New season on Eurasian collared doves

PHOENIX –  Hurricane Dean didn’t blast into Arizona as originally anticipated and die-hard dove hunters breathed a sigh of relief; such storms can prompt a lot of white-winged doves to begin their annual migration south right before the opener.

The dove season (Sept. 1-15) opens on Labor Day weekend this year.

Biologists with the Arizona Game and Fish Department said the abundant summer rains throughout much of Arizona and the associated green-up in the deserts will likely result in the morning dove population being more dispersed this year.

“On the plus side, it means you will have the opportunity to find doves away from the major concentrations of hunters as well. It would be a good idea for dove hunters to take one last opportunity to pre-scout before the season opens Sept. 1,” said Mike Rabe, the department’s migratory bird biologist.

A big change this year is the newly-created year-round season (with no limits) on the Eurasian collared doves. The Eurasian collared doves are larger than both the white-winged and mourning doves. The year-round season commences with the opening of dove season on Sept. 1, 2007 and continues 365 days through Aug. 31 of 2008.

“The Eurasian collared doves are basically bonus birds for the bag and table. This species of dove provides great shooting and very good eating,” said Randy Babb, a department biologist in the Mesa Regional Office.

Eurasian collard dove numbers seem to be increasing steadily on the east side, Babb said, and he expects hunters to be see more of them in their bag each season if the trend continues.

As usual, the ever-evolving challenge facing dove hunters again this year is finding agricultural areas to hunt around the metropolitan areas that haven’t been turned into subdivisions or shopping malls.

Changing land uses create another compelling reason to pre-scout. “That maize field you hunted last year may be a subdivision this year, or be right next to one. Good places to hunt are as much a moving target as the doves themselves,” Babb said.

Although this is not expected to be a banner dove year, Arizona will still provide some of the best dove hunting in the nation. One of the telltales for the quality of Arizona’s hunt is the number of dove hunters who flock to this state from California, even though Southern California itself provides some of the nation’s better dove hunting opportunities.

Once again this year in Arizona, it will be half-day hunts (mornings) for adult hunters in the southern zone (desert areas). Arizona’s continued great dove hunting opportunities are a direct result of that more conservative half-day hunting regime for adult hunters.

But don’t forget that youth can hunt all day during the early season. The full day hunt for juniors allows young hunters to go dove hunting after school, even though it looks like the participation in recent years has been pretty low.

“Do your kids a favor and get them out in the afternoons when the doves are going for an evening drink or back to roost. It’s a good time to help those young hunters fine tune their wing-shooting skills,” said Babb.

The annual juniors-only dove hunt at the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area near Buckeye is slated for Sept. 8-9. The Chandler Rod and Gun Club will be providing the sumptuous pancake and sausage breakfast each morning following the junior dove hunt.

Dove hunters should keep in mind that Arizona is cooperating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collecting mourning dove wings from hunters this year. 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 may also be contacted in the field and asked to contribute wings.

Data from the wings will be used to estimate annual productivity of the dove population, and will eventually be used in helping to establish hunting regulations.

Don’t forget that hunters age 16 and older of dove and band-tailed pigeon (as well as coots, snipe, and common moorhens) must purchase a $4.50 Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp for the 2007-2008 season. The stamp validates a hunting license for the federal Harvest Information Program.

By the way, don’t forget there is a late dove season from Nov. 23, 2007 to Jan. 6, 2008. This season is becoming increasingly popular with hunters. “I like the late season best. The air temperatures are cooler and the best hunting is in the afternoons. It’s really a pleasant hunt,” Rabe said.