Report: Dove hunting violations down
Fish and Game officers issue few citations this year
Opening weekend for this year’s dove hunting season brought out a host of Arizona Fish and Game officers who touched base with many of the outdoorspeople who came out for the sport, but relatively few citations and warnings.
From Sept. 1-4, according to the Fish and Game department, just over 2,500 hunters came into contact with officers in Region IV, which covers all of Yuma and La Paz counties, along with parts of Yavapai, Maricopa and Pima counties.
Jodi Niccum, law enforcement officer in Yuma for Fish and Game, said 1,830 of those contacts were in the Yuma and Wellton areas, with another 278 coming from La Paz County and almost 400 coming from the rest of the region.
“Contacts” include officers checking hunters for compliance with hunting regulations, including licensing, bag limits, plugs (required for highly regulated migratory birds) and other potential violations, as well when they witness a possible violation.
Yet the number of citations and warnings resulting from those contacts was relatively low, at 124 for the entire region, with about twice as many warnings as actual citations.
“Our objective as officers is to obtain compliance with the state laws. As we work to gain compliance an individual may have to face consequences in the form
of a citation, and sometimes education is all that is needed to have someone come into compliance, which is in the form of a warning,” Niccum said.
Citations can result in a fine and a court process. In rare instances, hunting licenses can be revoked.
Hunters firing within a quarter-mile of a building without the owner’s permission was the most frequently noted offense, which she said is usually the case.
“The quarter mile issue is always our biggest problem with the dove hunt, especially as the area continues to grow. We try every year to help out our hunters by placing 1/4 mile signs in areas that have had issues in the past,” Niccum said.
Jim Ammons of Yuma, who is the current president of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, said the traditional Sept. 1 opening of the season benefited from falling on a Saturday, with Labor Day coming two days later.
“The calendar was most helpful, and the weather,” he said, with the almostas-traditional storm just before opening day not materializing this year.
“I think the participation was as good or better than usual, with people coming in from out of town,” he said.
The “early” season, when both mourning doves and white-winged doves can be legally hunted, ended at sunset Saturday. The late season of Nov. 23-Jan. 6 is when any mourning dove can be taken.
Eurasian collared doves can be hunted year-round. For more information on hunting regulations, visit yumadovehunting.com.
The high number of birds in Yuma County have made it a destination for
decades, with an estimated $2 million to $5 million economic impact every year.
Ammons said Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck came to Yuma to watch all of the preparations and economic activity of opening weekend, which serves as the kickoff to Yuma’s winter tourism season.
“The department brought him down to see for himself how things were, and possibly have the same kind of thing set up there for them,” he said. “It’s an event, I guess we call it, a destination and an event.”