REGION II
Region II hunters can expect much of the same when it comes to early-season dove opportunities. Doug Markham, the Region II information officer, said the dove hunting opportunities are still very good in Middle Tennessee.

"We, along with the other regions of the state, provide numerous public fields for the early segments of the dove season," Markham said. "We will also be working again this year to gain public access to private land for specified days during the month. Hunters need to check out our Web site before opening day and take time to scout fields before they decide where they are going to hunt."

Markham went on to say all of the WMAs in Region II have the chance of having excellent days. However, he has seen a field that was red-hot one year and stone cold the next. Weather patterns will affect many hunts. Markham agreed scouting is the key to successful dove hunting.

"We do have some fields that get more crowded than others," Markham explained. "I don't know if that speaks to the success of the field as much as (the field's) proximity to hunters. However, AEDC WMA near Tullahoma and Percy Priest WMA near Nashville always have full fields."

From past experience, he added the TWRA in Region II occasionally tweaks its dove-hunting plans, but in recent years has relied on its WMAs as the primary way to provide public access to our hunters, supplemented by the TWRA's program to contract a few days of public access from private landowners.

"Hunters wouldn't really notice a difference in our management plans because most of it has had to do with contract prices," Markham said. "We do our best to make sure that those landowners have crops that appeal to doves and that the fields are active, but once again, scouting those fields just prior to the hunt is the only way to assure a successful hunt."

Also, there are a few WMAs open to public access where they don't plant crops for dove hunting. They don't offer the traditional opening day style of shoot where hunters rely on one another to move birds from one end of a field to another, but you can hunt on them, and if you are lucky, you can get in line with birds moving to roost or in a flight pattern to a nearby food source.

Markham said all of the three dove hunting months of September, October and December provide good dove-hunting opportunities, but there is nothing like September, especially the first week, and especially if you enjoy the company of others.

REGION III
Marc Lipner, a wildlife biologist from Region III, said the dove outlook there is fair to good in all honesty. He added the current state of public dove hunting in the 24-county Region III is cautiously stable. You can thank continuing urban development, changing agricultural crop patterns and habitat fragmentation as being causes for concern.

However, Lipner went on to say three WMAs last year had fair to good dove hunts -- North Chickamauga Creek in Bradley County, Yuchi WMA at Smith Bend in Rhea County and Jackson Swamp in Overton County.

The better leased fields in Region III continue to be in Marion, Meigs and Rhea counties. Lipner reminds hunters in his area to be sure to check the TWRA Web site for updated fields for both WMAs and leased public lands. He also said the September hunts are the most productive; however, the late season can be productive for small groups of hunters.