Dove hunting season begins soon and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has some reminders for those hunters, as well as recommendations for areas to hunt.
    Doves may be hunted statewide. The season is Sept. 1 –Oct. 30, with daily bag and possession limits of 15 and 45, respectively. Bag limits are for mourning, white-winged and Eurasian collared doves in aggregate. Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.
    Nebraska residents 16 years and older and all nonresidents are required to have a valid Nebraska small game hunting permit, habitat stamp and Harvest Information Program (HIP) number. Get the free HIP number at OutdoorNebraska.gov/hip or at any Game and Parks office. A federal migratory bird hunting stamp (duck stamp) is not required to hunt doves. Shotgun plugs are also required, restricting it to no more than three shells.
    Dove hunters who find a leg band on a dove should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) at reportband.gov. In addition, randomly selected hunters will be asked to save one wing from each dove during the first week of the season and mail the wings postage-free to the USFWS.
    Sunflower, millet and wheat, which generally provide good dove-hunting opportunities, have been planted at several wildlife management areas (WMA) statewide. Game and Parks recommends hunters scout areas before they hunt. To view a list of these planted areas, see the 2017 Dove Hunting Fact Sheet at OutdoorNebraska.gov/SmallGameSpecies.

To read the full story, subscribe to the e-edition online or call the Breeze at 308-394-5389 to subscribe to the print edition.