Along with the TWRA and local farmers, let's not forget the field officers and the contribution they make to a successful program. They're responsible for finding good spots for fields. On top of that, they typically help with advice to the farmers, by arranging parking in the immediate area of the field and, on opening day, supervising the hunts to make sure everyone has a safe and successful experience.

"Our officers should get most of the credit for the dove-hunting turnaround in the state," said David Brandenburg, Region 4 wildlife biologist.

Tennessee hunters are taking advantage of all this work and effort. In past years, nearly 120,000 hunters have killed approximately three million doves on an annual basis. During the 2003-04 hunting season, the number of hunters increased to nearly 140,000. The dove harvest increased proportionally.

OPENING DAY
Opening day of mourning dove season has been described as the fall social event for hunters. Everyone who's anyone is there. Those in attendance make small talk, laugh, have a good time, look over their competitors' equipment, and make plans for the rest of the year. You don't want to miss it.

Public fields are strictly controlled by the TWRA and their field officers. Every field in the state will have a TWRA representative on it for opening day, no exceptions. Generally, they will have made parking plans for the hunters in advance and will help with hunter placement. In most cases, they'll limit the number of active hunters to two per acre. And should a dispute arise -- it rarely does -- they'll referee.

EARLY CONTACT
Call and make sure you know where the fields are located and what the rules are for hunting them. Usually, the TWRA enforcement officers limit participation to two hunters per acre. That may sound like a lot, but a 25- to 40-acre field can fill up fairly quickly.

On some WMAs, the dove season is closed during a big-game season. Check before you hunt. A mistake could be expensive.

The specifics are a little bit different from one region to another and, with the exception of opening day, the specific dates have not been determined as of this writing.

For up-to-the-minute information, call the TWRA Wildlife Division at (615) 781-6610 or check their Web site at www.state.tn.us/twra. A complete 2005 Tennessee Hunting & Trapping Guide will be available where licenses are sold by the time you read this article or one can be downloaded from the TWRA Web site.

Those are the statewide basics. Now let's take a look at the region-by-region places to hunt public doves.

REGION 1
Spring fields are king in Region 1. They're the most popular and offer the best opportunity for hunters to bag their limit.

According to Ed Harsson, Region 1 wildlife biologist, there will be between 17 and 19 fields open for the 2005-06 season. He cautions, however, that numbers can and do vary depending upon how many private landowners sign up for the program. Usually the numbers are reasonably stable, but he is concerned that escalating fuel costs could adversely impact sign ups.

Most of Region 1's fields will be planted in sunflowers, weather permitting. "They seem to work best for the doves and the hunters," Harsson reported.

In most years, landowners will start bush hogging several weeks before the season opens. They first cut in the center of the fields and then later, as the season nears, they mow out toward the edges of the fields. The idea is to attract the birds from the inside out. Harsson encourages the farmers to leave some sunflowers standing around the perimeter of the field to give the hunters cover and the doves a feeling of security.