Lights bobbing from headlamps guide hunters in the early morning hours from overflowing parking lots to a spot in the standing sunflowers or wheat fields where they will sit and wait for hours until the sun brightens the horizon, and shooting hours to begin.
For mourning dove hunters, the action can be fast – and humbling – but there is no question that the annual season opener on Sept. 1 is a “can’t miss” event each year.
“I expect the opener to be busy, even with the opening day falling on a Tuesday,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Iowa averages around 13-14,000 dove hunters who harvest around 150,000 doves each year. Mourning doves are the most abundant game bird in the country, with a population estimated at more than 337 million.
Doves are most often hunted in fields of mowed sunflowers, burned winter wheat, alfalfa or small grains and around farm ponds. Spending a day or two scouting to identify fields that are holding doves improves chances for success.
“This is a good option to bring novice hunters along because there’s usually a good number of birds passing through, and a lot of action,” he said. “Plus the weather is usually pretty nice.”
The Iowa DNR identifies state managed public areas with dove fields online at www.iowadnr.gov/doves with a link to a pin on the nearest parking lot to the field.
As with all types of hunting, safety and communication is important.
Know each hunter’s zone of fire, be aware of where everyone is and properly identify the dove before taking a shot. Be sure to pick up the spent shell casings – leaving them in the field is considered littering. Shooting hours begin one-half hour before sunrise until sunset.
Hunters are also reminded that if they hunt migratory game birds that they are required to register for HIP annually, either through the Go Outdoors Iowa app on their smartphone, through a link online at www.iowadnr.gov/waterfowl or by calling customer service at 515-725-8200 during normal business hours.
The HIP number must be written on the paper license on the line provided. Once registered, it will appear on the digital license. Migratory game birds include doves, ducks, geese, coots, woodcock and snipe.