Hunters flock to Yuma for dove season

YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — Hunters are heading to Yuma, the dove-hunting capital of the nation.

The opening day for dove hunting season, September 1, fell on Labor Day weekend, which locals say brought in a lot of business.

“It was one of the better years in history,” said Sprague’s Sports manager Chad Converse.

Sprague’s is known as Yuma’s dove-hunting headquarters. On opening weekend, a staggering 2,000 people walked through its doors.

They saw hunters come in from seven different states. Converse said Yuma’s unique biodiversity has long made it the premiere destination for hunting morning and white-wing doves.

“We are a natural pathway for their migration, but with the crops changing and farmers going quicker to their produce it does change the habitat up a little bit so the big droves of birds that people are used to are a little bit more spread out so it does take a little bit more hunting and time but still a very good season,” said Converse.

Local hunter David Lindsey said it’s been a great start to the season.

“Where we went there were so many and we didn’t have to fight for them, there were thousands,” said Lindsey.

Hotels in Yuma were booked with hunters. One local inn said people book a year out for dove hunting season.

It’s a big boost to the Yuma economy.

Early dove season runs through September 15, bringing a few million dollars to the local economy.

“Winter visitors haven’t come back yet so it’s nice to see the uptick,” said Lindsey.

Local businesses await another swarm of visitors this weekend, meanwhile Lindsey said he was preparing for an early hunt on Thursday.

“We’ll leave about 3:30 in the morning , go out there, set up the decoys and wait for the sun to come up,” he said.

Grain fields have been planted for the 2024 Dove season.

A map can be found at Yuma Dove Hunting.

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