Dove season opens Sept. 7, hunter course options available

SOCIAL CIRCLE — The anticipation is building for the opening of dove season on Sept. 7, and there are hunter course options available for those taking advantage of it.

“Georgia offers more than 50 public dove fields and this is widely considered one of the best times of the year to introduce someone new to hunting,” Ted Will, chief of Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resource Division Game Management, said. “Additionally, this year, in response to the desire of hunters to end the dove season later, recent framework changes by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowed us to provide that opportunity until January 31.”

The official 2019-20 dove seasons are Sept. 7-30, Nov. 23-Dec. 1 and Dec. 6-Jan. 31. Shooting hours are noon until sunset on Sept. 7 and one-half hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the season dates.

The DNR dove field forecast identifies available crops and anticipated hunting conditions for opening day. The daily bag limit is 15 doves per hunter. Collared doves may be taken and do not count toward the daily limit.

DNR officials said shotguns must be plugged to hold no more than three shot shells while hunting doves. And, as always, hunters must obtain permission from landowners before hunting on private property.

In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Research Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with several states, including Georgia, initiated an ongoing dove banding project. Hunters can participate in this conservation effort by examining harvested doves for leg bands and reporting band numbers at www.reportband.gov.

Those with private field plans are encouraged to check out the online brochure, “Dove Hunting and Agricultural Practices in Georgia,” available at georgiawildlife.com/migratory-bird-info.

Hunters 16 years of age and older need to have a hunting license and a Georgia Migratory Bird Stamp, which allows Georgia to participate in the federal Harvest Information Program. Some licenses allow the license holder to get the Georgia Migratory Bird Stamp at no cost.

Hunters may purchase licenses online at www.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com, by phone at 1-800-366-2661 or at license vendor locations, the list of which is available online.

There are two hunter education course options. The course can be taken completely online, or in a classroom setting, Georgia DNR said.

“We are glad that we are able to give our customers a choice about how they want to take the hunter education course,” Jennifer Pittman, hunter development program manager with the WRD, said. “Offering both classroom and online options gives students a choice of what works best with their schedules, especially those with time constraints.”

The four available online courses each require a fee, from $9.95-24.95, but all are “pass or don’t pay” courses. Fees for these courses are charged and collected by the independent course developer. The classroom course is free of charge.

Completion of a hunter education course is required for any person born on or after Jan. 1, 1961, who purchases a season hunting license in Georgia, is at least 12-years-old and hunts without adult supervision and hunts big game on a wildlife management area.

The only exceptions include any person who purchases a short-term hunting license, or is hunting on his or her own land or that of his or her parents or legal guardians.

For more information, call (706) 557-3355 or visit georgiawildlife.com/hunting/huntereducation for more information.

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