Changing Agricultural Practices Improve Dove Outlook

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Did you know that increased gasohol demand and the bountiful dove hunting opportunities in central Arizona this year for the Sept. 1-15 early season have something in common?

They do.

According to an article published by the Arizona Farm Bureau written by George Frisvold, a professor of agriculture at the University of Arizona, for the first time since 1976 the number of acres planted in wheat in Arizona exceeds the number of acres planted in cotton. Cotton has little value for doves and other wildlife. Wheat fields provide high-value wildlife real estate.

Frisvold points out that wheat prices have tripled and prices for corn, sorghum, rice and soybean have doubled. The demand for gasohol is one of the primary factors contributing to the increased grain market.

Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists said that these changing agricultural practices bode well for dove populations, and many other wildlife species as well. In fact, the reverse is true as well.

“Both mourning and white-winged dove numbers are tied to grain crops,” said Mike Rabe, the migratory bird biologist for the Game and Fish Department. Another factor is nesting habitat such as wooded river bottoms, which are in decline.

Conversely, the decline in dove numbers since the mid 1970s, especially across the West, corresponds directly to the decline in grain crops. “It looks like we are experiencing a reverse of that trend, which from a wildlife perspective is a welcome change.”

In addition, increased grain crop availability most likely resulted in last year’s record number of 36,000 wintering sandhill cranes in the Willcox Playa of southern Arizona.

But grain crops aren’t the only factors for what biologists believe should be a good dove year.
“Superb winter and spring rains, coupled with decent summer rains, have also created favorable dove habitats in central Arizona,” Rabe said.

Once again this year, dove hunters can expect the birds – especially white-winged doves – to be concentrated in agricultural areas, just like in the past. But also this year, expect to find Mourning doves dispersed into the desert as well.

“Right now, there are plentiful seed crops in the desert areas and abundant water sources. This creates plenty of opportunities for dispersed hunting, rather than hunting the more congested areas,” Rabe said.

Rabe also said scouting takes on added importance this year. “You’ll want to get out and identify those fields with grain that are attracting doves. Plus, increased urban encroachment means the fields you hunted last year might be within a quarter-mile of occupied structures – especially new subdivisions – this year.”

Scout first.

The early dove season from Sept. 1-15 this year is once again half-day hunting for adults in the southern zone (all day for adults in the northern zone), but youth can hunt all day in either zone.

The Game and Fish Department is once again offering a Juniors-only dove hunt at the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area on Sept. 6-7 (the first weekend of the dove hunt). The Chandler Rod and Gun Club will also be providing young dove hunters and their mentors a scrumptious pancake and sausage breakfast following the morning hunt.

One young girl who outshot her older brothers during one of the past youth dove hunts had commented, “It was more fun than Disneyland!”

All hunters should keep in mind that Arizona is experiencing a cottontail rabbit bonanza this year. “A passel of dove breasts can feed a family, but add in some cottontails and you can create a feast for your favorite neighbors as well,” Rabe said.

The late season dove hunt is Nov. 21, 2008 through Jan. 4, 2009. “White-winged doves will have migrated south long before the late season, but especially this year, there are plenty of mourning doves. In fact, each year the late dove season seems to increase in popularity as more and more hunters experience the terrific wing-shooting opportunities in the mild early winter weather,” Rabe said.

Hunters should obtain a copy of the 2008-2009 Arizona Dove Regulations prior to going afield. Regulations are available at more than 300 license dealers statewide or can be downloaded from the department’s Web site at www.azgfd.gov/hunt.

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