Dove hunting interest on rise - Iowa


By JOE WILKINSON Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources

Hunter interest remains high, heading into Iowa’s third mourning dove season. The 70-day season opens Sept. 1, with birds now pouring into Iowa on their southward migration.

Migrating birds are noticed in the early days of August, building through the late summer. The number of hunters should edge upward, too.

“I expect a little bump up in hunter numbers again, as more of them learn about dove hunting. A few more friends will come along,” predicts DNR upland research biologist Todd Bogenschutz.

Last year, 9,328 dove hunters harvested 94,864 birds; according to the post-season small game survey.
That was up from 8,780 hunters, taking 57,285 mourning doves in 2011; the first year of dove hunting in Iowa. Iowa’s summer ‘call count’ showed a stable local dove population early this summer.

“Hunters are learning more; about hunting and where to find doves,” says Bogenschutz. “That first week is good. It’ll drop off after the first killing frost, but there are great hunting opportunities throughout the two month season.”

The continent’s most populous game bird, mourning doves offer a new type of hunting for Iowans. It more often resembles ‘pass shooting’ familiar to waterfowl hunters.

Food sources
Doves will concentrate in fields that have been harvested or which have food plots…especially if bare ground is available. Rather than walking and flushing birds, camouflaged hunters should ‘sit and wait’, near food sources, water or roosting locations.

As with most upland species, weather is always a factor.

A soggy April and May meant numerous fields did not get planted, or were flooded. Bogenschutz says he has noticed plenty of fields in the past weeks, which came up in weeds or which might have had a cover crop like winter wheat planted. Both offer great dove hunting, especially if disked to provide bare ground for feeding.

Public areas
Iowa’s best dove hunting is probably on public wildlife areas, with sunflower plantings. Hunters increase their chances of success by scouting ahead of time; checking with wildlife biologists in their area, for locations of sunflower plots or — in the case of flooded fields — areas replanted late with cover crops.

The Iowa DNR’s website www.iowadnr.gov has a variety of mourning dove hunting information; from a ‘how to’ video, to Iowa’s online hunting atlas.

Mourning doves are classed as a federal migratory bird. A migratory bird fee (known formerly as the duck stamp) is not required to hunt doves. However, hunters must apply for a HIP number, when buying their hunting license…if they intend to hunt for doves.

Safety is always a primary concern during hunting season. Mourning dove season offers a few specific cautions. One requires knowing who else is ‘out there.’

Hunters should recognize that other hunters will be sharing the same dove fields … and that they should limit their field of fire, as the darting, fast flying doves sail through. Shorter, 20-25 yard shots using a shotgun with an open choke is recommended, especially for beginners.

And though not a safety tip, hunters are reminded to scoop up spent shot shells before they leave; especially on public areas that may be hunted heavily in the first couple weeks of the season.
Online source

Hunters looking to places to hunt doves when the season opens Sept. 1, can find these areas and more online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting.



Friday, August 23, 2013

The Northwest Outdoorsmen - WA Dove Hunt - Video



The Northwest is a wing shooters paradise, with a great variety of game birds and generous hunting seasons. Mike Harrod starts off this episode in central Washington hunting September doves and later, he and his son Dax look to fool early season geese in eastern Washington. Finally, Michele Harrod experiences her first out of state hunt for turkeys in northeast Oregon. The action is non-stop!

Dove Hunting starts at about 1:30


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com


How to fillet a Whitewing dove - Video


Instructional Video on how to de-bone a whitewing dove

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Chef Brady - Cooking Dove - Video Recipe



Chef Brady shows us how to create a spectacular dish by cooking dove and grilled scallion mashed potatoes. Cooking Dove with a Firestone Double Barrel Ale

"Double Barrel Dove" This is a new and exciting spin on cooking dove breast.



For More Wild Game Recipes Please Visit WildGameandFishRecipes.com


Sunday, August 18, 2013

8th Annual Memorial Quail Hunt in Hillsboro, IL - Video



Host Harry Canterbury of Adventure Sports Outdoors presents the 8th Annual Memorail Quail Hunt in Hillsboro, IL. Original air date on WTVP Peoria, IL was January 29th, 2011. Don Cranfill and Don Burton.


