Because the Maryland Wildlife Service printed its “Guide to Hunting and Trapping 2008-2009” relatively early, the state’s hunters will continue to have a daily bag limit of 12 mourning doves rather than 15 that West Virginia and Pennsylvania are allowing.
Everybody knew that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was seriously considering allowing the 15-bird limit and would likely make it official. The federal agency is attempting to stabilize the mourning dove hunting regulations throughout the states so that when harvest data is analyzed its biologists are comparing apples with apples, or in this case tailfeathers with tailfeathers.
The hunting guide could have easily carried wording such as “the daily limit will be 12, but will increase to 15 if that number is approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”
In fact, the agency could still make that change. There are plenty of us to get the word out. And with the Internet now, shoot, people will know.
I love to hunt doves and then eat doves. I know I don’t hunt the best dove fields in the world. These mountains don’t hold as many of those iridescently feathered creatures as do the flatlands of the state.
Thus, there have been relatively few days that I have even been in position to bag a limit. There have been other days, though, when a limit was taken in short order.
It is on those latter days that the 15-bird limit would be appreciated.
By keeping the limit at 12, Maryland is actually disrupting the federal effort to level the playing field, I mean shooting field.
I’d like to see the agency make the effort, perhaps through an emergency declaration or whatever they call those things they want to do right away, to up that limit before Sept. 1 when dove season begins.
Wow. That’s only eight days away and happens to fall on Labor Day.
That same day, the early season for resident Canada geese begins. In this part of the state, the season continues through Sept. 25 with a daily limit of eight honkers.
I have never understood why I have to buy a migratory bird stamp to hunt resident geese that stay in one place.
Toss in the annual bow hunting opener on Sept. 15 and, ladies and gentlemen, we are into it.
On a recent afternoon, I was sitting in a lawn chair beside my house supporting the main industry of Milwaukee and watching our doggie, Chloe, chase grasshoppers.
Suddenly Chloe went on her best version of a point and was quivering, staring around the corner of the house.
I peeked around and saw 21 turkeys walk down my driveway and into the woods: four hens and 17 peeps.
Game on.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.
Michael A Sawyers - Outdoors
More doves, please
- Michael A Sawyers - Outdoors
-
-
They have their ways
“Brrrrrrrt! Brrrrrrrt!” my phone vibrates in my shirt pocket. Sometimes when that happens I think that I just burped.“Hello?” -
Md. hunt rules being formed
The Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service, currently in the early stages of setting hunting regulations for the next two years, envisions no changes to the deer bag limits in Region A (Garrett, Allegany and western Washington counties).On the other hand, substantial changes are being eyeballed for Region B, which is all of Maryland from Clear Spring eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. -
Officers allowed to enter
Is it legal for Maryland Natural Resources Police officers to walk onto your private land?
-
Wapiti survey begins
What’s up with this elk stuff anyway?
I’m speaking, of course, about the news announced this past August that some folks are going to look around Garrett and Allegany counties to see if it would be feasible to reintroduce Rocky Mountain elk. Elk used to live here, you know. -
Jury still out on Marcellus shale drilling
Mother Earth, having been around as long as she has, should be given the right to choose elective surgery when needed rather than have exploratory surgery forced upon her.
-
Gobblers hunted on Sundays; sun still rises
See. It wasn’t the end of the world.
Well, wait a minute. I better check before I speak too quickly.
Getting on the Internet, hmmmm, hmm! Yahoo now. Hmmmm! Nope, nothing there. Checking Bing. OK. Now MSN. -
2011 was a very (insert adjective) year
As January started, grumbling could be heard on both sides of the North Branch of the Potomac River.
-
Progress in eye of beholder
Folks in the state-run hunting and fishing industry are always looking for ways to attract new license buyers.
-
W.Va. buck kill up
I have always thought that the wildlife biologists for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources were brave. Each year, about the middle of November, they predict the buck kill for the upcoming firearms season.
-
And then there were...
I want to start this column by assuring you that I don’t begrudge anybody a buck that is taken by legal means.
- More Michael A Sawyers - Outdoors Headlines
-
