September means many things to many people … cooler nights, the kick off to college football, county fairs, and to area hunters, the beginning of dove season – one of the state of Tennessee’s long-standing outdoor sports traditions. The first segment of Tennessee dove season open on Tuesday, September 1 and closes on Monday, September 28.

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), mourning doves are a popular game bird and one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America. More mourning doves are harvested than all other migratory bird species combined in 39 of the continental states. In Tennessee, an estimated 15,500 hunters harvested approximately 277,000 mourning doves last year.

Moore County exists in Region 2 with wildlife managed dove fields located at Pickett Farm in Franklin County and the William’s Farm in Lincoln County. For a complete list of TRWA managed fields, click here.

The TWRA reminds dove hunters that it’s illegal to hunt on a baited field – meaning no additional grain, salt, or other feed has been added to the field to attract doves. To learn more about baited field regulations, click here. Hunter will also need need a state permit to harvest birds.

The second dove hunting segment will take place October 10 through November 1 and the third and final will happen December 8 through January 15. For more dove hunting info, visit the state’s migratory bird page but clicking here. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}