As the calendar is flipping over to the month of September, one hunting season is gearing up to open in Iowa.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer for Dallas County Dustin Eighmy explains that the dove hunting season starts on Monday. He notes that it serves as a good opportunity for hunters to get out to any of the public areas in the county where there are sunflower plots. Eighmy encourages hunters looking for practice to take advantage of this season.

“You don’t have to wear a lot of camou(flage), you can just sit amongst those sunflowers and it’s a great opportunity to get a lot of shooting in as those doves are kind of small and fast, so get your skills built up for the season there.”

Eighmy stresses that hunters should register for the Harvest Information Program (HIP) as that is needed for any migratory game bird that people are going after. He mentions that the HIP License can be acquired on the DNR’s website, as well as having a valid hunting license and habitat stamp. The dove season is open from September 1st through November 29th. Click here for more on HIP.