With a lot of summer activities — including grass cutting — still in full swing, and plenty of warm days and nights still on the agenda, it’s doubtful that any thoughts of hunting have even begun to enter our minds-me included. To be honest, I’m still caught up in the challenge of catching more bass and panfish and even trout. Then it dawned on me — dove season is only a couple of weeks away.

I suspect most hunters don’t begin to think of hunting at least until the regular small game seasons open for rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, and other small game. I’m sure the deer season openers no doubt garner the most attention. For me, however, the beginning of dove season was always the kick-off of my hunting seasons; don’t misunderstand, I don’t put my fishing equipment away for the year — I just add my hunting stuff to the heap.

The dove season kicks off on September 1 and runs until November 27, and a second season runs from December 18 through January 2. Hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset; check your Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest for the changing times throughout the seasons. While you are allowed 15 doves per day, I myself have not had that happen very often; it’s not necessarily that the doves weren’t there; it was because my aim wasn’t. Be that as it may, dove season is a good way to get back into the swing of things and to get ready for the upcoming small game season.

Doves are a migratory bird, and while some may winter over, most will spend the winter months along the east coast and then return to Pennsylvania, usually around March. The average annual mortality for a stable population of doves is estimated to be around 60 percent. While losses are high, dove populations have remained stable and even increased partly because doves have an extremely high reproductive rate-small but multiple broods. Mourning doves have also adapted well to man and his activities, including intensified agriculture, and expanding suburbs that provide food and nesting habitat.

There is no need to head to the big woods to hunt doves; you will usually find dove hunters posted along the edge of open fields, tree lines between planted fields, and near water sources. Doves like to concentrate in areas with plentiful weed seeds, waste grain, and near trees for roosting and nesting and within easy flight to a water source like a pond or creek.

One big positive about starting your hunting season with a dove hunt is you can usually pick some very pleasant weather for your day’s hunt. It’s not unusual to hunt in a t-shirt and still be warm. I like to take along a small folding stool and a small backpack with a container of cold water and ice. Camouflage clothing is recommended. I use a 12-gauge — it comes in handy for those long shots and high flying birds — but I’m sure a 20-gauge would also get the job done.

In addition to the pleasant hunting opportunities doves offer, they are also a very tasty meal-not a bad way to start a new hunting season.