ELKINS, W.Va. — The long, hot days of summer are about to officially end for West Virginia hunters. The two earliest hunting seasons of the year will start on labor day. Early Canada goose season opens at daylight and the mourning dove season starts at noon.
“The noon start on the first day is kind of an old tradition from years ago started by dove hunters in the south,” said DNR Biologist Steve Wilson. “It was a gentleman’s hunt you’d have brunch, then you’d go out and shoot a few doves.”
Today, most hunters skip the brunch, but most would agree it’s a laid back pace for hunting. It’s still warm, you’re able to move around and talk to friends and socialize while you’re hunting without impacting the birds, and you don’t need to be there at the crack of dawn to get the best action.
Opening day of buck season it’s not, but challenging it is. Doves are small and are acrobatic flyers. A study years ago indicated most hunters average one dove for every seven shots taken.
Any agriculture area will be attractive for doves. The Greenbottom and McClintic Wildlife Management Areas are specifically managed to attract the birds.
“Plant some stuff and then go mow it off,” said Wilson. “They actually like to have a little dirt around. That makes an nice open areas where they can find seeds and feed. You can mow down a patch of ragweed and have the same effect.”
Typically on opening day, Greenbottom and McClintic are flush with hunters and unlike deer season, the more the merrier.
“You want some activity to keep birds moving around,” Wilson said. “If you’re the only one shooting at birds on one end of a field, pretty soon all the birds will go to the other end and you’re going to be sitting there alone.”
Wilson suggests positioning friends around the perimeter of a field or becoming mobile if you’re hunting solo. Shoot on one end of the field for a while, then move to another area.
The Canada goose season opens this early in a complete effort to try and cut into the resident population.
“The September seasons are purely aimed at killing resident birds,” said Wilson. “The migratory birds are nowhere near here. Any birds we kill in September are staying here year round.”
The highest populations of resident geese will be found in areas you’ll unlikely be allowed to hunt them. Lush golf course fairways and city parks tend to be gathering spots, much to the chagrin of maintenance employees and greens keepers.
Both the dove and goose are migratory and are regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hunters must have the Harvest Information Card to help with recording the numbers. You’re required to have a plug in your shotgun limiting the capacity to only three shells. Goose hunters must have a form of non-toxic shot however, the no lead rule doesn’t apply to doves.