Several of the best leased fields in this region are located near Atwood in Carroll County and Savannah in Hardin County. Harsson also says that "Fayette County hunts good," as does Madison County from time to time.

The top public hunting areas in Region 1 include the Lake Barkley-LBL units, the White Oak WMA, Natchez Trace and the Bogota WMA.

The Kentucky Lake Units are located in the Tennessee lands of the LBL. (Call 731/593-0588, 931/423-5721 or 270/924-2000 for last-minute information.) White Oak is located in northwest Hardin County, southeast of Milledgeville just off Highway 69. (Call 731/687-3444 for last-minute information.) Natchez Trace is located in Benton, Carroll and Henderson counties off I-40 at Exit 116. (Call 731/968-5351 for last-minute information.)

Bogota is located near the Obion River in Dyer County, approximately eight miles northwest of Dyersburg. (Call the main office at 615/781-6610 for last-minute information.)

Harsson believes that the 2005-06 season should be fairly good. "If you're any shot at all, you should be able to limit out on a good day with a couple of boxes of shells," is his summary.

For up-to-the-minute information on the hunting prospects in Region 1, call their office at (731) 423-5725 or check the TWRA Web site at www.state.tn.us/twra.

REGION 2
Corn silage and winter cover crops are popular in Region 2. According to Russ Skoglund, wildlife biologist for the region, there are usually between 12 and 15 private leased fields available to Tennessee hunters. They're scattered around the region and afford nearly everyone a good hunting spot that's close by their home or work.

In addition to the leased fields, there are usually another eight fields or so on public WMAs throughout the region.

Skoglund reports that dove hunting has been "pretty good" the last several years in his region and he sees no reason for that to change. Harvest numbers have been steadily high and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that should continue into the fall of 2005 and early winter of 2006.

When asked about his "hot picks" for leased fields in the area, Skoglund replied, "You never know until just before the season opens." If past years are any indication, however, the better fields will be in the southern half of the region down near the Alabama border. This area includes Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, Lincoln and Franklin counties.

If you go down there to hunt doves, don't look for leased fields full of bright, yellow sunflowers. If you do, you'll be sorely disappointed. They aren't there.

"The deer eat them as soon as the heads turn up," Skoglund said.

Popcorn is the forage of choice in these spots. It's a late-season silage type of crop, but the mourning doves love it. They're attracted by the small kernels that end up scattered about the ground.

When it comes to public hunting grounds, Skoglund points hunters toward the Percy Priest WMA-Unit 2, the Yanahli WMA and the AEDC WMA.

Percy Priest-Unit 2 is located in Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson counties. (Call 615/444-6673 for last-minute information.) Yanahli is in Maury County. (Call 931/840-4042 for last-minute information.) AEDC is in Coffee and Franklin counties near Tallahoma. It can be accessed from I-24 at Exit 117. (Call 931/967-6101 for last-minute information.)

For up-to-the-minute information on Region 2 mourning dove hunting opportunities, call their office at (615) 781-6622 or check the TWRA Web site at www.state.tn.us/twra.

REGION 3
Dick Conley, wildlife biologist for Region 3, is very positive about the dove-hunting prospects in his region. He reports that due to heavy promotion by the TWRA and strong support from local farmers, there should be several good leased fields available in the region.