While there are dove-hunting opportunities around many portions of the state, some of the best occur in the state's Southeast Region. Here's a close look at the Southeast Region as well as some general ideas for the remainder of the state.

SOUTHEAST REGION
According to Mike Doherty, a Dauphin County wildlife conservation officer, the Wiconisco Creek Valley in northern Dauphin County, between Gratz, Elizabethville and Berrysburg is a good area for doves.

"There are Farm-Game cooperators, a number of power lines, dirt roads for grit and numerous small creeks that provide water," he said. "Look for pine stands near water and open fields."

In Northampton County, WCO Brad Kreider reported that many of the traditional hotspots in Northampton County have given way to development or industrial parks.

"We still see dove-hunting pressure in new areas," Kreider noted. "One decent dove-hunting area is in Lower Mount Bethel Township south of the Martins Creek Power Plant on both sides of the Martins Creek-Belvidere Road, as well as the fields adjacent to Mount Pleasant Road.

"The area consists of rolling hills and farmland with an assortment of crops. Some of these large cultivated fields are bisected by either power lines or other types of utility lines, offering places to shoot along dove feeding and travel lanes.

"Doves seem to be attracted to this area because of the numerous mining and quarry sites that exist throughout the county, which provide endless opportunities for scratch and grit, along with good roosting habitat parallel to the Delaware River and running the length of the township," Kreider said.

WCO Glen Campbell of Bucks County reported that some of the larger farms in Solebury and Plumstead townships offer excellent gunning due to the amount of available food and cover available, coupled with the close proximity of several quarries containing crushed stone.

"East of Route 413 toward the river down to about Upper Makefield Township are particularly high-density areas," Campbell said. "It is not uncommon to see successful hunters bag their limts quickly in the early season. Shooting is fast and frantic and the birds are abundant, but do your homework early in the year to secure a good piece of property."

Competition for hunting grounds is keen on private property, which dominates the district. Most farms will allow dove hunters access provided they clean up after themselves and don't pepper any houses, pastures or livestock with shot.

In Lancaster County, WCO Steve Martin suggested dove hunters look at New Holland Valley in Earl and East Earl townships, specifically between Ephrata and New Holland.

Also in Salisbury Township, the Spring Garden area south of Route 340 is good. Martin said the area is highly agricultural, with some stream bottoms and surrounding meadows. Martin also noted that hunting success depends largely on when the season's corn harvest occurs.

SOUTHCENTRAL REGION
While the Southeast Region may be the epicenter of dove hunting in the state, the eastern portion of the South-central Region also contains plenty of good habitat.

"The eastern part of the region is where the habitat and hunter interest is," said Don Garner, regional Information and Education (I&E) specialist. "Adams, Cumberland counties and the western part of Franklin County contain large, commercial orchards. Most of them are open to dove hunting."

Though the western part of the district sees little in the way of dove-hunting interest, there are opportunities for limited sport. There are not nearly as many birds here as there are in the Southeast Region, but virtually no one hunts them.

"The area around Raystown Lake is a good example," Garner said. "There are about 3,000 acres around the lake that we manage as state game lands. Included in this is cultivated land farmed by sharecroppers. Hunters could enjoy some quality dove shooting there."