Page 5 - July/Aug 2020 Outdoor Oklahoma

EUFAULA GIRL’S DUCK STAMP ART IN NATIONAL TOP 10

London Peterson, 16, of
Eufaula placed among the Top
10 in the 2020 National Junior
Duck Stamp Art Contest with
her painting “Morning Seren-
ity” that depicts a pair of com-
mon goldeneye ducks. © Used by permission of UsfWs JUnior dUck stamp program © Used by permission of UsfWs JUnior dUck stamp program
The Junior Duck Stamp
Conservation and Design Pro-
gram is a dynamic art- and
science-based curriculum that
teaches wetland and waterfowl
conservation to students in kin-
dergarten through high school. London Peterson
The program encourages stu-
dents to explore their natural world, invites them to investigate
biology and wildlife management principles, and challenges them at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, 107993 S. 4520 Road,
to express and share what they have learned with others. Vian, OK 74962.
This year’s contest included more than 14,000 young artists For contest rules and more information on associated
from across the nation who first compete at the state level with curriculum, to to https://www.fws.gov/birds/education/junior-
winners advancing to national judging. Submissions for the duck-stamp-conservation-program/conservation-education-
2021 contest must be received or postmarked by March 1, 2021, curriculum.php.

HUNTERS RETURN TO FIELDS SEPT. 1 FOR DOVE SEASON

Dove hunting season arrives Sept. 1, the first of the fall
hunting seasons each year in Oklahoma. damon springer/odWc
Besides being the earliest hunting season to open statewide,
it is also very popular in terms of participation thanks to usually
mild weather, ease of hunting, and an ample supply of birds.
The most recent Oklahoma Game Harvest Survey shows that
about 52,000 hunters harvested about 1.01 million doves in
2018. That puts dove hunting second only to deer hunting in
the number of hunters who participate each year.
But as most hunters know, doves can be fickle fowl. In most
years, the hunting could be super for the first week or two,
but the arrival of the first noticeable cold front from the north
tends to push much of the dove population southward.
Here are a few tips to increase your odds:
• Location. Choose an area where food and water will
attract doves. Setting up beside a pond in a grain or sun-
flower field could be ideal.
• Scouting. Find the areas birds fly to morning and evening,
and notice their flight path. Locate several fields so you
can have options about where to hunt. three species, with the daily bag limit being 15 birds combined.
• Gear. Decoys placed high above the ground can make the However, there is no limit on Eurasian collared doves as long as
difference. And make sure your shotgun and ammo are the head or one feathered wing remains attached to the carcass.
right for the situation. Shot size and choke are important The first part of dove season will close Oct. 31. The second
for increasing harvest chances.
part of dove season will be Dec. 1-29.
Three dove species are found in Oklahoma: mourning, For full regulations and license requirements, go to
white-winged and Eurasian collared. Hunters may take all www.wildlifedepartment.com.

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