Dove hunters can expect good to excellent hunting

This is shaping up to be a good to excellent year for dove hunting in Arizona, especially for mourning dove. Arizona will once again boast the best dove hunting in the nation.

Keep in mind that we have two seasons. There is an early season from Sept. 1–15 and a late season from Nov. 18–Jan. 1. During the early s season in the southern zone, adults are limited to half-day hunting but youth up to age 17 can hunt all day (see the dove regulations for further clarification).

The late dove season has become increasingly popular and conditions have lined up for superb late dove hunting this year. During the late dove season, many hunters elect to go for mixed bags and hunt doves and rabbits as well. These multiple bag hunts are tremendous for young hunters.

Central Arizona is expected to have excellent dove hunting. This year, expect to find good dove concentrations around agriculture as usual, but you will also find plentiful hunting opportunities for more dispersed doves in the desert areas where water and seed availability is tremendous. This year, we have the best of both worlds. You can hunt the more popular areas or find locations with little or no hunter congestion. Biologists have also put together some suggestions on where to hunt for doves in the greater Phoenix metropolitan areas.

In the Yuma region, which is typically a dove hunting hot spot for the entire nation, both mourning and white-winged dove populations are looking good this year, and are distributed well throughout the desert. However, wet conditions last spring interfered with the planting of agricultural grain crops, so the huge concentrations of doves in agricultural areas may be more difficult to locate. However, abundant seed production in the desert should provide better out-land hunting opportunities. Be sure to scout.

In southern Arizona, dove numbers are about average. In northwestern Arizona, dove numbers are slightly below average. In both those regions, expect doves to be more dispersed because of the available seed crops and water availability.

Bag Limit: Ten (10) mourning and white-winged doves per day in the aggregate, of which no more than six may be white-winged doves.

Possession Limit: Twenty mourning doves after opening day, of which no more than 10 may be taken in any one day.

Dove hunters: don’t forget your bird stamp

The Arizona Game and Fish Department wants to remind dove hunters age 16 and older that they need to have in their possession a $3 Arizona Migratory Bird Stamp while hunting to validate their license for the federal Harvest Information Program.

The stamps are available at all Arizona Game and Fish Department offices, wherever licenses are sold and online. The data collected through this process is used to better manage these migratory species.

Treat your youngsters to doves and pancakes

Treat your youngster to a morning of dove shooting Sept. 3-4 followed by a free pancake and sausage breakfast during the Juniors-Only Dove Hunt at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Robbins Butte Wildlife Area near Buckeye.

A portion of the wildlife area is set aside strictly for junior hunters. Expect plenty of doves this year. Biologists say dove numbers are not only looking good, they are increasing daily.

Pre-established shooting stations will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Shooting stations have been expanded to include both east and west fields, since the fields have more crop than usual.

The young hunters must check in prior to hunting and check out following completion of their hunt. Plan to be there by 4:30 a.m. for the safety briefing.

Once again this year, the Chandler Rod and Gun Club will be hosting a free pancake and sausage breakfast following the morning hunt.

Resident Arizona hunters have more good news

There is more good news for Arizona hunters: U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Broomfield on Aug. 22 granted the Arizona Game and Fish Commission’s motion to revoke the permanent injunction prohibiting enforcement of the state’s 10-percent nonresident cap on big game drawings.

"This means the last major legal hurdle has been crossed. Now the Game and Fish Commission can continue moving forward with its rule-making efforts to reinstate the 10-percent nonresident cap," says Commission Chairman Hays Gilstrap.

Arizona’s original 10-percent cap on nonresident hunt tags was created to protect hunting opportunities for Arizona residents. Last year in July, a U.S. District Court declared the cap unconstitutional, citing the federal Commerce Clause as the reason, and issued an injunction prohibiting the commission from enforcing the cap. Click here for the rest of the story.

Late summer fishing opportunities abound

Grab your fishing pole: Huge trout from the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s hatchery show ponds have been stocked in cool high country waters.

In the desert impoundments, bass are actively chasing shad, bluegill fishing is hitting its peak, and opportunities abound for bottom fish, such as catfish and carp. In the Colorado River lakes, striped bass can often be found chasing threadfin shad at the surface. These surface boils will continue increasing as we move into fall activity patterns.

This is a transition period from summer to fall fishing conditions. As nights get longer, days get shorter, and water temperatures decrease, sport fish will feed more aggressively to put on fat before winter conditions arrive. In other words, we are on the verge of some of the best fishing of the year.

So, keep a close watch on the department’s weekly fishing report. You might even want to sign up to have the weekly fishing report delivered directly to your home or work computer every week.

There is a ton-plus of good news for urban anglers

There’s a ton-plus of good news for urban anglers: The Arizona Game and Fish Department has completed its largest urban bass stocking in the history of the program.

Last week, the lakes in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area received more than 1.5 tons of fish. This week, more than 2,000 largemouth bass were stocked at Sahurarita Lake in Sahuarita, and at Kennedy, Lakeside and Silverbell lakes in Tucson.

However, these 6- to 9-inch largemouths won’t be long enough to catch and keep until around next summer: the minimum length bass you can catch and keep in the urban lakes is 13 inches.

Arizona boaters and anglers win big in Congress

Arizona boaters and anglers have a special reason to celebrate the Aug. 10 signing of the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEALU). The huge federal transportation bill included language reauthorizing the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (ARTF), also known as the Wallop-Breaux Amendment.

The existing ARTF program captured 13.5 cents of the 18.3-cent federal tax on boating fuels and made this money available to the states in the form of matching-fund grants. The reauthorized version will capture the entire tax for state use, making more funds available for boating safety programs, infrastructure and boating access, programs for sport fish and sport fishing, and other important services. Click here to read more about the benefits for Arizona boaters and anglers.