Kentucky Afield Outdoors:Keep Public Dove Fields Open for Years to Come - - Respect Landowners

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Frankfort, Ky. – When Kentucky’s dove hunting season opens September 1, many hunters will drive to the nearest public field. These dove fields are available thanks to landowner cooperators who cultivate them and make them available to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources during dove season. But hunters who litter, hunt unsafely or disrespect others may cause the field to be taken off the list.

Landowners who have problems with hunters on their property may think twice about signing up for the cooperative dove field program next year. Since the program often gets around through word of mouth, one farmer’s bad experience could also prevent future landowners from signing up. To keep your favorite public dove field open, follow some common-sense rules and make sure others do, too.

One common complaint is littering. “That’s probably the one I’ve most often heard from farmers,” said Rocky Pritchert, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s migratory bird program coordinator. “Hunters need to pick up after themselves – that includes shotgun shells.”

Drink bottles, ammunition boxes and other trash aren’t the only things landowners would rather not see in the field. Hunters should never clean their birds and leave the carcasses behind. Take the birds off-site or set up a cleaning station and clear everything out before leaving.

Courtesy is important in the dove field. Don’t cut in on someone who is set up in a flight path or has called the shot on an incoming bird. Drinking, horseplay and foul language can quickly ruin the day for a parent taking a child on their first dove hunt.

“You don’t know who the person next to you may be,” cautioned Pritchert. “It may be the landowner or a member of the landowner’s family.”

Courtesy and safety often go hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to shooting. “Some hunters have shot at birds traveling outside of the field perimeter, sometimes raining shot down on neighbors or their livestock,” said Bluegrass Region Wildlife Coordinator Brian Clark. ”I have also at times had to speak to hunters whom I have seen shooting low-flying doves, which jeopardizes the safety and enjoyment of everyone on the field.”

Hunters should always respect property boundaries. Dove field boundaries are marked and should never be crossed to retrieve birds without that landowner’s permission. Designated parking areas must also be observed.

“While most hunters are ethical and want to preserve the privilege of access to these cooperative fields, a few disregard their fellow hunters and the landowner by misbehaving,” said Clark. “Since the inception of the Cooperative Dove Field Program, we have lost several field leases simply because of bad hunter behaviors.”

The future of all public dove fields is in the hands of hunters. Make sure your favorite field stays in the program by showing courtesy to landowners and those around you.

For dove hunting regulations and directions to public fields, pick up a copy of the 2009-10 Kentucky Dove Hunting Guide, available at fw.ky.gov and wherever hunting licenses are sold.

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