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CHEYENNE -- Doves are gracing Wyoming’s lowlands in what some observers think may be record numbers. But history makes hunters ask: “Will the birds still be here Sept. 1 when the season opens?”
“I’ve never seen so many doves in Goshen County,” said Torrington Game Warden Joe Gilbert. “If the weather stays warm we should have some terrific hunting.”
Warm is the key word as doves are a fickle partial-year Wyoming resident. As soon as nighttime temperatures fall to the low 40s North America’s most populous game bird wings, nearly en masse, out of the Equality State for warmer climes.
But if the weather stays warm into September, like 1998, hunters can expect some excellent shooting. The limit is 15 daily and 30 in possession. And even though a dove in late September is a rare sight, the season runs through Oct. 30.
Dove hunters are reminded they are required to have the federal Harvest Information Program or HIP permit. The free permit is available at license agents and G&F offices.
Overall the prospects are also favorable for blue and ruffed grouse. G&F personnel report excellent habitat conditions for these mountain inhabitants. The season runs Sept. 1 -- Nov. 30. The limit of blue and ruffed grouse in combination is three daily and nine in possession.
Cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare and squirrel seasons also open Sept. 1 and run through Feb. 28.
Uploaded: 8/22/1999
Uploaded: 8/22/1999