Public doves 2021: Carolinas provide hunters plenty of opportunities on public lands

Dove-Main — Paul Sasser took this dove on an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission permit hunt over a millet field that had been burned to expose the seed and provide bare ground to attract doves. (Photo by Mike Marsh)

Both Carolinas provide plenty of opportunities for hunters without access to private land to have a great dove hunt or two. Here are the details.

A distant speck rockets across a crop field.

Shotguns erupt, alarming the bird. Switching on its afterburners, the mourning dove rolls, dives, then climbs to avoid the din. A skillful or lucky hunter’s shot pattern connects, and it tumbles to Earth.

Such is opening day of dove season in the Carolinas. However, with an ever-increasing human population, more agricultural fields are converted to suburban housing developments or urban centers. Would-be hunters who don’t have access to private property or money for a day-hunt can be left in a lurch rather than having a lark-day.

A good solution is to look for a dove field planted and/or managed by one of the two state wildlife agencies: the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission or S.C. Department of Natural Resources. Agency staff prepares the fields, plant the seeds, gets the fields ready for the season by harvesting or mowing down crops, then opens things up for hunters.

If you are a North Carolina hunter, you could do worse than a Game Lands dove hunt on Labor Day weekend, especially if you apply for one of the Commission’s permit-only dove hunts, according to biologist Brian McRae.

“I personally cannot speak highly enough about the work and effort Commission staff put into providing opportunities to the public for dove hunting on Game Lands,” McRae said. “They do an outstanding job of getting the dove fields in the best conditions possible to provide the best experience possible.

“We recognize the importance of dove hunting in terms of tradition, camaraderie and as a great introduction for youth and others to hunting. This is why our team spends so much time managing for doves and why we continually look to meet demand by expanding options. For example, when we acquire new properties, we consistently evaluate the property for suitability for fields and dove hunting opportunities.”

McRae said three of the most popular and productive permit dove hunts are the Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land in Martin County, the Johns River Game Land in Burke County, and Sandy Mush Game Land in Buncombe County. A total of 1,840 permits were offered over the past two years for these locations — and only one permit was not utilized.

“I would say that these permit hunts are popular because they consistently have doves on opening day. These are unique areas because of their locations, terrain and management. For example, the Lower Roanoke River area is surrounded by agricultural land and located in a migratory flyway near the river corridor. Similarly, Johns River and Sandy Mush dove fields are adjacent to rivers. (They) are flat and open areas that are uncommon in the mountains. In terms of management, all three of these areas are intensively managed for doves.”

The Conoho Farms tract on the Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Lands is planted with millet and sunflower, with the millet burned off before dove season. Hunts are Sept. 4, 6, 11 and 14. The Johns River (Sept. 4, 6, 11 and 18) and Sandy Mush (Sept. 4, 6, 8 and 11) fields are also planted with sunflowers in an effort to keep open ground and bare soil that are attractive to doves. Fake power lines have been erected at Johns River and Sandy Mush in an effort to attract and keep birds on the properties.

“It is not uncommon to see anywhere from 600 to 800 birds at Johns River or Sandy Mush on opening day,” McRae said. “Obviously, this is not something seen every year, as our management is weather-dependent, and drought conditions or overly wet years can negatively affect our efforts.”

David Turner, another Commission biologist, said the Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land is consistently the best permit hunt in the northern coastal plain.

“There are two 20-acre fields, one in front of and one away from NC 125 near the wildlife depot,” he said. “We planted corn, sunflower, browntop millet and milo.”

Another coastal Game Land that offers permit dove hunting is Texas Plantation in Tyrrell County, near Columbia. It has 43 acres of sunflowers, millet and fallow fields. Standing corn in the waterfowl impoundment is not manipulated for doves, but doves may be there. Anyone hunting the impoundment must use non-toxic shot.

These game lands are similar to others with permit hunts. Issued by lottery, limited-entry permits spread hunting pressure. Hunters can apply for them on the Commission’s website (www.ncwildlife.org) or through a license agent.

Information about dove fields is available on the website’s link to permit dove hunts. The fields are at Croatan, Green Swamp, J. Morgan Futch, Lower Roanoke River, Suggs Mill Pond, Texas Plantation, White Oak River, Johns River and Sandy Mush game lands. Disabled sportsman permits are available at Johns River and Suggs Mill Pond game lands.

