FRANKFORT, Ky. – With dove hunting season opening Sept. 1, farmers can now earn up to $10,000 for leasing their harvested fields for public dove hunting, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

“With these new dove fields, we can fill in the gaps,” said Wes Little, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Migratory Bird Program biologist. “There is a lot of available land to hunt on state wildlife management areas, but those aren’t always close to where our dove hunters live and work.

“Once enrolled in the program, the harvested crop fields would be accessible to dove hunting just like a wildlife management area,” he added.

According to the department, the 2021-2022 dove hunting season is Sept. 1-Oct. 26, Nov. 25-Dec. 5, and Dec. 18-Jan. 9. The department now offers two programs that pay farmers for allowing public dove hunting access.

The department’s new Voluntary Public Access Dove Fields program is different from the existing Cooperative Dove Field Program, which pays farmers to grow crops that attract doves and to manage the fields for public dove hunting opportunities.

The Voluntary Public Access Dove Fields program seeks landowners willing to enroll harvested crop fields with enough seed and grain byproduct left behind to attract doves. The department is interested in leasing these fields for public dove hunting.

Little said specific lease payments will be based upon the number of acres enrolled, crop type and the number of days a landowner plans to participate in the program.

The Voluntary Public Access Dove Fields program also targets hemp producers, both because of the burgeoning industry in Kentucky, and because of the crop’s attractiveness to doves.

“Hemp grown for fiber or seed crops attracts as many doves as the best sunflower food plots,” Little said.

He said federal regulations prohibit hunting mourning doves over areas where bait has been placed, but agricultural fields are a convenient and legal way to attract the birds.

Other crop fields eligible for the program include silage crops, such as corn, millet or milo, and wheat cover crops grown on tobacco fields, all of which are known for attracting doves, the department said. Wheat seed may also be available through the program to be sown as a cover crop in certain situations.

Moreover, the habitat surrounding a suitable crop field may also be eligible to receive an additional payment per acre if the landowner’s maximum has not been reached. But only if the offered acres will provide hunter parking or additional hunting land that will improve the quality of the public dove hunting access.

Little said landowners have several different scheduling options to choose from when it comes to opening their land to the public. However, a few stipulations also apply, such as accessibility, location, proximity to cities and overall potential for success.

Currently, the State of Kentucky has an applicable recreational use law, KRS 411.190, intended to encourage private landowners to allow outdoor recreation on their land without charging the recreationists a fee. Little advised landowners should consult with their attorneys to better understand how this law applies to them.

According to the department, hunters must possess a valid Kentucky hunting license when hunting, unless license exempt.

In addition, it is illegal to hunt doves or waterfowl over baited fields, which are areas where grain, salt or other attractants (substances that attract animals) have been placed, other than those that occur by legitimate agricultural practices.

The department said mature wildlife food plots grown to attract doves are legal hunting areas, as long as no additional attractants have been placed on these areas. Areas manipulated for dove hunting are not legal for waterfowl hunting.

The department added that all shotguns used to hunt any game species in Kentucky (except deer) must be plugged to hold three shells total; one in the chamber, and two in the magazine. Shotguns of 10 gauge or smaller are permitted. Only U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services-approved non-toxic shots may be possessed and used to hunt doves.

For more information about the Voluntary Public Access Dove Fields program, or the Cooperative Dove Field Program, e-mail Wes Little at: wes.little@ky.gov, or call (800) 858-1549.