DOVE HUNTING GUIDE 2018
Dove hunting season kicks off Saturday
S theirept. 1 represents not only the start of the annual dove hunting seasons, but also an influx of cash to the local economy as out-of-town hunters descend on the Valley with their shotguns and credit cards.
Businesses such as Sunbeam Lake RV Resort and Imperial Palms Resort at Barbara Worth report they expect to see busy days ahead as the bird hunters roll into town.
As opposed to last season, which started on a Wednesday, this year’s season will begin on a weekend, giving a better opportunity for hunters to explore and interact with more businesses throughout the Valley.
“It’s a community effort, and these guys coming into town, they’re contributing substantially to the economy here in the Valley,” Sunbeam Lake RV Resort owner Ed McGrew said. “It’s a civic endeavor worth promoting.”
Dove hunting season continues to be a notable time of year for Sunbeam Resort, located on Sunbeam Drive in Seeley, as the resort has already checked in about 50 hunters, many of whom registered about a month in advance.
The resort has welcomed these seasonal guests for the past six years with its annual Dove Hunters Cookout event, which will be held Aug. 31 and feature free grilled foods, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, and an opportunity drawing.
Game wardens will also be on site to provide up-todate laws and regulations.
McGrew said approximately 75 hunters are expected to attend. Anyone with valid hunting license is invited, he said.
The resort will also have a designated area at their site specifically made for hunters to dress doves.
“We put a table where they can clean the birds and prepare them,” McGrew said. “We also put big trash barrels to fill with the rest of their birds. In fact, we prefer you clean them there, so you don’t get feathers at the sites.”
Imperial Palms Resort, located on Country Club Drive in Holtville, also caters to their dove hunting customers with their annual Barbeque Your Own Bird event, which is held the opening day of the season each year.
“We have plenty of space allocated for cleaning and three grills for them to cook,” the resort’s owner Eddie Mejorado said. “We want everyone happy and to enjoy the season out here.”
In preparation for the season, Mejorado said that hunters from “all sorts of different cities” started booking one of 127 rooms at the resort about a month in advance.
“The impact they have for the community of Holtville and this facility is great,” Mejorado said. “All of these guys are easy going, have fun and try to compete against each other. It’s always fun.”
Rodney Nemlowill, local warden for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, explained the regulations for 2018 to 2019 are the same as last year’s.
The hunt for mourning and white-winged doves begins Sept. 1 and runs through Sept. 15 and again from Nov. 10 to Dec. 24.
Each day, shoot time begins one half hour before sunrise to sunset.
The limit for mourning and white-winged doves are a total of 15 per day, of which no more than 10 may be white-winged doves.
There is no daily limit to collecting spotted and ringed-necked turtle doves.
Since 2013, there has been no limit on collecting Eurasian collared-doves, which are in season yearround.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife deemed collared doves an invasive species to the region “that were imported mainly for pet keeping, private menageries, or park/ornamental use and that subsequently formed breeding populations in the wild in California following escape or release,” according to the department.
Additionally, all game birds must have a fully feathered wing or head attached while in possession and
while transporting, with bag limit applying to individual hunters.
A valid state hunting license is required, as well as a valid Upland Game Bird Stamp (validation) to hunt any upland game birds.
Shotguns must be plugged to hold no more than three shells.