The 2010-11 mourning dove season in South Carolina resumed on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Mourning dove hunting in South Carolina, which is divided into three separate seasons, will run as follows in 2010 and into 2011: Nov. 20-27; and Dec. 21-Jan. 15, 2011. Legal hunting hours for mourning dove season are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. The daily bag limit is 15 birds per day. The state’s mourning dove season is set each year by the S.C. Natural Resources Board within a framework of regulations and timetables issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The arrival of “late season” migratory doves can drastically improve hunting opportunity on public and private dove fields across the state. Those hunters willing to scout for concentrations of doves during this time of year are often rewarded by opportunities that equal or exceed those found during the early segment of the season. A county-by-county list of the 46 public dove fields can be obtained by writing: DNR, Attn: Public Dove Fields, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, or by calling (803) 734-3886 in Columbia. The Public Dove Field List is also available at county Clemson Extension Service offices, Soil and Water Conservation District offices, and local DNR offices. Find it online at the DNR Web site: www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/dove/fields.html.
Hunters participating in public dove hunts on DNR Wildlife Management Area (WMA) dove fields should be aware of special regulations in place on these fields. Hunters may not take shooting positions on public fields before noon. Hunters will be restricted to 50 shells per hunt on all WMA public dove fields.
Individuals who plan to hunt on public dove fields will need a South Carolina hunting license and a WMA permit. Also, all persons hunting migratory birds (including doves) are required to have a migratory bird permit, which can be obtained free-of-charge at all hunting and fishing license vendors.
