Outdoor News: September 16, 2009

Recently, I wrote that dove hunting might be more fun this year because the season fell on a Tuesday (September 1) well apart from the Labor Day weekend. Apparently I was correct. It was a great "mid-week affair" for many hunters.

Several friends, sources and well-connected hunters have told me they had a good opener with limits or near limits from widely separated spots all across the north state. No one, however, was willing to tell me exactly where they had hunted. The phrase, "If I told you I'd have to kill you," was used more than once by dependable sources.

It's no wonder hunters and anglers are unwilling to give much specific information. These special places are often discovered and overrun by hunters who have been squeezed out of what was good habitat by development, fences, no-trespass signs and onerous government regulations.

One pair of hunters I know got into the field very late on opening day and managed to find a few doves. Figuratively speaking, I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before these "pals" would agree to take me along on another foray to their "secret spot" on September 9. (I'll do just about anything to uncase my Remington .410 Wingmaster pump.)

It turned out to be worth the effort. One in our party got his limit, another got three birds and I got two but had at least four other good opportunities. Since we hunted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the first half of the season was already over, this much success was remarkable, attributable I'm sure to the late arrival of storms. Hopefully, I will be invited to shoot this spot again before September 15 when the season closes.

The birds we shot were extremely small and immature, a sign they were from recent hatches. Their "crops" - the sack where they store the seeds they eat - were mostly empty, an indication to me these birds were mostly undisturbed and more inclined to fly to food sources throughout the day instead of just in the morning, which is more common. Their crops, which are part of their esophagus, can hold up to 17,200 blue grass seeds and they eat the equivalent of 12 to 20 percent of their body weight per day. Not all birds were going hungry. One that I dressed out was so stuffed he/she probably had a hard time flying. Another had been eating blackberries.

The season will be over by the time most of you read this column but this anecdote is proof that you can find doves any place at nearly any time if you just do a little scouting. The key is finding good habitat or a flyway, and then being observant. Doves are tiny birds, they move erratically, quickly and often just during an hour or so each day. Spotting their hideaways isn't easy and it is not uncommon to find many of them in small geographic areas close to farm houses, feed lots and major thoroughfares. Just don't violate any of the laws regarding where you can shoot!

These rules will apply when the second half of the season opens on November 14 through December 28. Birds that are now resident in Canada may be in your secret spot at that time if the weather is not too harsh. By then these already difficult targets will be much more wary and inclined to move about in large flocks as they make their way south. Only the stealthiest hunters will be successful in the northern half of the state during the late season but I have done it and so can you!

For those readers who are squeamish about hunting these beautiful little birds, please allow me to pass along some facts. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology "The Mourning Dove is the most widespread and abundant game bird in North America. Every year hunters harvest more than 20 million, but the Mourning Dove remains one of our most abundant birds with a U.S. population estimated at 350 million."

These birds are with us year round in all parts of the U.S. as well as parts of Canada, the Caribbean Islands, Baja California and most of Mexico. In the winter, many take refuge in Central America.

Doves often nest several times a year, producing one, two or three offspring each time. In short, they are in no danger whatsoever from hunters. And despite some opinions to the contrary, they make excellent table fare if properly prepared.