In other areas, I've had great hunts just beyond roosting areas at WMAs such as Yankee Hill and Conestoga, outside of Lincoln. Hunters would do well to make sure they are not shooting within the roosting area itself, which can drive the birds out.

Kansas' dove hunting's a lot the same as Nebraska's, says Helen Hands, dove program manager for Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area.

"Our wildlife area managers make the call on what type of food plots will work on their areas," she noted. "Basically, those areas are limited to the eastern and central parts of the state. Sunflowers and wheat have proved to be very attractive to a variety of wildlife, including the doves.

"In addition to the state areas, the department leases land from private landowners for hunting. Some of the leases open on Sept. 1 for the dove season, and others in November for the pheasant and quail seasons. The leases usually run until Jan. 1 or the close of the upland game bird seasons."

Randy Clark, Region 4 public lands supervisor for the KDWP, offers that most of the food plots managed for doves in his 16-county region contain wheat stubble and sunflower fields. A list of those areas is available by calling his office in Wichita at (316) 683-8069. For information on the Chanute region, call Doug Blex at (620) 431-0380; for the Topeka area, call Ron Little at (785) 271-7338.

According to Hands, hunting success on a statewide basis was much the same last year as it has been in the past. "Every year seems a bit different than the previous ones," she said. "If we get a shot of cool weather in late August it tends to move some birds south; if the weather stays mild, they will be around for the opener.

"Our dove populations have shown an increase in the west, appear to be stable in central Kansas, but have declined some in the east. Wheat stubble and sunflower fields draw the most birds in central and eastern Kansas, while in the west, windmills, stock ponds and pastures are the best places to hunt."

The 2004 Kansas dove harvest figures were not available when this story was written. Hands reports that stats from 2003 show about 1.5 million doves taken by an estimated 73,000 hunters.

"The mourning dove population is being surveyed in many states as part of a National Mourning Dove Plan instituted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," Hands said. "Last year we trapped and banded about 1,400 doves and to date have had 35 bands returned. Three-quarters of the returns came from Kansas. Texas had the second most returns; Missouri had a few. And we had two come back from Mexico."

Nebraska banded a total of 2,150 birds in 2003 and 2004, Taylor said. He reports 65 band recoveries so far: 45 bands from Nebraska, 9 from Texas, 2 from Kansas, one each from Iowa, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and the remainder from Mexico and Guatemala.

"Our harvest data from 2003 shows an estimated 18,000 hunters taking about 352,000 doves," Taylor said. "My overview of the season last year is that we likely didn't take as many birds due to an unusually cool summer, so we probably lost more birds than average to migration."

The season in both states opens on Sept. 1 and closes Oct. 30. Permits required in Nebraska are a small-game license -- resident, $12; non-resident, $68 -- and a $13 annual habitat stamp. In Kansas the resident hunt fee is $15.50; non-resident, $65.50.

In addition, dove hunters must register with their state conservation agency for the Migratory Bird Hunter Information Program (HIP) before hunting migratory birds -- including doves. In Nebraska the permit or stamp is free; call 1-888-403-2473, toll-free, 24 hours a day. Kansas' hunters pay 50 cents for the stamp, which is available at all offices of the KDWP and from permit vendors.

Details on dove hunting are available at (402) 471-0641 in Nebraska and (620) 672-5911 in Kansas.