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Охота на горлицу с чучелами. (Dove hunt in Ukraine) Сезон 2012 г - Video



Охота на горлицу с чучелами. (Dove hunt in Ukraine) Сезон 2012 г

For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Dove Hunting in Illinois and in Tupelo, MI - Video



Annual Labor Day Hunt in Kilbourne, IL with Dave Fornoff. A 2nd Hunt takes place in Tupelo Mississippi. Join host Harry Canterbury for an Adventure Sports Outdoors Dove Hunting adventure! Original Air date was September 26th, 2009 on WTVP PBS, Peoria, IL.

Video starts at about 1:50


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Outdoor Wisconsin Dove Hunt - Video



Dan Small joins a group of friends for an opening-day dove hunt in Ozaukee County.


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Dove Hunting in El Centro, CA - Video



Watch this fun documentary about dove hunting in El Centro, California. You will also get to know "Dieter" a one of a kind Munsterlander bird retriever.
Brought to you by http://southerncaliforniahunting.com



For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

SOUTH CAROLINA LABOR DAY DOVE HUNT WITH STUCKEY FARMS - Video



We were fortunate to join Shane Stuckey and family for a fun filled afternoon hunt and lunch. Great to have some partners join us from Irby St. Sporting Goods, Anglers Sporting Goods, Crowne Beverage, and our good friend Capt Jay Baisch. a 100 degree day could not keep us away from getting out and enjoying a fall tradition.


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Bird Hunting America with Tom Knapp and CZ-USA - Argentina - Video



Full version of the dove hunt that took place in Argentina with Tom Knapp and CZ-USA


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

ARIZONA DOVE HUNT - Video



DOVE HUNTING IN ARIZONA WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

DU-TV 2011 Ep.3 - Texas Teal and Dove - Video



Huntley Ritter rides into town for a fast-paced, early season teal and dove hunt on the Texas Garwood Prairie with Texas DU volunteers, staff and friends of the ducks.

Dove Hunt starts @ 12:55


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Bayou Country Outdoors - Dove Hunt 08 06 2013 - Video



Bayou Country Outdoors - Dove Hunt (08 06 2013)


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Georgia 2013 - 2014 Dove Season

Dove
Statewide:
September 7 - 22
October 12 - 20
November 28 - January 11
15 per day, 45 in possession

Delaware 2013 Dove Season Information




Please check with the state for any updates or changes:
http://www.eregulations.com/delaware/hunting/small-game-hunting/

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Monday, August 12, 2013

A fast flying, fast shooting, Kentucky Dove Hunt - Video



We head to Clark County where we were greeted with a sky full of birds. Watch the fast flying, fast shooting day afield.


For More Bird Hunting Videos Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Alabama Mourning dove season is near - Confusing top-sowing wheat guidelines keep hunters away

Written by  Rob Newman

With mourning dove season only a month away in the north zone, Alabama hunters should welcome a new publication from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System that outlines a change in wheat-planting guidelines for Alabama.

The new guidelines eliminate the three zones in Alabama and set Aug. 1 through Nov. 30 as acceptable top-sown wheat planting dates.

Alabama has seen a reduction in participation in the time-honored tradition of hunting doves with family and friends in a relaxed social atmosphere because of the fear of inadvertently running afoul of hunting regulations.

Landowners and leaseholders were often confused about guidelines for top-sowing wheat. The Extension System updated the planting recommendations this year and produced brochure ANR-1467, “Mourning Dove Biology and Management in Alabama,” which is available for download at www.aces.edu/pubs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has authority over the management of migratory birds, but relies on the respective extension systems to recommend what constitutes normal agricultural practices in each state.

The brochure states that multiple sowing of seeds on the same ground without a valid reason (drought or flooding) would not be a “normal” agricultural practice.

