Georgia’s dove season opens at noon Saturday.
The official 2015-16 dove seasons are Sept. 5-20, Oct. 10 through Nov. 1 and Nov. 26 through Jan. 15. Shooting hours are noon until sunset on opening day and a half-hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the season dates.
Sunrise and sunset times for each day are found in the 2015-16 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations guide or online at www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/regulations.
For a preview of what to expect on the dove field, view the newest Wildlife Resources Division YouTube video at www.youtube.com/georgia
wildlife and select “Georgia Dove Season 2015-2016.”
Many WMA public dove fields are reserved solely for quota hunts on opening day, so be sure to review dove-hunting rules and regulations to ensure the availability of any field.
The daily bag limit is 15 doves per hunter. Collared doves may be taken, but do not affect the count of the daily limit. Any autoloading or other repeating shotgun must be plugged to hold no more than three shells while hunting doves.
And hunters must obtain permission from landowners before hunting on private property.
Dove hunters age 16 and older must possess a Georgia hunting license and a free Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) Permit. HIP, now in its 20th year, provides biologists with needed information to ensure conservation of migratory-bird populations while providing quality hunting opportunities.
When hunting on a WMA, you also must possess a WMA license. Hunters may purchase licenses online at www.georgiawildlife.com/licenses-permits-passes, by phone at 1-800-366-2661 or at license-vendor locations (list of vendors available online).
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 to the FWS by calling 1-800-327-BAND (2263).
For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/regulations.