Mourning dove (Photo: DNR)
It’s September, and a time Wisconsin hunters have been anxiously for has arrived…the start of the first fall seasons.
The first seasons began today with the mourning dove hunting season. State Department of Natural Resources migratory bird ecologist Kent Van Horn says up to 15,000 people take part in the season each fall, harvesting about 100,000 mourning doves every year.
The season is still relatively young in Wisconsin, after starting about 10 years ago. Van Horn remembers how controversial the season was when it was proposed in the
Legislature, with people predicting it would dramatically impact the population of birds. He says “none of that has come to pass though,” so many of the bad feelings about the hunt have faded.
The dove hunt runs to November 29th. An early Canada goose season also started today.
WIBA