It would also not be considered “normal” if wheat is piled, clumped or concentrated. The planting rate for top-sown wheat should not exceed 200 pounds per acre. Specific guidelines must be followed with top-sown winter wheat.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Recent Rains May Affect Kansas Dove Hunting Season



WEST MINERAL, KS.--- This summer's heavy rainfall could have an impact on the number of doves harvested in Southeast Kansas. Doves eat sunflower seeds, and usually hunters have four sunflower fields to choose from in Cherokee County. But, rain forced field managers with the Kansas Department of Wildlife to only plant two, cutting in half the number of fields and the opportunities for hunters.

"We usually plant the fields in mid April, and due to having a fairly wet April, we weren't able to get them in," said David Shanholtzer, Kansas Department of Wildlife Field Manager.

In fact, planting was delayed until May, meaning fewer flowers and and a tougher time attracting doves.

"We may speed up the process by spraying the field to cause them to lose their leaves faster," said Shanholtzer. 


That way the sunflower seeds fall to the ground, attracting more doves. That's an uphill battle, because there are fewer flowers, there are more weeds covering the bare spots. One more challenge in what's become a trend. 2012 was also a tough year for the doves.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Forty-Eight Fields Available for Public Dove Hunting in SC

Forty-eight public dove fields will be available across the state during the 2013-14 mourning dove season through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Management Area program. A county-by-county list of public dove fields and special youth hunts is available online or can be obtained by writing: DNR, Attn: Public Dove Fields, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, or by calling (803) 734-3886 in Columbia. The Public Dove Field List is also available at local DNR offices. Public dove fields are open only on dates and times as specified in the public dove field list, and may be more restrictive than statewide seasons.

The 2013-14 mourning dove season will run as follows: Sept. 2-7 (noon until sunset); Sept. 8–Oct. 5; Nov. 23-30; and Dec. 19–Jan. 15. Legal hunting hours for mourning dove season, except for Sept. 2-7, are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. The daily bag limit is 15 birds per day. The state’s mourning dove season is set each year by the DNR Board within a framework of regulations and timetables issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


For the initial hunts on Saturday, September 7, the number of hunters will be limited by a public drawing on five fields – the Oak Lea WMA field in Clarendon County, the Tuomey Fields (2 fields) in Sumter County, the Draper Tract field in York County, and the Pee Dee Station site in Florence County. Applications are available online or by calling (803) 734-3609. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on August 14.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

South Carolina Youth dove hunt offered in Union County by DNR, U.S. Forest Service

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service will co-sponsor a youth dove hunt at the U.S. Forest Service Herbert public dove field in Union County on Saturday, Sept. 7. No pre-registration is required, and there is no cost to attend.

The hunt will begin at noon and end at 6 p.m., and young hunters are limited to 50 shells each. If you have questions you may call the Union office of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at (864) 427-5140 or the U.S. Forest Service office at (864) 427-9858.

Youth participants must be age 17 or younger and must be accompanied by an adult 21 years old or older. Adults may have one but no more than two youth at a stand, and only one youth at a time is allowed to shoot. Adults are not permitted to shoot on youth hunts, and all shooting must be done by youth only. Adults who are accompanying young hunters on this special youth hunt will not be required to have any hunting license or permits. Youth who are under 16 years of age are not required to have any license or permit. Youth who are age 16 or 17 are required to have a Junior Sportsman’s License or a one-time Apprentice License, which waives hunter education requirements for one year.

Beginning Sept. 14, the second Saturday of the season, the area will be open for public hunting on Saturday afternoons only during the first segment of the mourning dove season. During the second and third segments of the season, the field will be open Monday through Saturday during the afternoons only. All adults hunting this field after the opening day youth hunt must have a valid South Carolina hunting license, Wildlife Management Area (WMA) permit and the free Migratory Bird or Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit.



Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Dove Cleaning and Cooking - Dove with Gravy - Video Recipe



Just one of many ways to prepare these delicious little birds (mourning doves). I only cooked up three - that is enough to fill me. But, if you have a bigger appetite I have good news - the daily bag limit is usually 10-20 birds. :)


For More Dove Videos Please Visit DoveHunterTV.com

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

AR Game and Fish panel sets Sunday opening for dove hunting season

By Joe Mosby

Arkansas News Correspondent

The state Game and Fish Commission decided Thursday on a Sunday opening for this year’s dove hunting season.

