Hundreds of folks will gather at the Nation family farm on Saturday, Sept. 7 to kick off the opening day of dove season with a hunt. Adam Nation said it’s a great excuse to get friends and family together to have a good time.
“It’s a tradition that our family farm has put on for many years,” said Nation, Oglethorpe County’s public works director.
Dove season is one of — if not the most — popular hunting seasons in Georgia, Department of Natural Resources game warden Phillip Nelson said.
“More people hunt opening weekend dove season than any other season of the year,” Nelson said.
And in Oglethorpe County, this is especially true given the fact that agricultural land provides the best dove hunting opportunities.
Additionally, Nelson said dove hunting is so popular among casual and avid hunters alike for the atmosphere that surrounds dove hunts throughout the state.
On a typical opening day for dove season Nelson said it’s common to hear Georgia football games playing over the radio while hunters of all ages sit back and relax with a cooler and some snacks in between shooting.
Preparation for dove hunting starts in the early summer, when farmers plant millet, wheat, sunflower or other seedy crops. Then a couple weeks before opening day, farmers cut or burn their fields, shaking out as much of the seeds from the plants as possible to make for ample dove feed.
This year, due to dry conditions throughout mid and late summer, some crops were stunted compared to previous years, which could impact dove season, but Jerry Nation (Adam’s uncle) said he’s seen a fair amount of doves in the area.
“Sometimes the doves are there, sometimes they’re not there,” Jerry Nation said. “But it looks like a good many of them are around so far right now. But you never know. The weather could change, or they go somewhere else or leave. But right now it looks pretty good.”