Dove Hunting Season Just Around Corner

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LINCOLN, Neb. – Dove hunting season begins soon and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has some reminders for those hunters, as well as recommendations for areas to hunt.

Overview – Doves may be hunted statewide. The season is Sept. 1 - Oct. 30, with daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 30, respectively. Bag limits are for mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared doves in aggregate. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.

Requirements – Nebraska residents 16 years and older and all nonresidents are required to have a 2009 Nebraska hunting permit, a habitat stamp and a 2009 Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. Nebraska residents under age 16, require a Harvest Information Program number. Register at nehip.com or call toll-free (877) NEHUNTS. Hunter education certification is required for some hunters.

Banding – Hunters who find a band on a dove should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banding office toll-free at (800) 327-BAND or report it at reportband.gov.

Wing study – Randomly selected hunters will be asked to save one wing from each dove during the first week of the season and mail the wings postage-free to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hunters using public areas also may be asked to provide dove wings on-site as part of the monitoring effort. Data from the wings will be used to estimate annual productivity of the dove population.

Scouting – Get out into the field before the season starts and scout a number of potential hunting sites.

Jeff Lusk, upland game program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, says sunflower, millet and wheat fields have been planted at several wildlife management areas (WMA) across the state. Planting and weather conditions may have reduced seed production in some plots.

Those WMAs, by region, are:

North-central – Sherman Reservoir, H. W. Anderson, L. A. Koziel, Pressey, Bobcat, Thomas Creek, Pine Glenn, Myrtle Hall, Calamus Reservoir

Northeast – Oak Valley, Wood Duck, Black Island, Elk Point, Yellow Banks

Southeast – Osage, Kansas Bend, Yankee Hill, Olive Creek, Branched Oak, Wildwood, Pawnee, Tobacco Island, Twin Lakes, Schilling (closed Sept. 1-4, except for youth hunt; call 402-296-0041)

Southwest – Cedar Valley, Wapiti, Clear Creek, Box Elder, Medicine Creek, Swanson Reservoir, Enders

South-central – Sacramento-Wilcox, Alexandria, Alexandria SW, Dry Sandy, Flathead, Little Blue, Rose Creek, Rose Creek West

Other WMAs throughout the state can provide good dove hunting opportunities, depending on local conditions. Contact the nearest Commission office for area-specific information.

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