|  12/13/2022

A Dove’s Dream in the Desert


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Yuma is a mecca for early season dove hunting

By Emma Zahner 
 

Yuma, Arizona is the sunniest city in the United States.

The town of just under 100,000 is located in the southwest corner of The Grand Canyon State. The city stays fairly quiet, its residents are a mix of longtime locals and seasonal snowbirds — but in the beginning of September the town comes alive with the lure of dove hunting. 

Starting September 1 through 15, events are planned in conjunction with Arizona’s dove season. A local favorite is the Mike Mitchell Memorial Dove Hunter’s BBQ followed by the Clint Curry Memorial Youth Dove Hunt, both sponsored by the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club. The World Championship Dove Cookoff hosted by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers has also begun to attract more visitors and amateur chefs. Finally, there’s the Women on the Wing Desert Dove hunt, an up and coming tradition in Yuma founded by Women on the Wing chapter president Catherine Thompson.

“We started this in 2019 because we saw a need for women who wanted to learn how to hunt,” she said. “And the rest was history. We had upwards of 20 women, all completely new to the sport, join us in the event’s inaugural year. And we’ve been growing ever since.”

Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has been partnering with private landowners to provide access to hunters during dove season. Grower partners agree to produce a grain crop and make it available for foraging and nesting doves during late summer, while also providing hunter access during the September season. The result is an ideal set up for dove hunters.

For decades, grain production has been harvested early to prepare for the produce season, which results in less usable habitat for the dove population. This partnership helps reduce that trend — by providing compensation to local landowners, more grain is being planted to support doves and other migratory birds during their nesting period, all in the hopes the doves will stay for hunting season. This is only made possible by private landowners graciously giving permission for hunters to access their property, and this kindness should be at the front of hunters mind’s, according to Arizona game warden Yoseline Hyink.

“Hunters can maintain access year after year by respecting closures, paying attention to the quarter mile rule,” she said. “And of course, leaving the land better than they found it makes it more likely that landowners will continue their partnership.”

Another bonus for the landowners is an annual tradition of cleaning the fields the Saturday after the season ends, sponsored by the Foothills Rotary Club, Sprague’s Sports, Visit Yuma and the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Visit yumadovehunting.com and visityuma.com for more information.