Now’s the time to find your dove hunting spot

With dove season commencing in just four weeks, it is time for hunters to get out and scout for one of our state’s most popular migratory birds.

Dove season runs Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 and then again from Dec. 1-29.

I spoke with J. D. Ridge, senior wildlife biologist with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), to get his thoughts.

The department conducted their “point count” dove survey last May.

“We stop every mile and look with a laser range finder to make a count,” Ridge said. “It’s not like it used to be because many good private fields are leased to outfitters.”

Some interesting history I like to cover each fall is the fact that mourning doves or “gray rockets” are found statewide and have been clocked at speeds up to 55 miles per hour.

Mourning doves are quick and maneuverable while in flight and can escape most predators. A streamlined, plump, migratory bird with a small head and weighs a little more than four ounces, on average, has a long, pointed tail with a brownish back that is flecked with black spots and the breast is tan to light rose.

The white-edged tail feathers are visible when it spreads its tail with light red to light purple feet and legs. The mourning dove gets its name from its low, moaning “coo-ooo-ooo” sound it makes.

Doves prefer to eat on bare ground because their legs are not strong enough to scratch through litter nor their bodies long enough to clear most obstacles.

The birds typically like a shallow pond with a clean, open shore — one without grass and a bank with no erosion for easy walking.

Breeding from late March to September, we have a resident population of doves in Oklahoma, but a majority of birds migrate down from Canada through the Sooner state down into Mexico.

Start the scouting process by checking out traditional areas where you’ve seen or hunted doves in the past. Pay attention to the direction from which birds are coming and what their travel route is.

Scouting is best done from daylight until about 10 a.m. or in the evening after about 4 p.m. until sunset.

Early cool fronts and rains often change dove use patterns so scouting the week before the season is best to confirm the doves you located two weeks ago are still using the same area.

Some tips from ODWC are as follows:

• Finding the food and water resources that dove prefer is key when it comes to locating them. Some use decoys placed near water sources late in the afternoon or late evening hunting. Just like us, they get thirsty.

• Also, dead trees are dove magnets.

• Dove hunting is always better with warm dry weather. Farmers will sometimes plant wheat, corn, millet or sunflowers to attract birds.

• Often, doves will fly along tree lines when entering a field. This is where hunters should set up.

• Most sportsmen know, as with any hunting ground, some places are great, some middle of the road and many that are just so-so.

Dove season is a great way to introduce a youngster to the world of hunting and a break from the computer and today’s social media environment. Getting a youngster involved on a red-hot field will provide endless hours of enjoyment.

Using the right shotgun can make a huge difference with a youngster, perhaps a 410- or 20-gauge shotgun using 7 to 7.5 shot. It’s often much easier to get permission from a landowner to dove hunt than to get permission for other types of hunting.

A couple of things you must have are a plugged shotgun and an HIP permit.

Years ago, a friend of mine had on a pair of sunglasses and looked up just in time to see a guy swing through on a bird. It broke the lens out of his glasses and had pellets stuck just under the skin on his neck. The guy had slipped in unannounced and left the scene without checking on my friend’s wounds. Those kinds of things give me the creeps.

As with all hunting, safety in the field must be priority No. 1 to ensure everyone comes home safe and sound.

Get out, scout and, above all, think safety — including wearing eye protection.

John Kilgore is the former Greenleaf State Park manager. He can be reached by emailing him at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com.