July 06, 2012
By Florida Sportsman Newswire
From Outta the Woods, a newsletter by Tony Young, FWC
To me, the best part about hunting is not harvesting game – but spending quality time outdoors with friends and family. One of the best ways to do that is through dove hunting, which is one reason why great dove hunts are in such high demand but often difficult to find.
That's why the FWC created its Special-Opportunity Dove Club Program – to offer hunters the chance of experiencing exceptional dove hunting on the state's best public dove fields.
Dove Club permits enable one adult and one youth (under age 16) to hunt all scheduled dates for the dove field of their choice. Permits cost $150 and enable both hunters to take a daily bag limit of birds each. There are eight hunts on all but one of the selected dove fields (Caravelle Ranch has six), and all hunts are from noon until sunset and take place on Saturdays, starting Oct. 6 and ending Jan. 5.
Last year, 1,421 birds were harvested from six fields. This coming season, there again will be six special-opportunity dove fields scattered throughout the state from which to choose.
One of the fields is on Allapattah Flats Public Small-Game Hunting Area (PSGHA) in Martin County, east of Lake Okeechobee. Thirteen Dove Club permits are available for the 100-acre field. Participants last year took an average of nearly six birds per hunter, per day, harvesting 601 birds!
North Newberry PSGHA, in Alachua County, has 15 Dove Club permits on its 40 acres. That field produced 135 doves for nearly a two-birds-per-hunter, per-day average.
Another field, Caravelle Ranch in Putnam County, has a 200-acre dove field with 30 Dove Club permits available. Last season, 73 doves were harvested there.
The dove field on Hilochee Wildlife Management Area, in Lake County, has 15 Dove Club permits available to hunt its 58 acres. Hunters there last season took 107 doves.
Frog Pond North PSGHA in Miami-Dade County has been a top producer in past years, and 201 birds were taken there last season, for nearly a two-birds-per-hunter, per-day average. Fifteen Dove Club permits are available to hunt its 50 acres.
The remaining special-opportunity dove field is Koon Farm in Lafayette County. There will be 13 Dove Club permits available to hunt on its 40 acres. Hunters took 304 birds there last season for nearly a five-birds-per-hunter, per-day average.
Dove Club permits will be issued by random drawing during Phase I. That application period runs through July 11.
After obtaining the correct application worksheet by going to MyFWC.com/License and clicking on “Limited Entry/Quota Hunts,” you can apply for these season passes by filling out a single worksheet (with up to five dove field choices) and turning it in at any county tax collector's office, license agent or by going online to License.MyFWC.com. During Phase I, hunters may be awarded a permit for only one dove field.
If you are successful in getting drawn, you must pick up and pay for your Dove Club permit at any of the same places mentioned above by July 31. Check for drawing results in mid-July at MyFWC.com/License, again by clicking “Limited Entry/Quota Hunts.” Any applicant who provides an email address will be notified by the FWC by email if drawn.
Brochures on each of these areas are available online at MyFWC.com/Dove. Also at that Web address, beginning in late September, hunters will be able to find the most up-to-date information on these six special-opportunity dove fields, as well as Florida's other public dove fields. The website is updated every Thursday throughout dove season. Information includes dove densities, previous weeks' harvests and field conditions.
So if you'd like to join the FWC's Dove Club, you need to try to do so in July. Remember to introduce someone new to hunting when you can. As always, have fun, hunt safely and ethically, and we'll see you in the woods!
FS
