The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) announced it is seeking fields to lease for the upcoming 2022 dove season that begins on Thursday, September 1.

TWRA says that landowners can earn up to $4,000 for providing a dove field for public hunting. The fields must be available for a minimum of three priority hunt dates in September.

The agency says that mourning doves are a popular game bird and one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America. More mourning doves are harvested than all other migratory bird species combined in 39 of the continental states. In Tennessee, an estimated 19,500 hunters harvest approximately 324,000 mourning doves each year.

TWRA began its leased dove field program in the late 1980s and the program has been very successful in providing quality hunting opportunities for hunters. In addition to leased fields, many public dove fields are provided on wildlife management areas in each TWRA region.

The TWRA website currently has specific information about WMAs and information about leased dove fields in each region that will be added as the fields are enrolled in the program.

The hunting access rate paid may be up to $75 per acre for a maximum of 40 acres. Fields that are top sown with wheat are eligible for an additional $25 per acre.

WRA posted this video giving tips on how best to grow and support a field attractive to doves.

Anyone interested in leasing a dove field to TWRA can click here to find contact info for TWRA regional offices.

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