It's Illegal to Bait Doves

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JACKSON, MS- Hunters across the state are gearing up for the September 1, dove season opener.  In addition to making sure they have camouflage, a reliable shotgun and plenty of ammunition for these fast-flying migratory game birds, a hunter must make sure their field is legal.

According to Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, migratory game birds cannot be taken “by the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area.”  They define a baited area as “any area on which salt, grain, or other feed has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered, if that salt, grain, or other feed could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on, or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them.”

However, it is legal to hunt doves on areas where grain has been scattered as a normal agricultural practice.  Some examples of legal places to hunt doves are over harvested crops, standing crops, mowed or disked crops, or planted wheat fields.  Wheat may be planted for wildlife food plots, winter grazing livestock, as part of a crop rotation, or for erosion control and be considered a normal agricultural practice.  Crops that are not planted in accordance to the guidelines of the Mississippi State Cooperative Extension Service may create a baited field and make the area illegal to hunt.

“This has been one of the wettest Augusts on record in Mississippi and many wheat plantings may have sprouted already.  If the same area has been planted in wheat more than once, it is not a normal agricultural practice and hunters should not hunt there because the area will be considered as baited for doves,” said Kevin Brunke, a migratory game bird biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Dove hunters have the responsibility to familiarize themselves with dove hunting regulations, ask how a dove field was prepared and look for anything that indicates the field has been prepared in a way that is illegal to hunt over before they hunt an area.  If anything suggests a field may be baited, do not hunt the field.  If you are interested in learning more about the regulations on dove field preparation you can view a brochure at www.mdwfp.com and search for the keywords “dove field brochure.”

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