Mourning dove and white-winged dove are both migratory species and as such are regulated by federal laws. However, allow these dove regulations do afford some protection to these birds, controlled hunting is allowed within most states. In fact, dove management units have been set up in the eastern, central, and western United States to regulate dove hunting.
Hunting pressure and dove numbers vary in each of these dove management units. To establish breeding population trends, federal and state wildlife agencies conduct annual roadside call counts and counts of doves seen over established routes. Breeding population numbers, based on these call counts, are the primary basis for determining dove hunting seasons and bag limits. Continue reading Wildlife Management: Dove Habitat Management