The opening had sparked some debate among dove hunters. Most seasons traditionally open on Saturday. With Sept. 1 falling on a Sunday, the commission’s decision was between opening on a Sunday with the Labor Day holiday following the next day or waiting until Saturday. Sept. 7.
Federal regulations do not permit dove hunting to begin earlier that Sept. 1. The state wildlife agency kept tally on hunters’ opinions, and 57 percent favored the Sept. 1 opening and 43 percent preferred a Sept. 7 opening. Others were undecided.

Dates for duck and goose hunting, except for the early Canada goose hunts, will be set at the commission’s August meeting.

The early migratory bird seasons set Thursday:
—Mourning Dove and Eurasian Collared Dove, Sept. 1-Oct. 20 and Dec. 21-Jan. 9.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Texas gets expanded area, bag limits for dove hunting

By Chris Smith

Texas bird hunters might consider investing in an extra box or two of shells this year to take advantage of increased bag and possession limits and expanded opportunities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved for Texas this year an expanded Special White-Wing Dove Area (SWWDA), a six bird daily bag during the September teal season and increased possession limits for all migratory game birds.

The SWWDA will now extend eastward along its current boundary and continue south along Interstate 37 from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, effectively doubling its current size.

“For the last two decades, white-winged dove populations have steadily expanded both their numbers and their geographical extent,” said Dave Morrison, Small Game Program Director with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “We believe, and the Service agrees, an expansion is appropriate to take advantage of additional hunting opportunities.”

To take advantage of the earliest possible opening dates for the special area, the season will run Sept. 1 through Labor Day (Sept. 2), and then re-open Sept. 7-8.

The bag limit during the four-day season is 15 doves in the aggregate to include no more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves and hunting is permitted only from noon to sunset.
Dove season in the North and Central zones will run concurrent from Sept. 1-Oct. 20 and Dec. 20-Jan. 8. The South Zone dove season is set for Sept. 20-Oct. 27 and Dec. 20-Jan. 20, with the season in the SWWDA Sept. 20-Oct. 23 and Dec. 20-Jan. 20.


Also new this year, teal hunters will be able to take up to six teal daily during the statewide September teal-only season, set to run Sept.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Application Approaching for San Diego County Dove Hunt


The application deadline for dove hunting in the at Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve is approaching quickly and hunters are encouraged to apply immediately. Only 20 hunters will be allowed to participate.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Upland Game Bird Stamp Program manage this unique opportunity to hunt for dove in the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve in San Diego County. Applications are due Wed. Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. and are available on the CDFW website athttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/.

The dove hunt is Sat. Sept. 7, from 6 a.m. to sunset at the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve in east San Diego County, between the towns of Jamul and Dulzura. The selected hunters will have access to the reserve from check-in time to sunset and may hunt in parties up to four people. Use of dogs is optional but dogs much be kept on a leash and in the owners immediate control at all times. CDFW will not be providing dogs for the hunt.

All hunters must have a valid 2013 hunting license and the proper hunter safety equipment in order to participate and will be allowed to take a maximum legal limit of dove. CDFW wildlife officers will be on hand to check equipment and ensure compliance with hunting laws and regulations.

For more information contact Nick Bechtel, CDFW Region 5 at (805) 965-3059.

Applications are available http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/, for questions regarding application process please call (916) 445-3565.


