Labor Day weekend is a harbinger of autumn - and the opening of Georgia's hunting seasons. Dove hunting is among the state's most popular outdoor pastimes, and many sportsmen and women will be searching for places to go.
Georgia's Department of Natural Resources manages dozens of public dove fields throughout the state, including some quality sites in the eastern region near Augusta.
Dove shoots often are social occasions, where dozens - or even hundreds - of hunters gather for a day of shooting over cut corn, wheat, millet, sorghum, sunflowers or other harvested grain.
Here are some of the best public dove fields, along with their approximate acreage and types of crops planted:
* Di-Lane Plantation: 100 acres, millet, sorghum, corn and sunflowers. Open Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Dec. 10-11, 13-14, 16-18, 20-21, 23-28; and Jan. 1-15. Dove hunting on designated fields only.
* Broad River WMA: 15 acres, millet and sorghum. Open Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Nov. 22-24, Dec. 10-Jan. 15. No check-in.
* Clark Hill WMA: 30 acres, millet, sorghum, wheat. Open Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Dec. 10-Jan. 15. No check-in.
* Tuckahoe WMA: 25 acres, browntop millet. Open Sept. 22; Oct. 6, 20; Dec. 10-Jan. 15. No check-in.
* Tuckahoe (Hilltonia section): 30 acres, browntop millet. Open Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29; Nov. 22-24; Dec. 10-Jan. 15. No check-in.
* Walton Public Dove Field: 70 acres, browntop millet, wheat. Adult-child dove hunt Sept. 1. No check in. General hunt Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29; Nov. 22-24; Dec. 10-Jan. 15.
* Yuchi WMA: 21 acres, millet. Open Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Nov. 22-24; Dec. 10-Jan. 6. No check-in. Area-wide Jan. 7-15.
Doves are migratory creatures and move through the Southeast in large numbers during the fall and winter. The bag limit is 12 birds per day per hunter. Limits are set to avoid over-harvesting.
Dove seasons for 2001-2002 are:
* Northern Zone: Sept. 1-Sept. 30; Nov. 22-24; and Dec. 10-Jan. 15.
* Southern Zone: Sept. 22-Oct. 21; Nov. 22-24; and Dec. 10-Jan. 15.
South Carolina's proposed dove season is Sept. 1-Oct. 6 (Sept. 1-3 allows shooting only from noon to sunset); Nov. 17-24; and Dec. 21-Jan. 15.
A county-by-county list of public dove fields and special youth hunts can be obtained by writing to: S.C. DNR, P.O. Box 167, Columbia, SC, 29202, ATTN: Public Dove Fields; or by calling (803) 734-3609.
Hunters using private fields or participating in organized commercial shoots are encouraged to be familiar with Georgia and South Carolina laws on baiting, which is an illegal method of attracting wildlife.
Baiting is defined as placing, exposing, depositing or scattering salt, wheat, corn, or any other food or seed to attract doves to an area where they are being hunted. Anyone caught hunting in a baited field can be charged even if they claim no knowledge of the bait.
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