Dove Hunt: an Arizona Tradition 

What is it about this game bird that makes otherwise sane adults get up in the middle of the night drive to a carefully scouted desert location and wait for the sun to come up and the birds to fly? Duck and pheasant hunters scoff at the itty-bitty breast meat filets.  Others might consider it too sedentary or no challenge for their pedigreed bird dogs. The reason we do it? Maybe, because it is just plain fun.

On September 1^st thousands of us will be sitting at water tanks, on washes or in fields waiting to ambush these feathered missiles. They dive and swoop like they KNOW how to dodge that birdshot. Sometimes the challenge gets down right personal. Dove season is great wing shooting practice.  It also marks the beginning of the fall hunting season. Desert dwellers are well aware that just because a month ends in “ber” doesn’t mean that it is time to shiver but fall is near.

The first of the month falls on a Saturday this year so anticipate lots of hunters. The early season runs through September 15^th. Last years rules still apply. Retailers are ready with the migratory bird stamps. Shooting ends at noon in the Southern zones. Bag limit is ten birds total. That means mourning and white-winged doves total cannot equal more that ten. Here is where the hook is. Of those ten birds no more than six can be white-winged. So, if you shoot six white-winged doves and no mourning doves then your hunt is over for the day. 

One feathered wing must be attached until you get it home. Make sure to cool the birds down as soon as possible. Shot shell casings are litter. Game wardens can and do revoke hunting licenses for littering.  Is it worth giving up any fall hunts? To find the rest of the regulations click on the Game and Fish link on the top of the home page.

There are tons of birds this year. So, shake off summer and get out there and find that perfect spot for first light. The first “ber” month is only a few weeks away.

Linda Dightmon

AZOD Associate Editor