Hunt Doves Legally, Safely
RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 11)—This dove season, watch your shot and don’t mix your bags.
The Enforcement Division of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reminds dove hunters to hunt safely, ethically and legally when the season begins Sept. 1. One violation that wildlife enforcement officers have found to be a problem is the consolidation of bags—that is, when hunters combine their birds.
“It puts somebody in possession over the daily limit,” said Maj. Kenneth Everhart, head of field operations for wildlife enforcement.
The daily bag limit of doves is 12. If Hunter A and Hunter B shoot under the limit—6 and 7 each, for example—but drop their birds into a single container, then the hunter who carries them can be caught “holding the bag” with 13 birds, one over the limit.
“Hunters have to keep their birds individually. They can’t put them together,” Everhart said.
Dove hunters are also reminded to put safety first:
 | Never shoot at a low-flying bird. |
| Always know what is beyond the target. |
| Pass up a shot whenever there is doubt about safety. |
| Dove hunters can also do themselves and fellow hunters a favor by not shooting in the direction of houses and cars. |
“The No. 1 complaint
we get in dove season is falling shot,” Everhart said. “With all the urban
sprawl, you’ve got new houses beside fields where people are used to
hunting. When somebody hears shot peppering their roof, especially when
they’ve never been around guns and hunting, they’re scared. So just be
courteous when you hunt. Make sure there’s enough distance between yourself
and any houses or cars, so shot won’t fall on them. Or, what’s even better,
don’t shoot in that direction.”
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