At these game lands, limited-entry permits are required for the first two to four open dates. Thereafter, many are open without permits; some may require an over-the-counter permit for small game, including doves. For those without permits, some dove fields have no permit requirements.

South Carolina: wide open

South Carolina also plants some excellent public dove fields, but none require limited-entry permits; they are open to anyone with a proper hunting license, migratory bird permit and Wildlife Management Area license.

To manage hunter numbers and ensure good hunting without having fields “burned out” from excessive hunting pressure, fields have specific hunting dates. Some are open only three times and several have many open days. Therefore, hunters who don’t mind driving around can scout several fields to extend their opportunities.

Michael Small, SCDNR’s assistant small game program leader, said WMA dove hunts are extremely popular.

“We have 41 fields spread across 27 counties,” Small said. “It’s always hard to say which fields perform exceptionally year-to-year because it varies according to the number of doves. I have seen fields that looked spectacular, and the birds just weren’t there, and other fields that didn’t look good that had lots of doves.”

Small said band returns prove local nesting success impacts opening day dove numbers. Most doves were hatched within a short distance of where they were harvested, and most are banded the same year they are harvested.

“We make every effort to have every field in the best condition possible to ensure a successful hunt,” he said. “The fields are planted in sunflower, corn, wheat, millet and sorghum. We mow and sometimes burn fields to expose the seed and create bare ground for visibility. Hunters may encounter electric fences surrounding fields and should use caution around them. Electric-fence locations vary each year, with technicians moving them to the fields where they are most needed to prevent crop damage by deer and hogs.”

Some dove fields that are the site of successful hunts on a regular basis include these suggested by Small:

Upstate

Fant’s Grove WMA, owned by Clemson University in Anderson County, has 45 acres of dove fields. Like any dove field near a high population center, it is important to large numbers of urban hunters.

Several dove fields in the Greenville-Spartanburg area are vital for the same reason. The SCDNR Rifle Range in Pickens County has 40 acres of fields. In Oconee County, the S.C. Forestry Commission Piedmont Forestry Center has 18 acres, U.S. Forest Service Long Creek Tract has 20 acres, and the USFS Ross Mountain Field has 35 acres.

Piedmont-Midlands

Located in Chesterfield County, the Carolina Sandhills State Forest has two dove fields. Wilkes Chapel Field covers 54 acres and Davis Field covers 30 acres.

In Orangeburg County, near Orangeburg, Santee Cooper WMA has 35 acres of dove fields. In Lexington County near Columbia, Hallman Field covers 47 acres.

The Oak Lea WMA in Clarendon County, within driving distance of Columbia, has 102 acres planted.

Coastal Plain

In the northern coastal plain, Georgetown County’s Samworth WMA is a reasonable drive from Charleston. It has 55 acres of fields.

In the Lowcountry, Botany Bay WMA on Edisto Island in Charleston County has 70 acres of fields. In Colleton County, Donnelly WMA has 80 acres.

In the southern coastal plain, Webb Wildlife Center in Hampton County has 30 acres.

Wildlife officials in both Carolinas plant numerous grain fields, then cut and burn them to provide opportunities for dove hunters. (Photo by Mike Marsh)

South Carolina dove field regulations

Hunters are limited to 50 shells per hunt.
Dove hunting on all public fields is restricted to afternoons. No entry onto fields before noon.
No shooting after 6 p.m. during the first season segment.

In South Carolina, adults are now allowed to shoot doves on special Adult/Youth hunts as long as they are accompanied by a youth hunter. (Photo by Mike Marsh)

Not for kids only

To increase participation, SCDNR’s special Adult/Youth dove hunts, which formerly prohibited adults from shooting, now allow adults to take doves as long as they and their accompanying youths meet legal age requirements.

Adults must be 21 when accompanying one or two youths age 15 or younger. Youths ages 16 and 17 can hunt unaccompanied.

Locations, dates and contact phone numbers for fields are not finalized until late August. They vary season-to-season due to planting schedules, coordination with waterfowl management and landowner permissions.

Visit the SCDNR website or check the regulations for information.