Now is the time to begin the planning and preparation of fields
to attract doves during the upcoming season. The mourning dove
is one of the most popular game species in the Southeast, and
fall dove shoots are a South Carolina tradition. Large numbers
of doves will feed on waste grains and weed seeds in harvested
peanut, corn and wheat fields. Fields can also be planted in
millet, sorghum, sesame, corn, sunflowers or other crops and
managed specifically for dove hunting. It is legal to plant a
field with grains attractive to doves, and harvest or mow all or
part of it, or none of it at all, and shoot doves over the area.
Well-managed dove fields provide benefits to doves and other
wildlife before and after the hunting season. Landowners
interested in dove field recommendations should contact the S.C.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Small Game Project at
(803) 734-3609 in Columbia, or a DNR regional wildlife
biologist. Dove field planting information can also be found on
the DNR website at http://www.dnr