 LITTLE
ROCK – After you acquire a plentiful supply of field loads for your
shotgun, after you’ve got the warm weather camo clothes ready, and after
you’ve checked again on a good place for you to hunt doves, be sure you
are HIP.
Harvest Information Program is the formal name, but everyone from
hunters to license clerks just says HIP.
This is a mandatory federal program in effect in all states. It's free,
but hunters should remember they have to register for HIP each year in
each state they hunt. There is no cost, and the best way to register for
HIP is when you buy a hunting license. It’s required for duck and goose
hunting also. The information is used for research and for setting
future rules and regulations by wildlife authorities, both federal and
state.
Arkansas' dove season first segment this year opens Saturday, Sept. 2,
and runs through Sept. 24. The second season
segment is Oct. 7 to Oct. 22 and the third segment is Dec. 16 to Jan. 5,
2007.
Except for the adjustment of dates, there are no changes in dove
hunting rules in Arkansas this year. The daily dove bag limit remains at
15, with possession limit
 30.
Doves are migratory game birds, so federal rules of shotguns plugged to
hold no more than three shells are in effect. There is no daily or
possession limits on the Eurasian collared dove.
It's not difficult to distinguish between the two birds. The mourning
dove has a small trim body with a long tail that tapers to a point.
Black spots are visible on the upper wing; with a brown color above the
wing and a pinkish wash below. Their wings produce a fluttering whistle
as the bird takes flight.
The Eurasian collared dove has a larger body than a mourning dove. As
its name implies, the collared dove has a dark gray/black band on the
back of its neck. The tail is squared off, rather than pointed, as a
mourning dove. It is a lighter color, gray-brown, with a purplish buff
throat.
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