– Registration for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources mentor-youth dove hunts opens Monday, Aug.11.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife conducts the mentor hunts as an avenue for adults to introduce youths to the joys of dove hunting. The department limits the number of participants to avoid overcrowding.

Hunters interested in reserving a space for these unique hunts must register by calling Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-858-1549 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. Hunting reservations will not be accepted prior to Aug. 11.

Limited spaces are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is open through Aug. 22, or whenever all the slots are filled. Most mentor-youth hunts will be held this year on Monday, Sept. 1 (Labor Day), the opening day of dove season statewide. Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge in McCracken County will conduct mentor/youth hunts on Sept. 6 and 7. These fields open to public hunting Sept. 8.

The mentor-youth dove hunts offer adults an opportunity to initiate youth aged 15 years and under into the
enjoyment of an early season dove hunt. Each adult may take one or two youths, but only two shotguns are allowed per stake. Hunter education and licensing requirements apply to those participating in these hunts.

Hunting hours run from 2 to 7 p.m., local time on Sept. 1. Hunters must be out of the field by 7:30 p.m. Hunt groups must check in prior to hunting and check out before leaving the field with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife staff members.

Mentor-youth fields located on private land open to public hunting Sept. 6 through Oct. 24. Mentor-youth fields located on wildlife management areas (WMAs) are open to public hunting Sept. 2 through Oct. 24.

This year’s mentor-youth dove fields include:
Union County, Higginson-Henry WMA:
Directions: KY 56, about 7 miles southeast of Morganfield.
Grant County, Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA:
Directions: Take Crittenden exit off I-75 and follow U.S. 25 south to KY 491, turn left across railroad tracks, then right on Wildlife Road.
Lincoln County, private field:
Directions: From Stanford, travel north on U.S. 27 for 0.16 mile to a left on to KY 590 for about 1.5 miles to a gravel lane that leads to marked parking area and field.
Livingston County, private field:
From Carrsville, take KY 135 east for 0.6 mile to field on left.
McCracken County, Clark’s River National Wildlife Refuge:
Mentor-Youth Hunts Sept. 6 and 7; opens to public hunting on Sept. 8.
Directions: From Symsonia, take KY 131 north for a little over 2 miles to fields on left marked by signs. U.S.F.W.S. approved non-toxic shot required for all dove hunting on this area.
Washington County, private field:
Directions: From U.S. 150 at Fredericktown, take Short Creek Road to Burg Hill Road.
Information regarding dove hunting and publicly-accessible fields will be contained within the 2014 Kentucky Hunting Guide for Dove, Wood Duck, Teal, Woodcock, Snipe and Crow. This guide will be published later this month.
Information on dove regulations and fields will also be posted soon on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife webpage at fw.ky.gov.