Looking for a Spot to Hunt Doves? Try These Wildlife Management Areas
Source: www.ngpc.state.ne.us
Published: Aug. 28, 2006
LINCOLN, NE - When Nebraska’s dove hunting season opens Sept. 1, thousands of hunters will be in the field attempting to take a few doves to prepare as a dining treat for their families. The key to dove hunting is to set up in a spot to intercept the birds as they move between roosting, feeding and drinking areas.
It’s not difficult to find a place to hunt doves in Nebraska. Just keep in mind that in Nebraska the dove’s favorite foods are sunflower seeds, millet, wheat, tilled or harvested corn, smartweed, ragweed, foxtail, doveweed, soybeans, rocky mountain bee plant, milo, and marijuana.
Find a field or area where these plants grow and spend a few minutes studying dove movements into and out of the field, then set up along the flight path in cover that will break up your outline.
Excellent shooting can be had late in the afternoon and early evening by setting up near a pond, stream, or puddle of water standing in a field, an overgrazed stock pond or irrigation ditch where the birds stop to water before returning to the roost.
Taylor says, “sunflower, millet, or wheat fields, which generally provide good dove hunting opportunities, have been planted at several wildlife management areas across the state.
However, planting and weather conditions may have reduced seed production in some plots. Preseason scouting is recommended wherever you plan to hunt.”
Those wildlife management areas are:
Northcentral -- Sherman Reservoir near Loup City, Leonard A. Kozial near St. Paul, Harold W. Andersen near Dannebrog, Thomas Creek near Springview, Borman Bridge near Valentine, and Pine Glen near Bassett.
Northeast -- Oak Valley near Battle Creek, Black Island near Pilger, George Syas near Genoa, Prairie Wolf near Genoa, and Wood Duck near Stanton.
Southeast -- Osage near Tecumseh, Branched Oak Lake near Malcolm, Twin Lakes near Pleasant Dale, Bramble near Cedar Bluffs, Pawnee Lake near Emerald, Rake’s Creek near Murray, Wildwood near Agnew, and the southern portion of Schilling near Plattsmouth. The northern portion of Schilling WMA opens to public hunting on September 5 (restricted youth hunts are held during September 1-4). Nontoxic shot must be used on the entirety of Schilling WMA.
Southwest -- Clear Creek near Lewellen, Medicine Creek Reservoir near Cambridge, Swanson Reservoir near Trenton, and Cedar Valley near Wellfleet.
Southcentral -- Alexandria Lakes near Alexandria, Alexandria Southwest near Alexandria, Little Blue near Hebron, Dry Sandy near Bruning, and Flathead near Fairbury.
Other wildlife management areas throughout the state can provide good dove hunting opportunities depending on local conditions. Contact the nearest Game and Parks district office for area-specific information.
Nebraska’s 2006 dove hunting season will be Sept.1 through October 30. The daily bag limit is 15 doves; the possession limit is 30. Bag limits are for mourning, white- winged, and Eurasian collared- doves in the aggregate.
Shooting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. Resident dove hunters 16 years old and older, and all nonresident hunters, are required to have a 2006 small game hunting license, a habitat stamp, and a 2006 Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration number.
HIP numbers can be obtained by calling toll- free 1-888-403-2473, by registering on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Internet web site www.OutdoorNebraska.org, or at any Game and Parks district office.
A federal migratory bird hunting stamp, often called a duck stamp, is not required to hunt doves.
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