Media Contacts:
Nick Bechtel, CDFW Region 5, (805) 965-3059
Andrew Hughan, CDFW Communications, (916) 322-8944

Argentina Dove Hunting - June 2013 - Kuwait Group - Cordoba, Argentina - Video


Argentina Dove Hunting - June 2013 - Kuwait Group - Cordoba, Argentina

Dove hunting in Argentina, August 2012 - Phillip Thorrold with C&C Outfitters - Video


Dove hunting in Argentina, August 2012 - Phillip Thorrold with C&C Outfitters


For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Alabama 2013 Dove Season

USFWS set the season frameworks in each state. Alabama has a 70-day season with a three-way split. Alabama’s dove seasons are in two zones. The north zone dates are Sept. 7-Oct. 6, Oct. 19-Nov. 2 and Dec. 7-Dec. 31. The south zone dates are Sept. 21-Sept. 29, Oct. 12-Oct. 27 and Nov. 29-Jan. 12. The bag limit and possession limit is 15 birds per person.

As always check your state rules and regs for updates / changes.

Alabama - New Planting Regulations to Ease Dove Hunting Restrictions


by David Rainer Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Understanding what constitutes legal dove hunting should be easier this fall after the Alabama Cooperative Extension System published new planting guidelines for Alabama.

In previous years, the state had been divided into three zones with three sets of acceptable planting dates for top-sown wheat. The new recommendations eliminate the zones and set the acceptable dates for top-sowing wheat as August 1 through November 30.

Conservation Commissioner N. Gunter Guy Jr. had recently expressed to the Enforcement Section of the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) that he wanted to remove the reluctance of hunters and landowners to participate in dove season for fear of running afoul of the regulations.

Commissioner Guy and the Enforcement Section met with the Extension System and discussed the concern. The Extension System recognized the need to update some planting recommendations and according produced the ANR-1467 brochure.

“Dove hunting is a tradition in Alabama that is much more than shooting birds,” Guy said. “It’s a social event where families and friends can come together, share a meal and reconnect, as well as enjoy a day in the dove field. We want to do everything possible to make sure that the dove-hunting tradition is preserved and revitalized.”

WFF Biologist Jeff Makemson, who has participated in the dove-banding project in recent years, said the change in acceptable planting dates is a big deal.

“That’s a huge change,” Makemson said. “The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), which is the authority on planting, just recently made that change. It allows the farmer more flexibility. It also removes some of the fear dove hunters have of hunting over a field with top-sown wheat.

“I think it’s a positive change. It’s hard to justify why one person in Marengo County and another person in the next county, say Greene County, had a 14-day difference on acceptable planting dates. That’s a substantial difference, especially when it comes to dove hunting. It’s just much more of a common-sense approach. The farmer, who has been planting for 40, 50 or 60 years, knows what to do. I also think it will put our dove hunters much more at ease.”

Because the mourning dove is a migratory bird, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has authority over the management of the birds. However, agricultural practices vary so widely from state to state that USFWS defers to the state Cooperative Extension Systems to determine what are normal agricultural operations in each state.

ACES has published a new brochure, “ANR-1467 Mourning Dove Biology and Management in Alabama,” that outlines the guidelines for dove management and acceptable agricultural practices that relate to dove hunting.

Makemson said the parameters and planting recommendations for wheat, other than the elimination of the zones, have remained the same.

“You still can’t pile wheat up on a field,” he said. “It has to be evenly distributed. Top-sowing is an acceptable practice, but it must be done on a prepared seed bed.”

The brochure states that multiple sowing of seeds on the same ground without a valid reason (drought or flooding) would not be a “normal” agricultural practice. Neither is any area where the wheat is piled, clumped or concentrated. The planting rate for top-sown wheat should not exceed 200 pounds per acre.
Makemson said he definitely noticed a decline in participation rates for dove hunting from the peak periods of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“I have noticed it and have heard it from a lot of people,” he said. “Hunters love dove hunting, but it’s just not worth the risk of unknowingly violating the law. Most dove hunters aren’t experienced farmers. Go out for a good afternoon of shooting with family and friends and they end up being ticketed or arrested.

“I do think these new planting dates will ease some of that fear, for sure.”

Makemson said the best way hunters can make sure they are perfectly legal is to plant and manipulate standing crops.

“True dove management and dove managers have year-round management plans,” he said. “They just don’t top-sow wheat. The managers I know manipulate crops. They plant in the spring and leave wheat standing and start bush-hogging strips. The ones who plant and manage throughout the year are the ones who really reap the rewards.”

