By Rupert Howell
When dove season officially opens Sunday, September 1 at 2 p.m., Mississippi’s hunting season is traditionally underway.

All Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) conservation officers will be working with federal officers to ensure hunters are in compliance with state and federal hunting laws according to a news release from MDWFP.

Charles Ray Nix Wildlife Management Area west of Sardis will have two fields of 20 acres available for public use beginning Monday while private hunts throughout the area should have the rural areas “booming” beginning Sunday and continuing throughout the Labor Day Weekend.
Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks provides permits for dove hunting on private leased fields during the first two dove seasons. The nearest private land sanctioned hunt is in Tate County and details can be found on the MDWFP website.

Other nearby WMA’s that traditionally offer dove hunts include O’Keefe WMA Dove Field in Quitman County, Sardis Waterfowl WMA Dove Field in Lafayette County and Malmaison in Grenada and Leflore Counties.

The Sardis Army Corps of Engineers is hosting its fourth annual public dove hunt next Saturday, September 7. See additional story on page B7 for details.

Legal times vary for different WMA’s and hunters should check to learn times and regulations of different sites.