Illinois Doves

Among other things, Illinois does doves well. Certainly, hunter/landowners can and do manage properties with the specific purpose of attracting and holding doves throughout the early September season, but what about the tens of thousands of public acres throughout the state?

For years the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has been managing many, if not the vast majority of its lands, for, among other user-groups, dove hunters. In most cases this includes the practices of planting and harvesting sunflower, sorghum or millet in an effort to attract and hold birds all season.

Additionally, state-owned properties are often hunted via a by-application-only or first-come/first-served basis, limiting the number of dove hunters on a property on any given day to maintain hunting quality for the longest period of time possible. Illinois dove hunters have grown accustomed to these IDNR management practices and have grown to expect some of the finest Midwest public dove hunting to be found.

For several seasons I've had the pleasure of hunting doves on a handful of Illinois public lands during September. Of the many, the following two sites in particular provided excellent dove opportunities.

Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area

Located north and east of the town of Kewanee in the southwest corner of Bureau County, the Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area (SFWA) offers a classic example of seemingly odd regulations that are actually productive. Here, as is the case on many of the state's dove fields, shooting hours begin at noon and end at 5 p.m. during September 1-5. Come September 6, though, shooting schedules revert to a more traditional sunrise to sunset. What's this mean? It means that the doves that had been arriving unmolested over the fields at 5:10 p.m. for the past three evenings are met on September 6 by 1-ounce loads of steel No. 7s. I've been there and seen it; the shooting is spectacular.

The area itself is rather small--911 acres, roughly 900 of which are available for hunting. Approximately forty acres are plotted each year as dove fields planted in sunflowers, a portion of which are harvested prior to opening day. During the first five days, hunter numbers are limited by a registration system and drawing held just before the noon commencement. From day six forward, hunters self-register, with gunning being available on a first-come/first-served basis. Dove stands are designated numerically; hunters must stay within ten feet of their assigned location.

Of special note is a mandatory non-toxic shot ruling on the area, with ammunition options including No. 6 or smaller steel, or No. 71⁄2 or smaller bismuth, tungsten or Hevi-Shot.

Johnson Sauk Trail State Recreation Area

Situated just a short drive north of Kewanee, the Johnson Sauk Trail State Recreation Area encompasses some 1,300 acres on the edge of the aptly-named Johnson Sauk Trail State Park. Like Mautino, it features cultivated and semi-harvested sunflower fields. Shooting hours are from sunrise to 11:30 a.m. during the first five days of the season, and from sunrise to sunset there after. Daily hunter quotas are in place, though refills are allowed, and all hunters must check in and out.

The recreation area's proximity to both the state park and the town of Kewanee makes for a nice choice of accommodations. One year, my wife and I tent-camped at the state park. Sunrise dove hunts were followed by breakfast and then canoeing on the state park lake, fly rod in hand, in search of big bluegills and largemouth. The next year we stayed in Kewanee at a nice mom-and-pop hotel complete with cable television and a KFC buffet next door.

Information

• MAUTINO STATE FISH & WILDLIFE AREA: Area Manager, c/o Hennepin Canal State Trail, 16006 875 E. St., Sheffield IL, 61361; (815) 454-2328
• Johnson Sauk trail State recreation area: Kewanee field office; (309) 853-5589