More than you wanted to know about doves

California's split 2009 dove season will be open in mid-week starting Tuesday Sept. 1 through September15, and again from Nov. 14-Dec. 28, according to the Department of Fish and Game (DFG).

Most hunters already knew that. They also knew the season includes white-winged and mourning doves, for which the combined bag limit is 10 birds and the possession limit is 20.

What they might not have known is that they can also shoot Eurasian collared-doves, which are now common in some parts of the state. There is no daily bag limit or possession limit for this species.

Eurasain dove

The Eurasian collared dove is similar to the ring-necked turtle dove and the spotted dove. My 1990 edition of Roger Tory Peterson's Western Birds does not include a description of the Eurasian dove (Streptopelia decaoctor) but it does illustrate the others and while web literature gives a different scientific name to the ring-necked turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis) they look like the Eurasian variety to me. To the DFG they are one and the same.

According to Karen R. Fothergill, Game Bird Heritage Coordinator with the DFG, Eurasian collared doves, a species normally associated with Southern California, are spreading out across California. She has seen these birds east of Sacramento in the Folsom area and had heard reports of sightings as far north as Oregon. The bag was extended to this species in 2007 with some success, Fothergill said, and she has been a strong advocate for the take of these birds, including the current no daily bag or possession limit.

While only a few of these birds will be seen north of Sacramento at this time, they are very adaptive to both city and agricultural environments. The day may come when they are as common in the north state as their city dwelling cousins, the pigeons.

Eurasian doves are slightly larger than mourning doves. Like the white winged dove, the Eurasian has a squared off tail. While smaller than band-tailed pigeons they are somewhat similar in appearance. Both species have collared neck but the Eurasian does not have the distinctive white band across the tail feathers.

There is not much likelihood these two will mix as the band-tail is extremely shy and people-wary while the Eurasian collared dove is at home in your backyard and is often preyed upon successfully by outdoor cats.

The DFG also warns hunters there is no season on common ground-doves, ruddy ground-doves and Inca doves.

Similar to pigeons

These tiny birds are normally not seen in the north state. They are normally found along the lower Colorado River, in southern Arizona, Baja There is also another bird known as the rock dove, which is actually a domestic or feral pigeon according to Peterson's Guide. These have also been bred selectively to create homing pigeons

I once saw an article in an outdoor magazine that touted the pigeon as a great upland game bird. Apparently pigeons can be shot at any time, mainly because they are dirty pests around tall buildings and along our big city sidewalks.

I have never shot a pigeon but as a young boy a neighbor raised pigeons just to eat the young, which are called squab - a delicacy. I prefer, as I've said, dove rumaki.

Dove hunters must be in possession of a valid hunting license, an Upland Game Bird Stamp and a free Harvest Information Program Stamp. Proper safety precautions should be taken, including wearing shooting safety glasses in the field. Hunters are required to leave a fully feathered wing attached to doves when transporting them.

Each year an estimated 90,000 dove hunters take to the field in California to harvest more than 1.5 million doves. The sale of the required upland game bird stamps supports DFG's Game Bird Heritage Program, which provides funding annually to plant dove food crops on state lands and on partnership private lands in the Imperial Valley.

Patient hunters who know where mourning doves hang out or hunters who hunt private or club property are likely to get a limit on the opener. After that it becomes difficult to find these birds. In case you're interested, open or limited dove hunting opportunities are available in DFG-managed wildlife areas and ecological reserves from Shasta Valley Wildlife Area in the north to the Imperial Valley Wildlife Area in the south. Hunts are conducted both on a reservation and non-reservation basis. Information on these opportunities can be found at: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/ and

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/gbh/index.html.

Antelope Lake back on DFG Plant List

Since July 1, Antelope Lake has been on the DFG planting list. Previously, that lake was off limits to planting due to the lawsuit filed against the DFG by the Center for Biological Diversity aided by students at the Stanford Law School.

Alpine County offers trophy trout

If you are traveling into the Sierras for the upcoming weekends, try fishing in any of the Alpine County waters including the East and West Forks of the Carson River.

Alpine County, population about 1100 with only 832 registered voters, is very dependent on the anglers who come there to fish so they go out of their way to buy and plant many lunkers. The DFG also plants these waters because Alpine County is not subject to the lawsuit that currently prohibits the DFG from planting some lakes.

According to Dave Zellmer, Chairman of the Alpine County Fish and Game Commission, "The months of September, October and November are going to be spectacular because we have planted and will continue to plant lots of fish in the 6, 7, 8 and 10 pound class. Anyone who fishes here is going to go away grinning," Zellmer said.

Duncan Dylan, age 14, of Shingletown, holds convincing evidence in this photo, which shows a 6.25 pound rainbow he caught in the West Carson in the second week of August.

Ocean salmon season underway

California's only 2009 recreational ocean salmon season opened Aug. 29 for ten days through Sept. 7 in the Klamath Management Zone along the north coast but the weather was forecast to be downright awful with winds to 25 knots, wind waves to 6 feet and swells of 11 feet about eight feet apart. That could be ugly! Hope you took your Dramamine! The daily bag and possession limit is two salmon of any species except Coho or Silver Salmon, with a minimum size limit of 24 inches total length. A salmon report card is no longer required when fishing for salmon in the ocean.

Free fishing day is Sept. 7