Colorado’s early bird-hunting seasons open on Wednesday and a certain itch, a restlessness, has been evident among the state’s shotgunners.
Preparations for the season might entail a scouting foray to eastern Colorado to check out the cover and locate concentrations of doves, or a trek to the mountains in search of likely hunting grounds for blue grouse, which have a knack for disappearing about the time the calendar flips to September.
They might include consulting the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s walk-in properties atlas, hot off the press, or possibly most important, shooting a few rounds of trap or sporting clays at the nearest gun club to get back into the groove.
Amid the anticipation, one perennial question remains: Will the weather hold?
“Weather always has a large role in hunter success,” said Ed Gorman, small-game manager for the DOW. “Conditions can change pretty quickly, depending on the weather.”
As the countdown progresses, preliminary indications suggest the table for the state’s approximately 14,000 dove hunters is well set.
“It’s looking pretty normal,” Gorman said. “We have a pretty fair number in the northeast and lots of birds in the southeast.”
For northeast Colorado hunters, the message is clear: Hunt early and hunt often. Northeast Colorado doves typically begin their migration out of the area in late August. Although that movement has not yet been significant, it could change as quickly as the weather.
A major cold front can trigger a mass exodus of doves. With a period of moderately cool weather the movement tends to be more gradual. Either way, the number and the distribution of doves can be affected.
The migration from the northeast can be a boon to hunters at points south. As the northeast dove populations begin decreasing, the numbers in the southeast are increasing. Barring colder weather there, some good shooting opportunities in southern portions of the state might extend into October.
As usual, some of the best dove shooting will be near food crops and roosting areas. Areas with abundant sunflowers, wheat and millet stubble usually are among the most promising locations.
Water sources, especially early and late in the day, often are other good spots for shooting, but this year the outlook is mixed. Some areas have an abundance of water, meaning concentrations of doves using a given source probably will be smaller. Others have less, which should make watering sites more productive.
North or south, hunters should be aware of some changes in small-game regulations.
While the normal statewide daily bag limit for mourning and comparatively rare white-winged doves remains 15, with a possession limit of 30, no limit applies to the larger Eurasian collared doves. Native to Asia, the collared doves, identified by a distinctive dark ring around their necks, are considered an invasive species. They may be hunted the year around, but for purposes of identification, shot birds must remain fully feathered while in the field and while being transported.
The DOW’s popular Walk-In Access Program, opening more than 170,000 acres of private land to hunters, no longer requires a special permit. An atlas with properties that open on Wednesday is available at DOW offices, other license outlets or online at . A second version of the atlas will be published before the pheasant season, which opens on Nov. 13.
Hunters are reminded to pick up their spent shells, pack out litter and otherwise respect the walk-in properties.
“We’re asking hunters to treat them as their own,” Gorman said. “Our landowner participation is voluntary and they could opt out if hunters abuse the privilege.”
Early birds
Blue (dusky) grouse: Sept. 1-Nov. 21 west of Interstate 25.
Chukar partridge: Sept. 1-Nov. 28.
Dove: Sept. 1-Oct. 31.
Ptarmigan: Sept. 11-Oct. 3, statewide except units 44, 45, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 444 and 751.
Sage grouse: Sept. 11-17 in units 3, 10, 11, 18, 37, 181, 201 and 211; Sept. 11-12 in units 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171.
Sharp-tailed grouse: Sept. 1-19 in units 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 131, 211, 214 and 441.
Teal: Sept. 12-20, east of Interstate 25 and in Lake and Chaffee counties.
Turkey: Sept. 1-Oct. 3, west of Interstate 25 and unit 140; Sept. 1-Oct. 22, east of Interstate 25 except unit 140.
