Photo by Mark Romanack

No matter your addiction -- deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, duck -- it probably doesn't offer close to the same fast action of a mourning dove hunt. When doves are in the shooting fields, especially early in the season, the action is nonstop.

THE BIG PICTURE
The season will open this year, as it has since 1954, on the first day of September and will run late into the month. After a brief closed period, it normally reopens again in early October and doesn't close until nearly November. After that, there'll be one last late-season chance from around the middle of December on into the early part of January.

That's plenty of opportunity for almost anyone, with almost any work schedule, to hunt these birds. And there's no scarcity of places to hunt either, thanks to a cooperative program between the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and local landowners and farmers.

Since the late 1980s, the TWRA has operated a program designed to increase the numbers of mourning doves in the state and provide more opportunity for hunters. It's called the Public Dove Field Program.

Basically, the TWRA pays private landowners to create forage fields on their land and, in some cases, on public land. (Most of the fields on public land are planted by state personnel, but not all.)

In exchange for planting those fields, the landowners are paid a fee. Payments vary depending upon the type of field leased.

The leased fields are broken down into three basic groups. First are the spring fields. They're mostly planted in millet, wheat or sunflowers and are mowed before the dove season opens. These fields offer no crop benefit to the farmer. They're strictly for the doves.

Second are the improved silage fields. The farmer harvests them for silage in a traditional manner with the exception that some grain -- usually about 4 acres -- is allowed to stand until just before opening day to help attract and hold doves. These can be great hunting spots but do have one disadvantage: No one knows how many doves will be there until just before opening day.

Last are the traditional fall fields. These fields consist of harvested grain, millet or in some cases late harvested hay. No crops are allowed to remain standing by the farmer. The only exception might be a few outside rows to give the shooters a little cover.

No matter what type field is in the TWRA program, there are a variety of rules and regulations that control the owner's use of it and the public hunting rights on it. For the most part, the TWRA requires that the fields be harvested in a particular manner and at a particular time, usually determined by a regional biologist.

Part of the deal is that the fields must be open to public hunting during the season. In all cases, that includes opening day and at least two other days during the season. Under most circumstances, but not all, those additional dates will include Saturdays to offer the maximum amount of hunting time for Tennessee sportsmen and women.

The Public Field Dove Program is one of the best -- if not the best -- wildlife programs in the state.

It's popular with farmers because it gives them a guaranteed income from some of their land. Not a lot of income, but at least some guarantee. That's a good thing in this time of unstable agricultural conditions. It's also widely renowned for increasing the mourning dove population as well as increasing hunting opportunities. Volunteer hunters love it.