Ontario Introduces Mourning Dove Season

Wow so many rumours floating around this week, who doesn’t like a good juicy rumour?  At first I thought no way this one could be true, so I scrambled for my smart phone to see the newly released Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations for Ontario.  As the pdf starts to load the first thing you notice is the “Important Updates” to the regulations, interesting.  Updates I think, this is looking good and there it is “Introduction of a Mourning Dove Hunting Season” for the Central and Southern Districts of Ontario.

As many of you will find out I am a HUGE WATERFOWLER and have been waiting for a dove season here in my home province all my life.  The last time a dove season was open in Ontario was in 1955.  It is estimated that nearly 17 million doves are harvested a year by 1 million hunters.  Here in Southern Ontario we have a lot of Michigan Waterfowlers who come across to hunt ducks and geese generating extra income.  With no dove season in Michigan currently, there is one more reason to come hunt here in friendly Canada.

Opening day for doves will coincide with the start of early goose season starting September 5 and staying open till November 13, with a liberal daily bag limit of 15 and a possession limit of 45.  Non-toxic shot is required and so far on my travels to the local stores I have been unable to find any dove loads.  This may be a problem for some, but bench loaders will make some simple adjustments to their teal loads solving a supply problem.

I am so excite for the coming opportunity that scouring the online catalogs for calls and decoys has been like an early Christmas gift in July.

The big decision on opening morning will come down too; do I shoulder my 12 ga and harvest a passing dove and risk spooking a nice flock Canadian Geese?  That is going to be a tough one to pass on, I guess you will just have to come back and read my opening day blog in early September.

View the Ontario Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations here.

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