Join the Dove Club - where membership has its privileges
BY TONY YOUNG Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

To me, the best part about hunting is not harvesting game - but spending quality time in the outdoors with good friends and family. One of the best ways to do that is through dove hunting. And, with that in mind, it's easy to see why great dove hunts are in such high demand and often difficult to find.

That's why the FWC created its specialopportunity Dove Club Program - to offer hunters the chance to experience exceptional dove hunting on the state's best public dove fields.

Dove Club permits allow one adult and one youth (under age 16) to hunt all scheduled dates for the dove field of their choice. Permits cost only $150 and enable both hunters to take a daily bag limit of birds. There are a total of eight hunts on all but one of the selected dove fields, and all are half-day hunts and take place on Saturdays.

There are seven special-opportunity dove fields scattered throughout the state from as far west as Pensacola to as far south as Miami.

One of the fields is on Fussell Farm Public Small-Game Hunting Area (PSGHA) in Polk County. Another is on Allapattah Flats PSGHA in Martin County.

The five remaining fields might be familiar to some dove hunters, and they are: Schneider Farms PSGHA in Escambia County, Caravelle Ranch in Putnam County, Lake George Dexter/Mary Farms Unit in Volusia County, Hilochee in Lake County and Frog Pond in Miami-Dade County.

Last year, more than 1,200 hunters participated in the special-opportunity dove hunts and took nearly 2,700 birds, for an average harvest of better than two birds per hunter.

Dove Club permits went on sale July 1, and hunters can purchase these season passes at any county tax collector's office, license agent, online at MyFWC.com/dove or by calling toll-free 1-888 HUNT FLORIDA. They're sold first-come, firstserved, and the best fields go quickly, so you'd better get a move on.

In addition to Dove Club permits, there's another permit hunters might want to apply for in July, and that's a recreational use permit.

Recreational use permits were designed by the FWC to keep certain wildlife management areas (WMAs) within the system. Landowners of these properties were under heavy pressure to lease their lands to private individuals for hunting clubs. These clubs were willing to pay a lot more money for use of the properties, so the FWC created the Recreational Use Program as a way to encourage landowners by providing more revenue to them, allowing these 10 properties to stay open to public hunting.

These select WMAs are in the northern half of the state, where demand for premium hunting land is high.

The areas are: Blue Water Creek (Escambia County), Robert Brent (Gadsden and Liberty counties), Flint Rock (Jefferson and Wakulla counties), San Pedro Bay (Madison and Taylor counties), Nassau (Nassau County), Grove Park (Alachua County), Gulf Hammock (Levy County), Twelve Mile Swamp (St. Johns County), Relay (Flagler County) and Ft. McCoy (Marion County).

Arecreational use permit allows the permit holder and one dependent youth to hunt, fish and use the property for other recreational activities. With the exception of hunting, the permit holder's spouse and other dependent children also can fish and use the property for recreational purposes as well. These permits provide great opportunities for families to enjoy the great outdoors together with activities such as camping, hiking, horseback riding, ATV riding and wildlife viewing.

Get ahold of a 2007-2008 Recreational Use Permit Worksheet if you'd like to apply for one of these great areas. Worksheets can be downloaded from MyFWC.com/hunting under "Recreational Use" and are available at FWC regional offices and tax collectors' offices in close proximity to the specific WMAs.

Worksheets may be submitted online at MyFWC.com/hunting or at any license agent or tax collector's office. Permits are issued first-come, first-served, and once they go on sale, you can check availability at MyFWC.com/hunting under "Limited Entry Hunts."

You may only apply for and receive one recreational use permit for the same area, and once you get one, it can be renewed annually for the next two years, essentially making it a three-year permit. Also, all applicants are included in the antlerless deer permit drawing, if those permits are approved for the particular area.

So if you'd like to join the FWC's Dove Club or apply for a recreational use permit, you need to do it in July. Here's wishing you luck in drawing the hunt of your dreams.