Forty-two public dove fields will be available across South Carolina during the 2012-13 season through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’s WMA program. A county-by-county list of public dove fields and special youth hunts is available at www.dnr.sc.gov, by writing: DNR, Attn: Public Dove Fields, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, or by calling 803- 734-3886. The Public Dove Field List is also available at local SCDNR offices.
The 2012-13 dove season will run as follows: Sept. 1-3; Sept. 4–Oct. 6; Nov. 17-24; and Dec. 21–Jan. 15. Legal hunting hours for mourning dove season are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset, except Sept. 1-3, when they are noon until sunset. The daily bag limit is 15 birds per day.
Hunters participating in public dove hunts on WMA dove fields should be aware of special regulations in place on these fields. No entry is allowed on public fields before noon. Hunters will be restricted to 50 shells per hunt on all Wildlife Management Area public dove fields, and shooting hours will end at 6 p.m. on all public fields during the first segment of the South Carolina dove season (Sept. 1–Oct. 6).
Individuals who plan to hunt on public dove fields will need a South Carolina hunting license and a Wildlife Management Area permit. Also, all persons hunting migratory birds (including doves) are required to have a migratory bird permit. Migratory bird permits can be obtained free-of-charge at all hunting and fishing license vendors.
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