Check Dove Fields For Bait

With dove hunting beginning soon, hunters may be looking for a place to go after the tricky, challenging birds.

Keep your eyes on the ground during the search. That's where evidence of illegal baiting may be found, and it's something to stay away from.

Doves and other migratory birds, including ducks and geese, fall under federal regulations as well as Arkansas hunting rules. Baiting is not allowed.

But what constitutes baiting? The key phrase in the rules is "normal agricultural practice."

You can grow crops like sunflowers and grains to attract doves. Leave the crop in the field and set up hunting positions around and in the field. That's fine. But you cannot harvest the crop then put it back out in the field or another field.

Here are some official interpretations of the planting regulations:

Planting grain crops in a field that has been plowed and disked (including top-sewn 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 a field often scatters some waste grain which attracts birds. If harvest was conducted as normal agricultural operation, it is legal for doves.

Unharvested fields may be mowed, shredded, disked, rolled, chopped, trampled, burned or treated with herbicides. These fields may be hunted legally for doves.

Livestock may be allowed to graze on harvested and unharvested grain. These fields may be hunted legally for doves, but they may not be legally hunted for waterfowl. This is important to know because some early waterfowl seasons (teal and Canada geese) are open the same time as dove season.

Hunters must check dove fields for themselves whether the property is owned by a friend or is a pay-to-hunt operation. Seed or grain on the ground is a red flag, a sign that it's wise to walk away.

Outdoors on 08/14/2014

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