With the exception of South Carolina’s Aug. 15 deer season in the Lowcountry, Labor Day weekend is the official beginning of hunting season in the Carolinas. While many hunters will only partake in dove shoots in the first week or two, this is one of the most important periods of the year for hunters. Potential dove fields need to be planned and planted in the near future.
Traditionally, Opening Day dove hunts will take place in freshly cut corn fields. While most commercially-grown corn was planted four to six weeks ago, the almighty sunflower-planting deadline is approaching, and any hunter knows doves will flock to sunflower patches when available. Most commercially-available sunflowers matures in 100 to 110 days. On May 1, only 123 days will remain before the opening of dove season in the Carolinas. Sunflower plots must be planted by May 15 to ensure maturation and seed availability for the Labor Day weekend dove opener.
Luckily, doves love a wide variety of small grains, including dove proso millet and brown top millet. Since these maturation periods are somewhat shorter, planters have a little more time to get these seeds distributed and covered with soil. Specifically, dove proso millet matures between 70 to 75 days, and brown top millet matures in 60 to 65 days. The majority of all dove plantings prefer a clean and well-disked seed bed as well.
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