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Forty-six public fields for hunting of mourning doves will be open during the 2000-01 season through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management Area program.
The 2000-01 mourning dove season will run as follows: Sept. 2 - Oct. 7, Nov. 18-25 and Dec. 21 - Jan. 15. The daily bag limit is 12 birds per hunter.
The state^s mourning dove season is set each year by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Board under a framework of regulations and timetables issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Statewide legal shooting hours for the 2000-01 dove season will allow afternoon hunting only (from noon to sunset) for the first three days (Sept. 2-4) of the first season segment and then all-day hunting (from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset) for the rest of the season. Special hours may be in effect on some public fields.
On two fields, the Evans Property field in Anderson County and the Draper Tract in York County, the number of hunters will be limited by a public drawing. Hunter numbers will be limited on these fields to address safety concerns caused by crowded conditions on these fields. For more information on the application process for these hunts, contact the DNR Clemson office at (864) 654-1671 or the DNR Union office at (864) 427-4771. Hunting and hunter placement on all other public fields is on a first-come basis.
On seven special youth hunts scheduled for Abbeville, Clarendon, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Sumter, and Union counties, a limited number of openings are available. Participants are selected by preregistration or drawing for all youth hunts with the exception of the Clarendon County youth hunt. A list of youth hunts, dates and registration deadlines is included with the public dove fields list.
Individuals who plan to hunt on these public fields will need a South Carolina hunting license and a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) permit. Most fields are open on a first-come basis. Also, all persons hunting migratory birds (including doves) are required to have a Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit, available free at all hunting and fishing license vendors.
A county-by-county list of public dove fields and special youth hunts can be obtained by writing: DNR, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, ATTN: Public Dove Fields, or by calling (803) 734-3886 in Columbia. The Public Dove Fields List is also available at county Extension Service, Soil and Water Conservation District and local DNR offices.
Uploaded: 8/17/2000
Uploaded: 8/17/2000