Labor Day means Dove Season Opening Hunts

The Labor Day Holiday is a favorite of many outdoorsmen, but especially dove hunters! The three-day holiday weekend can sometimes vex 'doveologists' about when to shoot; Saturday, Sunday, Monday or all three days!! The legal limit on doves is 15 per person, and special rules during the Labor Day weekend stipulate that hunting only occur after noon. The opening day hunts are usually accompanied with a large meal and these traditional hunts are also grand social occasions. Discussions can range from football, business, upcoming hunting trips, and especially where and when any doves have been seen recently. Dove fields planted in corn, sunflowers, and millet have been burned, bush-hogged, sprayed for weeds and tinkered with in all manner of ways, all in hopes of luring in some opening day doves. Hot and dry conditions did not affect the opening day hunts adversely, and several happy hunters were known to go home with a smile and a sore shoulder from once again shooting their guns!

To view past blog entries about opening day of dove season click here.
For past blog entries on dove hunting click here.

PhotosByJeffDennis: This dove metal display does justice to the grace of doves in flight; Scott Crosby gathers hunters together before going into the field to discuss the rules of the hunt; no wildfire hit this corn patch - rather it was intentionally burned to make it more attractive to doves who prefer clean earth to forage for feed; A Mojo dove and the grey bird that it lured in for a shot