The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) would like to remind hunters that dove fields cannot be burned in preparation for opening weekend of dove season, which begins Sept. 2, due to the state-wide burn ban in effect.
With the burn ban in effect, one of the most popular methods for preparing dove fields is not an option. The goal behind preparing a dove field for opening day, or any other day, of dove hunting is to have available food that is easily accessible to doves. Doves feed on small grains and need easy access to them. Therefore, your dove field must have bare ground or be cut such that the vegetation is short and not covered with stalk residue.
A good alternative to burning is to mow or bush hog a field. In order to create the clean ground desired by doves, the residue can be raked, shredded, or lightly disked; heavy disking will cover too much of the seed. Remember, although it is legal to manipulate planted grains for doves it is NOT legal to add grains to a field and hunt over them.
Updated information on the burn ban in Louisiana can be found at: https://www.ldaf.state.la.us/programs/parish-burn-bans/
For more information, contact Jeff Duguay, Ph.D., jduguay@wlf.la.gov 225-765-2353.