A Dove Hunt to Remember

A Great Day Dove Hunting!

Dove hunting at the McPherson Wetlands is so dependent on the weather! There is either too much water and they can’t get the sunflowers planted or there is too little water, and they don’t grow or it rains too late in the year and floods out the fields. One year, we hit it all just right!

KDWP had planted sunflowers, the weather had cooperated and not flooded them out or baked them in a drought and we had a bumper crop! KDWP set aside a 30-acre field for a youth/mentor hunt that year on opening day and Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors rounded up over 20 young hunters and mentors for all of them.

We partnered with the McPherson Area Pheasants Forever Chapter. Members of the Wichita Police Department, the local Safari Club, the Ringneck Rustlers Pheasants Forever Chapter all kicked in to hunt with the young hunters. When legal shooting time rolled around, there was a steady booming of shotguns as the doves filled the air. 

One youngster, on his first dove hunt, took an entire box of shells before he figured out just how to bring them down. But then it was game on! He ended the morning hunt with 8 in the bag. 

We had mourning doves, Eurasian doves and even had some whitewing doves bagged that morning. One of the KDWP biologists who joined us for the morning commented that it was the first time they had ever harvested a whitewing on the property.

Overall, we ended up with over 180 doves that morning. And an even bigger pile of shotgun shells!

Dove hunting is a great way to introduce youth to wingshooting. On a good day, there are lots of opportunities to shoot. It’s easy to be safe while in the field with new hunters. And the early September weather is usually very pleasant as well.

Join us on our next dove hunt! Sign up to be a mentor today!