Dove season is shaping up to be a good one in Oklahoma.
Josh Richardson, migratory game bird biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said this dove season should provide hunters with a lot of action.
Richardson cites data found in this year's dove survey. "The dove call survey, which gives us an index of adults pre-nesting, was up by more than 20 percent from last year. This is a considerable boost, which indicates we are having a good year for doves."
Like any other year, weather is a major factor. This year, the weather has been better than in previous years. However heavy rain in some areas has reduced some of the normal food sources. Because of the rain, Richardson said, most waste grain in wheat fields has either sprouted or soured. "On the good side, the summer rain has also brought on a flush of native plants like sunflower, snow-on-the-mountain, croton and others," he said.
This year, dove season will run Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, statewide, followed by another nine-day period open from Dec. 20-28, statewide.
Outdoors on 08/28/2014