Makemson said the last dove-hunting survey conducted in Alabama showed that about 61,000 hunters spent about 100,000 days in the dove field with a harvest of a little more than 1 million birds.

“Nationally, mourning dove is the No. 1 hunted and harvested game bird in the U.S.,” he said. “The U.S. population is estimated at 380 million birds. All the research Ive seen is we’re not hurting the population. If it was hurting the population, the Fish and Wildlife Service wouldn’t allow it.

“They’re highly reproductive animals. There may be a few on the nest at the start of the season, but it’s not a significant amount. They will nest several times a year. They nest as early as February, and you may find some nesting in October. They’re prolific procreators. Those hatched early in the year will be reproductively active later in the year. That’s why we have such an abundance of mourning doves in Alabama.”

Makemson said he has been banding doves in Alabama for about 10 years. The project bands 1,000 or more doves per year.

“What we found out is the doves we band in July and August are resident birds,” he said. “They don’t migrate. Alabama has more birds that visit from other states than any other state in the nation. We harvest birds from 16 different states from as far away as Ohio and New England. Once you come south it’s hard to go anywhere else. We’re blessed in Alabama.”

USFWS set the season frameworks in each state. Alabama has a 70-day season with a three-way split. Alabama’s dove seasons are in two zones. The north zone dates are Sept. 7-Oct. 6, Oct. 19-Nov. 2 and Dec. 7-Dec. 31. The south zone dates are Sept. 21-Sept. 29, Oct. 12-Oct. 27 and Nov. 29-Jan. 12. The bag limit and possession limit is 15 birds per person.

Kevin Dodd, WFF Chief of Enforcement, said the new planting guidelines should make it easier on the state Conservation Enforcement Officers.

LA 2013 Dove Season Set


BY JOE MACALUSO

Because Labor Day falls on Sept. 2, the opening day in the dove season's North and South zones will be Sept. 7 with the customary noon opening time. After that, it's one-half hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the season: In the South Zone that's a first split ending Sept. 15 with Oct. 19-Dec. 1 and Dec. 21-Jan 6 splits to follow, while the North Zone's first split runs through Sept. 22 with Oct. 12-Nov. 10 and Dec. 14-Jan. 6 splits filling out the 70 days. There will be a 15-doves-per-day limit.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Dove Hunting Tips from the Dovenator


By Phil Bourjaily

Scott Breeze, 47, an orthopedic surgeon from the Houston area, bills himself as “the Dovenator,” and with good reason. Breeze set the world record by shooting 15,208 doves in one day with 16,575 shots in Argentina on Nov. 7, 2010. He averaged something like 18 doves a minute for 14 hours from sunup to sundown. Breeze estimates around 1.5 million doves flew past him in shotgun range that day.

Personally, I have shot doves in Argentina only a couple of afternoons. My biggest bag was about 1/100 of Breeze’s record and that was enough dove killing for me, but we are all different. There is no bag limit on eared doves, which are considered an agricultural pest. The birds don’t go to waste. I can tell you first hand that when you leave the dove field at the end of the day there are hungry people waiting for a share of the birds. They get most, but you get to enjoy a dove barbecue at the lodge, too. And, despite the best efforts of foreign wingshooters, dove numbers keep growing in Argentina.

You may not want to break the record but you may well want to hunt in South America someday. Breeze’s mark was an incredible feat of shotgunning endurance and when the Dovenator gives high volume shooting advice, you should listen.

Guns: Breeze set his record with four Winchester Super X3 20 gauge semiautos. He had two loaders working and they used three guns with a fourth as a backup. Breeze had tried other brands of guns and been frustrated by failures to fire with the Argentine RD or Fiocchi ammo that is not as reliable as the stuff we get in the U.S. Winchester did supply him the guns, but that doesn’t change the fact that they worked very well indeed for him, as his record attests. Being 20 gauge gas guns they did not kick much, and just as important, they were light.



