Photo by Mark Romanack

What thrills you most about hunting? Is it waiting for that one all-important shot on big game? Is it multiple shots at plenty of game? If it's the latter of the two, and getting to take plenty of shots at fast-moving targets, then dove hunting is for you.

When you also consider that doves are the most available game bird in North America, they are delicious, and you get a bag limit of 15, you end up with a highly desirable hunting activity -- one that had over 1,153,000 participants (during 2004) across the United States.

With these types of positive attributes, it's no wonder that Indiana's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) places a lot of effort into managing a very popular and successful dove-hunting program. The success of this program is actually two- fold, and it encompasses good land-management techniques, and a well- run dove reserve hunt.

The basis for any type of good hunting begins with the habitat and ecology to support a given species. Of course, there are aesthetic values and traditions that enhance any hunting experience; but without game, hunting interest would evaporate.

Indiana's DFW does an excellent job of managing habitat that supports large dove populations on many of its properties. Last year, for example, a total of 35,825 doves were taken on fish and wildlife areas (FWAs) in Hoosierland. This is up 7,744 birds from the previous year, a 22 percent increase! Moreover, reservoir properties saw a sharp increase as well. This means dove hunters in Indiana fared quite well last year, and the outlook for this year is very good, too.

Let's now take a look at several of these properties where the dove hunting will likely be fast-paced this fall.

KINGSBURY FWA
Kingsbury FWA in LaPorte County contains 7,120 acres. Kingsbury is one of the FWAs that hold reserved dove hunts each season, and last year, 3,885 doves were harvested on its dove-hunting fields.

Mac Carlisle is the property manager at Kingsbury; he notes that specific land-management techniques are used at Kingsbury to ensure good dove hunting.

"Basically, we use row-crop farming (techniques), and we want the fields as clean as possible to minimize weedy growth," Carlisle said. "Sunflowers are planted to attract the birds into the fields. We want them (sunflowers) brown and not green on Sept. 1."

Planting the sunflowers early is necessary to get them to go through their natural life cycle and turn brown with lots of mature seeds for the doves to eat. "The secret," Carlisle said, "is to get them in the ground early; some FWAs have to spray to turn them brown."

Kingsbury can accommodate a lot of dove hunters. "Typically we can have 100 dove hunters," Carlisle said.

Dove hunting at Kingsbury during the first two days of the season is limited to winners of the DNR's Dove Hunt Reservation Drawing. These perspective shooters picked Kingsbury FWA for the place they wanted to hunt on their reserve dove hunt application card.

Essentially, the DNR-sponsored Dove Hunt Reservation Drawing is a type of lottery requiring hunters to fill out an application card (which can be found in the Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide) to put their names in the hat to be picked to hunt.

Generally, there are about 11 DNR properties to choose from on the application. These properties are dispersed around the state and there should be one fairly close to you. Make sure you pick only one of the properties when you fill out the application. If you pick more than one, you will be disqualified from the drawing.