LITTLE ROCK — With a cooldown expected this weekend and dry conditions enabling Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff to prepare dove fields on wildlife management areas, this year’s opening weekend may be one of the best in years. According to David Luker, assistant chief of the AGFC’s Wildlife Management Division, local staff on many areas in east Arkansas are reporting good conditions and doves already using the fields that have been prepared for the hunt.
“Most of our fields are disked and prepped in winter wheat seed,” Luker said. “We also have conducted a lot of growing season burns on some of the areas, which exposes a lot of seed and attracts doves. You won’t find the wheat there, but we’re seeing birds use these areas in the last week.”
Brett Leach, AGFC Waterfowl Program coordinator, said the AGFC uses winter wheat for the majority of WMA dove fields to give wildlife and hunters more bang for the buck.
“The top-sown wheat attracts doves before it sprouts, but it also provides supplemental nutrition for deer and other wildlife later in the season,” Leach said. “Top-sown wheat and burned fields look much different than the traditional sunflower fields many hunters are accustomed to, but they attract some birds if the timing is right.
“We do have a limited number of fields planted in sunflowers or other traditional grains because we don’t have quite the infrastructure to compete with full-scale agricultural producers and much of the land we have isn’t conducive to these sorts of crops. Some years they turn out well, but pests like army worms can destroy a stand of millet or sunflowers in a matter of days.”
Find a Field
You’ll find more than 550 acres of dove fields on AGFC WMAs. The best bet is to check out www.agfc.com/hunting/more-game/dove/public-and-private-dove-fields for a list of WMAs and maps for the 2024 dove season. Some fields are still being prepped, so it’s important to visit the WMA before your hunt to ground truth the field you’re interested in and make sure it’s ready. Hang out at sunrise or near dusk to see how the birds are flying in the field to plan your strategy on opening morning.
Get HIP
Some Arkansans traveled to other states to visit friends and family for Labor Day weekend and enjoyed a shortened opener that began on Sunday. With the later, full weekend option the AGFC chose, those hunters can enjoy a second start to the season with fresh birds and fields ready to produce fast action. If you’re one of those hunters who already acquired HIP registration in another state, be sure to register again in Arkansas. Each state requires its own HIP registration to be legal in the field. It’s free and takes less than a minute to fill out the survey. Visit www.agfc.com/licenses to make sure your Arkansas license has a valid HIP registration.
Steel Yourself for the Shoot
If you’re headed to one of the AGFC’s managed dove fields on a wildlife management area, you may need to get the lead out. Federally approved nontoxic shot is required for all migratory bird hunting on the following WMAs: Bell Slough, Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita, Big Lake, Camp Robinson, Cut-Off Creek, Cypress Bayou, Dave Donaldson Black River, Dr. Lester Sitzes III Bois d’Arc, Earl Buss Bayou DeView, Ed Gordon Point Remove, Frog Bayou, Galla Creek, George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto, Harris Brake, Henry Gray Hurricane Lake, Petit Jean River, Rex Hancock Black Swamp, Seven Devils, Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms, Sheffield Nelson Dagmar, Shirey Bay Rainey Brake and Sulphur River.
Unless you’re made of money and want to burn through a paycheck trying to hit one of these gray rockets using bismuth, that means steel shot. Many manufacturers make steel shot in sizes small enough for doves. As a rule of thumb, bump up one size from what you’d normally use in lead to compensate for the lighter weight of the pellets. For doves, No. 7 steel shot is the most popular choice.
The 2024-25 Arkansas Dove Season is Sept. 7-Oct. 27 and Dec. 8, 2024-Jan. 15, 2025. The daily bag limit for mourning dove and white-winged dove is 15, with a possession limit of 45. There is no daily bag limit or possession limit for Eurasian collared-dove, but all Eurasian collared-doves must remain fully feathered for identification purposes while in the field and during transport from the field. Dove hunters 16 and older must have a valid Arkansas hunting license and registration with the Harvest Information Program. Licenses and registration are available at www.agfc.com/license.
