Manitoba Eyes Mourning Dove Hunt Season for 2016
In the Field By: Paul Turenne
By this time next year, hunters in Manitoba may have a new species of game bird to pursue.
The province is awaiting the results of an Environment Canada assessment on the biological sustainability of a mourning dove hunt in Manitoba. Assuming the federal authorities believe the dove population could sustain a hunt here (and it appears, based on all indications, they do), there could be a hunting season in place for the birds by Sept. 1, 2016.
"Mourning doves are one of the most abundant game birds in North America. They're actually the most abundant migratory game bird in Manitoba," said Frank Baldwin, the provincial game bird manager with Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship. "We've already done our own preliminary assessment, and we expect Environment Canada's assessment will find a hunt is sustainable."
The bird's breeding population in Manitoba has trended stable over the past decade and is currently estimated at about 800,000, which is about double the number of Canada geese, Baldwin said. Between 14 million and 20 million doves are already harvested by hunters across North America every year, including those in Minnesota and Iowa, U.S. states Manitoba's birds fly through after leaving in the fall. There are at least 40 states and two provinces (Ontario and B.C.) that have dove-hunting seasons in place.
Why would anyone want to shoot a dove, you ask? Easy answer: apparently, they are delicious.
"I've talked to people in our flyway who hunt them a lot, and they all say they're fantastic, with very mild meat," Baldwin said. "They're hunted because they're extremely good to eat. They're also known as a 'gateway' species for new hunters because you don't need a lot of equipment like a boat and decoys to hunt them."
Baldwin said a typical dove hunt would be carried out with a shotgun loaded with small shot, either pass-shooting the birds as they go out to feed near water sources or flushing them out of roosting trees.
The standard limit in states that share the Manitoba flyway is usually 15 per day, and Baldwin said the province would likely mirror that if a season is established. The possession limit, as is standard for most migratory game birds, would be three times the daily limit.
Mourning doves -- the only species of dove found in Manitoba -- inhabit this part of the world in the warmer months. Most have typically flown south by mid-October, meaning the majority of hunting opportunity in Manitoba would take place in September.
Doves are most abundant in the southwestern part of the province, including the prairie pothole areas. That being said, they are widely distributed across roughly the southernmost third of the province and are rarely seen north of The Pas. The birds tend to avoid densely forested and swampy areas, so the agricultural south would likely provide the most opportunity for hunters.
Although doves are popular at bird feeders in populated areas, bird lovers in Winnipeg need not fear hunters will be pursuing them in the backyards of Charleswood or St. Vital. Just like any other hunting season, a dove hunt would be subject to the same municipal firearms bylaws that prevent hunters from shooting ducks, geese and whitetail deer within the limits of Winnipeg and many other urban areas in Manitoba.
Baldwin said the province expects to hear back from Environment Canada this fall, and if the response is positive, Manitoba will officially propose a season to begin next year.
Get those frying pans ready.
Paul Turenne is executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 3, 2015
By this time next year, hunters in Manitoba may have a new species of game bird to pursue.
The province is awaiting the results of an Environment Canada assessment on the biological sustainability of a mourning dove hunt in Manitoba. Assuming the federal authorities believe the dove population could sustain a hunt here (and it appears, based on all indications, they do), there could be a hunting season in place for the birds by Sept. 1, 2016.
"Mourning doves are one of the most abundant game birds in North America. They're actually the most abundant migratory game bird in Manitoba," said Frank Baldwin, the provincial game bird manager with Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship. "We've already done our own preliminary assessment, and we expect Environment Canada's assessment will find a hunt is sustainable."
The bird's breeding population in Manitoba has trended stable over the past decade and is currently estimated at about 800,000, which is about double the number of Canada geese, Baldwin said. Between 14 million and 20 million doves are already harvested by hunters across North America every year, including those in Minnesota and Iowa, U.S. states Manitoba's birds fly through after leaving in the fall. There are at least 40 states and two provinces (Ontario and B.C.) that have dove-hunting seasons in place.
Why would anyone want to shoot a dove, you ask? Easy answer: apparently, they are delicious.
"I've talked to people in our flyway who hunt them a lot, and they all say they're fantastic, with very mild meat," Baldwin said. "They're hunted because they're extremely good to eat. They're also known as a 'gateway' species for new hunters because you don't need a lot of equipment like a boat and decoys to hunt them."
Baldwin said a typical dove hunt would be carried out with a shotgun loaded with small shot, either pass-shooting the birds as they go out to feed near water sources or flushing them out of roosting trees.
The standard limit in states that share the Manitoba flyway is usually 15 per day, and Baldwin said the province would likely mirror that if a season is established. The possession limit, as is standard for most migratory game birds, would be three times the daily limit.
Mourning doves -- the only species of dove found in Manitoba -- inhabit this part of the world in the warmer months. Most have typically flown south by mid-October, meaning the majority of hunting opportunity in Manitoba would take place in September.
Doves are most abundant in the southwestern part of the province, including the prairie pothole areas. That being said, they are widely distributed across roughly the southernmost third of the province and are rarely seen north of The Pas. The birds tend to avoid densely forested and swampy areas, so the agricultural south would likely provide the most opportunity for hunters.
Although doves are popular at bird feeders in populated areas, bird lovers in Winnipeg need not fear hunters will be pursuing them in the backyards of Charleswood or St. Vital. Just like any other hunting season, a dove hunt would be subject to the same municipal firearms bylaws that prevent hunters from shooting ducks, geese and whitetail deer within the limits of Winnipeg and many other urban areas in Manitoba.
Baldwin said the province expects to hear back from Environment Canada this fall, and if the response is positive, Manitoba will officially propose a season to begin next year.
Get those frying pans ready.
Paul Turenne is executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 3, 2015