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Photo by Sarah Southerland/ODWC
Dove Season to Kick Off 2021 Hunting Excitement
When the calendar turns to Sept. 1, it brings with it Oklahoma’s first major hunting season of the fall. Dove hunting is always highly anticipated by thousands of hunters, and that’s no surprise. Dove hunting provides first-class wingshooting and excellent table fare.
Scroll down for a slate of resources to help you kick off your hunting season, including resources for helping you locate public dove hunting spots near you. But first, make sure you have your hunting license and federal Harvest Information Permit (on paper or on the Go Outdoors Oklahoma mobile app). Log into your Go Outdoors Oklahoma account to get set up.
Resources for Dove Hunters
Doves are found from one side of the state to the other, and hunters don’t have to travel far to find them.
Recently harvested grain fields and cattle watering ponds on private land can be excellent places to hunt doves.
Additionally, excellent hunting can be found on many of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s wildlife management areas or through the Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP), which leases private land statewide for hunting, fishing and other activities.
For public land dove hunting tips, helpful videos, dove species identification, shotgun patterning videos and more on dove hunting, check out our dove hunting webpage. There, you'll also find our latest resources for dove hunters, such as a listing of WMAs open to dove hunting. There's even a listing of fields on WMAs that are managed for doves, along with GPS coordinates and maps of those areas.
2021-22 Fishing & Hunting Regulations Available
The 2021-22 Fishing and Hunting Regulations are available now online and in print. Find printed copies at ODWC offices, and watch for them in the coming days at locations where hunting and fishing licenses are sold. To view them online or to get a look at what's new in the latest regulations, check out the links below.
(Click here for complete Hunting Regulations)
(Click here for complete Fishing Regulations)
More Dove Tips
The combined daily limit for mourning, white-winged, and fully dressed Eurasian collared doves is 15. There is no daily limit on collared doves provided the head or a feathered wing remains attached to the bird while in the field and being transported to their final destination.
Dove hunters are reminded to make sure their shotgun can hold no more than three shells at any one time.
Dove season remains open until Oct. 31, then will reopen Dec. 1-29.
Also, check out our article, "Four Tips for Better Dove Hunting," posted on the Wildlife Department's Outdoor Oklahoma Journal below.
Free Hunting Days Slated
The first full weekend of September is Free Hunting Days in Oklahoma. This year, on Sept. 4-5, Oklahoma residents can get outdoors to pursue game in season without the need to carry a state hunting license or a Harvest Information Program permit.
These free days provide a perfect chance for current hunters to gather up someone who has not been hunting and give them an experience that might help preserve the time-honored American tradition of hunting.
This year, hunting seasons that will be open during Free Hunting Days are squirrel, dove, rail, gallinule, coyote, raccoon, beaver, prairie dog, nutria, striped skunk, and some species of reptiles, salamanders and amphibians.
Youth Hunter Cooks Up Hunting Season Plans in Short Order
We hope this story gets you as excited for hunting season as it does us! Amid the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic last winter, one Oklahoma youth learned for herself that Oklahoma's outdoors are always open! In a speech delivered at an FFA state convention, Kate Myers explains in her own words how she took up hunting during a pandemic ... and ended up learning much more than just what it takes to plan one single hunt. Reader her story on the Outdoor Oklahoma Journal.
We manage and protect fish and wildlife, along with their habitats, while also growing our community of hunters and anglers, partnering with those who love the outdoors, and fostering stewardship with those who care for the land.
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