Mourning Dove and Eurasian Collared Dove
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Season Dates
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Limits
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September 5-October 18, 2009
December 5-30, 2009
Season length: 70 days
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Mourning Dove
Daily Limit: 15
Possession Limit: 30
Eurasian Collared Dove
No daily bag or possession Limit
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Mourning Dove: Small trim body, long tail tapers to a point. Brown above, pinkish wash below. Wings produce a fluttering whistle as the bird takes flight.
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Eurasian Collared-Dove: Eurasian collared-dove: Larger than mourning dove. Dark gray/black band on the back of neck. Tail is squared. Light gray-brown, with purplish buff throat.
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2009-10 Early Migratory Bird Seasons Brochure
What is baiting?
It is illegal to hunt or kill any migratory game birds with the aid of baiting or over any baited area. A baited area is where salt, grain or other feed has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered to lure or attract migratory game birds to, on or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them.
An area is considered baited for 10 days after the complete removal of all bait.
Who is responsible?
Anyone hunting who knows or reasonably should know the area is baited is liable for the offense. Hunters should physically inspect the field for any signs of baiting and question landowners, guides and caretakers to ensure the field is legal to hunt.
What agricultural practices are legal for dove hunting?
Many normal agricultural operations attract doves to hunting lands. “Normal agricultural operations” are conducted in accordance with official recommendations of U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service specialists. The following practices are legal for preparing dove fields:
Planting. Planting grain crops in a field that has been plowed and disked (including topsewn or aerially seeded wheat fields) is legal as long as seeding rates are in tune with extension service recommendations. It is illegal to seed the same field repeatedly, concentrate wheat in long rows or pile wheat on a field.
Harvesting. Harvesting a field often scatters some waste grain which attracts birds. If harvest was conducted as normal agricultural operation, it is legal for doves.
Manipulations. Unharvested fields may be mowed, shredded, disked, rolled, chopped, trampled, burned or treated with herbicides. These fields may be hunted legally for doves.
Hogging Down. Livestock may be allowed to graze on harvested and unharvested grain. These fields may be hunted legally for doves.
Food Plots. It is legal to plant food plots, provided that grains grown for wildlife management purposes are not harvested then returned to the field.
What practices are legal for other migratory birds?
Areas where agricultural crops have been manipulated are legal for dove hunting, but not for hunting other migratory birds. If you are dove hunting in a manipulated agricultural field and another in-season migratory bird flies within range, it is not legal to shoot.
Natural vegetation may be manipulated for all migratory birds.
Planted millet is treated as an agricultural crop and may not be manipulated if you intend to hunt waterfowl. Millet that grows on its own in subsequent years (volunteer crop) is considered natural vegetation and may be manipulated without restriction.
Other things to remember about dove hunting
- Eurasian collared-doves must remain fully feathered while in the field and during transport.
- Hunters 16 years of age and older must have on their person a valid Arkansas hunting license and HIP registration while hunting.
- Doves may be taken only with a shotgun incapable of holding more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined.
- Legal shooting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. The hunter must make a reasonable effort to retrieve downed birds.
- Doves given to another hunter must be accompanied by written and signed information stating the number of birds being transferred, the species, the date the birds were killed and the name, address and hunting license number of the person from whom the birds were received.
Consult the AGFC Official Code of Regulations for more information.