The mourning dove has brown plumage with black spots.
Mourning doves, named for their mournful call, are "short-distance migratory" game birds that feed mostly on seeds. They live throughout the United States, and south central Washington state has a particularly high concentration. To control the population of mourning doves, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife authorizes an annual mourning dove hunt.
Identification
The mourning dove is a medium-sized bird, about 10.5 inches long, with mostly "pale, buff-brown" feathers on its breast and belly and medium brown wing and back feathers. It has a thin neck with some purple-green iridescence and large black spots on its top feathers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Patunxet Wildlife Research Center. Its call is a rapid, staccato tweeting that rises in pitch, then falls.
Dates and Times
Washington's 2009 mourning dove hunting season ran from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Plans call for the 2010 and 2011 seasons to follow these dates exactly, but the dates have not been officially finalized as of April 2010, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
In addition, you may only hunt mourning doves from one half hour before sunrise until sunset. In eastern Washington during the first week of September, for example, you may hunt mourning doves from 5:50 a.m. until 7:35 p.m.
Open Areas
The Washington mourning dove hunting season is open for the entire state, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Requirements
All mourning dove hunters over the age of 16 must have a hunting license with a Washington Migratory Bird validation to hunt legally. To obtain this validation, hunters must complete a Harvest Information Program survey at a hunting license dealer. Hunters under 16 must complete the same survey, but their Washington Migratory Game Bird validation is free.
Limits
Hunters may only bag 10 mourning doves per day, and may not have more than 20 in their possession at any time.
Falconry
The general mourning dove hunting season dates and limits apply only to hunters using firearms. If you have a trained falcon, you may use that falcon to hunt mourning doves from Sept. 1 to Dec. 15, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. However, you may only bag three mourning doves each day and possess six at any time. You must possess a falconry license in addition to a small game license to hunt with a falcon.
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