taken from our good friends over at
agfc.comSeason Dates
September 6-28, 2008
October 4-19, 2008
December 13, 2008-January 2, 2009
Limit is still 15
The law and youMisunderstandings seem to arise yearly over what constitutes illegal baiting or enticement of doves for hunting. Being migratory birds, mourning doves are protected by a federal law which states in part, “No person shall take migratory birds by the aid of baiting, or over any baited area.”
What is baiting?Baiting is the direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or other feed that could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on, or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.
What is a baited area? A baited area is any area on which salt, grain, or other feed has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered, if that salt, grain, or other feed could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on, or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them.
For how long? Under the law, an area is considered baited for 10 days following the complete removal of all such salt, grain, or other feed, where a person knows or reasonably should know the area is or has been baited.
What agricultural practices are legal for dove hunting? Many normal agricultural operations attract doves to hunting lands. Normal agricultural operations means a planting, harvesting, post harvest manipulation, or agricultural practice that is conducted in accordance with official recommendations of state cooperative extension specialists. Among the legal practices and operations for hunting doves are the following:
Planting. Doves are easily attracted by planting grain crops in a field that has been plowed, disced and then scattered with seed. Some crops may be topsown (strewn on top of the soil with or without preparing a seed bed). Wheat aerially seeded on cotton and soybean fields before harvest is a normal agricultural operation. Doves may be hunted over an area like this. It is not a normal agricultural operation to seed the same field repeatedly, to concentrate wheat in long rows, or to pile wheat on the field.
Harvesting. The harvest of grain crops such as corn, wheat, milo, sorghum, millet, sunflower and buckwheat also attracts doves. Seeds become available when they fall to the ground during harvest. Mourning doves gather in these fields in large numbers. This is considered legal for dove hunting, if it is carried out as a part of a normal agricultural operation.
Manipulations. Dove hunting is considered legal when unharvested fields are mowed, shredded, disced, rolled, chopped, trampled, burned, or treated with herbicides.
Hogging Down. A third practice that makes grain available to doves is allowing livestock into the field to feed on harvested or unharvested grain, often sorghum or corn. The resulting grain-strewn field is called a hogged-down field. Dove hunting over a hogged-down field is legal.
Food Plots. Many landowners plant food plots for wildlife. Is it legal to hunt doves over a food plot? Yes, provided that grains grown for wildlife management purposes are not returned to the hunting field once they have been harvested. For example, a field of millet can be grown specifically for doves and hunted over if no additional grain is scattered or placed on the field. But the grain grown on the field may not be harvested then redistributed to a hunting field at a later time.
Who determines what constitutes normal agricultural practices?Hunters may rely only on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service state specialists when assessing whether agricultural operations or soil stabilization practices are “normal” for a given area (i.e., whether the practices of “normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation,” “normal soil stabilization practice,” and “normal agricultural operation” have been conducted in accordance with official USDA recommendations).
Responsibilities of the hunterThe liability standard prohibits taking migratory game birds by the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area, if the person knows or reasonably should know the area is baited. Hunters are responsible for ensuring that the hunting area has not been baited before they begin hunting. Being unaware of the baited area remains a difficult defense. Hunters should physically inspect the field; question landowners, guides, and caretakers; and take other reasonable steps to verify the legality of the hunting area. Ask if a field has been baited. If a large concentration of doves is present and the field is freshly plowed, look closely at the soil for grain that is not part of a normal agricultural operation, such as grain not grown in the field, grain not evenly distributed, or the presence of other attractive material.
H.I.P. requirement: You must register for a free Harvest Information Program (HIP) card and completely fill out the questionnaire. See your license dealer or
www.agfc.com for details.
Other things to remember about dove huntingHunters should become familiar with migratory bird hunting regulations prior to hunting season, including the dates of open hunting seasons. This publication does not include all regulations governing dove hunting. It is unlawful to take, attempt to take, or possess (while in the field) more than a daily bag limit of 15 doves, and to possess more than two daily bag limits (30 birds). Eurasian Collared-Doves must remain fully feathered while in the field and while being transported from the field.
If birds are placed in the possession of another hunter, the birds 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.
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, and the shotgun must be incapable of holding more than three shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Shotguns requiring plugs must be plugged with a one-piece filler which requires disassembly of the gun for removal.
Legal shooting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. The hunter must make a reasonable effort to retrieve downed birds.
again all information taken from
agfc.com