Thursday, June 13, 2013

National survey will explore dove hunter opinions

The National Dove Hunter Survey, a cooperative effort by the state fish and wildlife agencies, all four flyway councils, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will ask dove hunters from across the U.S. to share their experiences and opinions about dove hunting.

Topics will include learning about hunter characteristics, time spent hunting, their perceived constraints to hunting, and thoughts about the relative importance of dove hunting as a recreational activity.
This survey was originally scheduled to be mailed last year, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, was delayed. The National Dove Hunter Survey is scheduled to begin in June 2013, and will be compiled by the end of 2013.

“Nationally, there are more than one million dove hunters in the United States. This survey will encompass all regions of the country and will give us an excellent picture of hunter opinions and needs,” said Ken Richkus of the Service’s Population and Habitat Assessment Branch.

“The Service and the states want to make sure we use the best science-based information for the management and conservation of our migratory bird resources and take hunter opinions and preferences into account whenever possible,” he said.

Dove hunting is hugely popular in South Carolina, ranking second behind deer hunting in total number of hunters, according to S.C. Department of Natural Resources Assistant Chief of Wildlife Billy Dukes.
“Dove hunters who receive a survey are strongly encouraged to take the time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided,” Dukes said. “Their answers are very important to the future of mourning dove management, and we appreciate their efforts to tell us what they think.”

Read more of the article including contacting information for the survey:  The Cheraw Chronicle - National survey will explore dove hunter opinions 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

No Labor Day Weekend dove hunts this year in Louisiana

By Todd Masson, NOLA.com

Louisiana outdoors enthusiasts who love to kick off the hunting seasons with a barbecue and dove hunt over Labor Day weekend won't get the chance this year.

That's because Labor Day falls on Sept. 2, which means the Saturday of the weekend is Aug. 31, and by federal law, there can be no dove hunting in August.

So hunters will have to wait until the next weekend to target resident doves.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Jimmy Stafford presented the proposed dates for the 2013-14 dove season to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on Thursday. The commission won't formally approve the dates until its July meeting because the framework for the season hasn't yet been officially announced by the feds.

"We're just presenting these dates now so that hunters will have a heads-up," Stafford told the commission Thursday.

The dates Stafford said the department expects to recommend are as follows:

To see the dates and the rest of the NOLA.com article please click

Monday, May 20, 2013

Bacon Wrapped, Jalapeno Stuffed Grilled Dove - Video Recipe

How to Breast a Dove Part1 + Part 2 Bacon Wrapped, Jalapeno Stuffed Grilled Dove





Bacon wrapped, jalapeno stuffed grilled dove recipe. Great morning dove, white-wing or even Eurasian collared dove recipe. These were served a little get-together and were gone so fast I didn't have a chance to video the finished product!

For More Wild Game Recipes Please Visit WildGameAndFishRecipes.com


Dove Hunting Using Trulock Choke Tubes - Video


The Soar No More crew takes advantage of an opportunity to use Trulock Choke Tubes on a season-opening Idaho dove hunt. The doves decoy wonderfully, but the chokes pattern even better. Because of their unmatched quality, performance, and service, Soar No More Wingshooting Company uses Trulock Chokes.

For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Dove Hunting - Walking and Flushing - Video


Colorado's eastern plains provide many hunting opportunities for jump shooting Mourning Doves

For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com

Country Fried Dove Recipe - Video

Tasty Fried Dove Recipie



For More Wild Game Recipes Please Visit WildGameAndFishRecipes.com

For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com


Dove Kabob Recipe - Video



Host Tim Farmer has never once "stretched the truth" so when he describes his dove kabob recipe as kabobaciously delicious, we rolled our eyes. Then, "Kentucky Afield" cameras followed the story to his homemade grill. It's true. Dove season has never had it so good.

For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com


For More Wild Game Recipes Please Visit WildGameAndFishRecipes.com

Dove Hunting 101 - Video

Dove Hunting 101 - Tips and Tricks For Dove Hunting


For More Bird Hunting Videos Please Visit BirdHunterTV.com