Watch the Weather

This year's annual dove hunts opens September 1.

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If you want to know how many doves will be in Utah this hunting season, watch the weather forecasts between now and Sept. 1.

Weather affects mourning and white-winged doves more than any migratory game bird in Utah.

"As the days get shorter in mid-August, doves start to leave the state, no matter what the weather is doing," says Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

"But cold and rainy weather can really speed the migration up," he says. "The key to a good dove hunt opener on Sept. 1 is for the weather to stay hot and dry between now and then."

Dove numbers

DWR biologists have surveyed dove populations along 15 call survey routes for more than 40 years. These routes are scattered across Utah.

Biologists conduct the surveys in May. That's when the doves start their breeding season. The biologists record the number of doves they see and the number of doves they hear.

This past May, the number of doves the biologists saw was down 13 percent from 2007. The number they heard was down 30 percent.

In the Western Dove Unit, which consists of seven Western states, including Utah, the number of doves seen was down only 2 percent. The number of doves biologists heard was the same as 2007.

"The results from the states in the Western Dove Unit are good news for Utah dove hunters," Aldrich says. "The birds we hunt in Utah later in the season are mostly birds that are migrating through the state on their way south."

Aldrich reminds you that no matter how the populations are doing, the weather before and during the hunt is the biggest factor in the number of doves you'll see in Utah during the season. "Even if the numbers are down a bit, if the weather stays hot and dry, we should still have a good hunt," he says.

Take your kids hunting

If you have young children that you'd like to get involved in hunting, the dove hunt is a good one to try. "You don't need a lot of equipment to hunt doves, and the weather during the hunt is usually warm and pleasant," Aldrich says. "It's also a fairly easy hunt. You don't have to hike to the top of a mountain to find doves."

Seeds, seeds, seeds

To find doves, Aldrich says you should look for three things: a water source that has cover and shade near it, and lots of wild seed.

"Doves eat mostly seeds," Aldrich says. "If you can find the seeds they like, you'll probably find the doves."

Among the seeds doves eat are wild sunflower seeds and seeds from a variety of weeds and grasses. Aldrich says some of the best weed-producing areas are areas that have been disturbed by road building.

Doves also eat seeds from agricultural crops, such as waste grain that's left in fields after the grain is harvested. Safflower, wheat and sorghum seeds are especially important to doves.

Reminders

    * Make sure you're registered in the Migratory Game Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) for the 2008 season. You can register at www.uthip.com
    * There's no limit on the number of Eurasian collared-doves you can take. If you take an Eurasian collared-dove, don't pluck or breast the bird out until you get home. If wildlife officers can't identify the bird as an Eurasian-collared dove, the bird will count as part of your 10 bird mourning and white-winged dove bag limit.
    * It's a good idea to wear hunter orange during the dove hunt, especially during the opening weekend. "Doves don't seem to notice the hunter orange, and wearing it makes you stand out more to other hunters," Aldrich says.
    * Much of Utah's dove hunting happens on private land. Make sure you get written permission from the landowner before hunting on his or her land.
    * It's usually hot during the dove hunt. Make sure you clean your doves quickly and keep them cool in an ice chest.
    * Take good care of your dog. Bring water for it, and be careful about taking your dog into an area that might have rattlesnakes.
 

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