For many, it’s been a grim season for dove hunting in this area but teal season seems to be going well.
According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Web site, dove season started statewide on Sept. 1 and teal season started in the low-plains area, which is east of U.S.-Highway 283, on Sept. 8.
Don Patton, wildlife manager at the Melvern Wildlife Area, said dove season hasn’t been very good and with the cold-weather front that pushed through the area, the doves likely will move on south.
“Doves are pretty susceptible to cold weather,” Patton said.
“I really have not seen any doves to speak of all summer long,” he said, adding that 52 acres are devoted to dove management near Melvern and still there weren’t many doves.
Jim Pitman, small game coordinator of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks’ Emporia office, agreed that there are few doves this season.
“Around here there’s so much water...they’re really not concentrated,” Pitman said.
Pitman said many hunters sit next to water and wait for doves to flock to it.
“It’s normally a lot better in Western Kansas for dove hunting,” Pitman said. “A lot of people sit (near) water, which is a lot more scarce in Western Kansas.”
Sunflower fields, which attract doves, are few and far between in eastern Kansas, Pitman said.
Bruce Burenheide of Bluestem Farm & Ranch Supply said he’s heard both extremes about dove hunting.
“The doves are up and down,” Burenheide said. “Some of them (hunters) have had some really good luck and some of them haven’t even seen a bird.”
Burenheide said Bluestem store has sold a lot of dove decoys and a lot of shells. The Gun Den reported being completely out of dove decoys.
“It takes a lot of shells for doves,” Burenheide said. “They’re hard to hit. These are fast-flying, zipping birds. It’s a pretty big challenge here in the fall.”
Teal season, however, is looking a lot better than doves. Patton said Sundance Marsh near Melvern was pumped for early teal season.
“They killed about 22 birds off of their opening weekend,” he said. “We saw about 85 birds not too far from the marsh about Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.”
Patton said the upcoming duck season, which starts next month, is looking even better.