NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is seeking fields to lease for the upcoming 2019 dove season. The first segment of dove season opens at noon on Sunday, Sept. 1.
Landowners can earn up to $3,600 by providing a dove field for public hunting. These fields must be available for a minimum of three priority hunt dates in September.
TWRA is primarily seeking to lease harvested grain fields with hunting rights for three priority dates. Landowners can be paid up to $75 per acre, with a maximum of 40 acres. Fields that are top sown with wheat are eligible for an additional $15 per acre.
Interested landowners must sign up their fields in August.
Mourning doves are a popular game bird and one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America. In Tennessee, an estimated 19,000 hunters harvested approximately 334,000 mourning doves last year.
Anyone interested in leasing a dove field to TWRA should contact their TWRA regional office. There are four regional offices across the state that interested landowners can contact:
Region I (West Tennessee) 731-423-5725 or toll free 800-372-3928;
Region II (Middle Tennessee) 615-781-6622 or toll free 800-624-7406;
Region III (Upper Cumberland) 931-484-9571 or toll free 833-402-4698;
Region IV (East Tennessee) 423-587-7037 or 800-332-0900.
TWRA began its leased dove field program in the late 1980s. The program has been very successful in providing quality hunting opportunities for sportsmen. In addition to leased fields, TWRA provides many public dove fields on wildlife management areas.
Further information about WMAs and leased dove fields will be available on the TWRA website beginning Aug. 15.