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Highlands Today

Illegal Dove Hunting Can Cost Big Bucks

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By Dan  Fearson | Highlands Today

Published: October 12, 2007

SEBRING — If you try to illegally hunt doves, you could end up paying a big price.
Dove hunting is not only regulated by Florida law enforcement officials, it's also regulated by the federal government because the birds migrate from state to state.

"We put a lot of effort into tracking down people who are illegally hunting during this time of year," said Officer Dale Knapp, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

In order to hunt doves in Florida, residents must have a valid state hunting license, a state migratory bird permit and a federal migratory bird hunting permit provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
While most hunters try to follow regulations, a few take the sport to another level, often times getting in trouble.

This March, Jimmy S. Smith, of Lorida, was charged with two counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for baiting his land for the purpose of dove hunting.
Knapp said that this is a common practice among hunters who don't follow the rules, and the FWC is constantly on the lookout for baiters.

"Sometimes you run into people who seed their land with things that are not common to the soil in the area," said Knapp. "You can tell that they are doing it for hunting purposes."
On Oct. 2, 2006, Smith placed more than 200 pounds of brown top millet onto his 2,700-acre land, according to federal court documents. Smith brought in as many as 40 people to hunt on his property, and also used ATVs to rally doves, making them move into the path of the hunters.

For his crimes, Smith ended up paying a tremendous price. The Southern District of Florida fined the hunter $55,000 and placed him on one year of probation.
Those who are caught without hunting permits also face second-degree misdemeanor charges, punishable by a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

The Law-Abiding Hunter

While cases like Smith's come up every once in a while, special opportunity dove fields, regulated by the state, are also available for hunts. Some hunters prefer these fields because they are given opportunities to hunt where doves are common.

In order to hunt these fields, hunters are required to either join the FWC Dove Club, or obtain a one time special-opportunity dove hunting permit. The cost of joining the FWC's dove hunting club is $150 annually. A special opportunity permit costs $35.50 for an adult, or $45.50 for an adult/youth combination permit, which allows a youth younger than 16 the opportunity to hunt with a supervisor.

Lake Wales Ridge, in southern Lake Placid, is another common area for hunters to gather. This season, the wildlife management area (WMA), will allow 25 dove hunters to roam its field.

"All of the permits to hunt here were snapped up quickly," said Brian Christy, an FWC technician. "(The FWC) has been very busy already this season checking everyone out."

"But you do hear stories from time to time about hunters not adhering to the rules," said Christy, who said that so far this season they've had no real problems at Lake Wales Ridge.

Dove hunters who follow regulations typically use shotguns, and try to conceal their whereabouts from the birds by using camouflage. Sometimes they place bird decoys around the area they are hunting, and trey to lurk in freshly harvested fields, where the birds feed. Doves have keen senses and have been documented to fly at a speed of up to 55 miles per hour.

The birds are very small, with an average length of 12 inches. There are an estimated 130 million mourning doves in North America.

In Florida, mourning and white-winged dove hunting season is broken down into three phases. Phase I began on Saturday and will run through Oct. 29, with Phase II running from Nov. 10-25, and Phase III running from Dec. 9 - Jan. 6, 2008. Each phase has a different time of day when hunting is allowed. Dove hunting permits were available through the tax collector's office from July 1-Sept. 9.

Bag limits are placed on hunters, who can kill 12 doves daily, and can only have 24 birds within their possession at any given time.

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