SC Mourning Dove Hunting Guide

Also known as: Mourning dove, Turtle dove, Carolina dove

The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, the chueybird, and colloquially as the turtle dove, and it was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Carolina turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread North American birds and a popular gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure is due to its prolific breeding; in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods of two young each in a single year. The wings make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, a form of sonation. The bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph). Mourning doves are light gray and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents incubate and care for the young. Mourning doves eat almost exclusively seeds, but the young are fed crop milk by their parents.

Habitat & Range

The mourning dove has a large range of nearly 11,000,000 km2 (4,200,000 sq mi). The species is resident throughout the Greater Antilles, most of Mexico, the Continental United States, southern Canada, and the Atlantic archipelago of Bermuda. Much of the Canadian prairie sees these birds in summer only, and southern Central America sees them in winter only. The species is a vagrant in northern Canada, Alaska, and South America. It has been spotted as an accidental at least nine times in the Western Palearctic with records from the British Isles (5), Sweden (2), the Azores (1), and Iceland (1). In 1963, the mourning dove was introduced to Hawaii, and in 1998 there was a small population in North Kona. The mourning dove also appeared on Socorro Island, off the western coast of Mexico, in 1988, sixteen years after the Socorro dove was extirpated from that island. The mourning dove occupies a wide variety of open and semi-open habitats, such as urban areas, farms, prairie, grassland, and lightly wooded areas. It avoids swamps and thick forest.

Hunting Season

Split season: Sep 1 - Oct 4; Nov 15 - Nov 29; Dec 22 - Jan 31.

License & Regulations

A valid South Carolina hunting license is required for resident and non-resident hunters age 16 and older. Licenses can be purchased online through the Go Outdoors SC portal or at authorized license retailers. Additional permits may be required: Big Game Permit for deer, bear, and turkey; individual bear tags ($25 residents, $100 nonresidents); turkey tags ($25 residents, $125 nonresidents); antlerless deer tags; and the federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp) for waterfowl. Hunters born on or after July 1, 1979 must successfully complete a hunter education course.

References

• South Carolina — Mourning Dove