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Dove Hunting 2010
Dove season is less than a month away as the annual opener kicks in at
noon on September 1. Each year it seems more and more sportsmen have
fewer places to hunt.
The ranks of dove hunters have diminished over the years as a lack of
public hunting opportunities are taking a toll.
Each year Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency sends out a news release
regarding its attempt to lease private acreage for public dove hunting.
Unfortunately, the program has not been well accepted in this area as
very few landowners have been willing to participate.
Bottom line is that farmers have not embraced TWRA’s so called land
lease program. History has shown that whatever carrot the agency has
attempted to dangle in front of the eyes of landowners has not appealed
and it’s disappointing. Dove hunts are the entry level for many
sportsmen and it’s a great way to introduce kids to shooting sports.
Will you have a place to hunt when season opens? Will TWRA’s wildlife
management areas across the region offer fields that actually have both
space and doves? Has the agency attempted to improve on the lack of
public dove hunting opportunities whose track record leaves a lot to be
desired?
Time will tell. If the last few years are any indication hunters in this
area will be hard pressed to find a public hunt where both space and
doves are present.
Meanwhile, here is TWRA’s news release regarding their program:
Farmers willing to participate in the Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency’s dove field leasing program can make up to $2,400 by allowing
public access to hunters in September.
The wildlife agency is specifically attempting to lease fields planted
in sunflower or grain crops such as brown top millet or soybean.
Farmers can earn up to $60 per acre leased, with a 40-acre cap set on
the total amount that the agency is allowed to pay per field. That total
is also dependent upon the number of days farmers allow access.
The TWRA has leased dove fields for many years, but has its own wildlife
management areas where it holds public hunts. The agency leases fields
in an attempt to provide hunters a larger selection of hunting sites
during the earliest days of dove season.
For more information about field specifications or lease stipulations,
landowners should email Russ Skoglund at
russ.skoglund@tn.gov or
George Buttrey at george.buttrey@tn.gov
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