2024 Gamekeepers / Summer - Fence It In For Doves

Lifelong dove hunter writing about dove hunting

There is always going to be debate about whether any particular dove field is birdy or not. Meaning, does it attract and hold the attention of doves long enough to create a hunting calendar, or at least to call friends to come for a hunt. Finding out what type of grains work well in the field over time helps to dial in what’s the best menu to offer these grey game birds. But what if a stubborn deer population, or a dreaded hog infestation decimates the plantings, and thus throws a wet towel on your plan to burn some gunpowder. A growing number of dove field managers say that putting in a permanent fence around a dove field saves time and money in the long run, and extends dove hunting season too.

Michael Hook is the Small Game Program Coordinator for the SCDNR. “A good many of our public dove fields have a fence now, to defense deer or hog deprivation,” said Hook. “A permanent fence pays for itself in no time. We spend money on gas, seed, employee time and herbicide and if wildlife destroys the crop then we suffer a big financial hardship. Not to mention our technicians want to provide a good field to hunt, and no one likes to see their hard work undermined by critters like hogs that are often nocturnal and do their damage under cover of darkness.”

Fenced Dove Field Layout

April Atkinson is an SCDNR Project Leader and Unit Biologist at the WMA property known as the Webb Center. “We contracted with a third-party to fence in the dove field here, because that made the most sense,” said Atkinson. “We manage 25,000-acres here and my staff are spread out too much get bogged down in one spot. My take home message after fencing the dove field, is that this is the best thing we have done to improve dove hunter opportunity in the 17 years I have been here.”

Daniel Barrineau is the SCDNR Unit Biologist at Donnelly WMA. “We sourced the materials for a fence ourselves and saved money by buying them in bulk and installing the fence using staff,” said Barrineau. “We fenced in a 30-acre dove field, and we left another dove field unfenced for comparison. Then we took drone photos of each field, one had untouched vegetation and one was heavily browsed. This 

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