Safe Zone-of-Fire
While fence crossing accidents net Arizona its second most hunting incidents, the No. 1 culprit is violations of safe zone-of-fire, primarily during bird seasons such as turkey, quail and dove.
Quail hunters in the field
Arizona dove and quail hunting is a terrific opportunity to go through a lot of shells, bag some exceptionally tasty birds, and enjoy hunting with others. Sometimes, it can get crowded around a good field or water hole. It becomes very important to know where everyone is located and where your zone-of-fire is in relation to everyone else. For more information on Arizona's dove season visit: www.azgfd.gov/dove.
Press the play button (▶) above to start the video.
Video Transcript
Transcript for Yuma: A Dove Hunter’s Paradise
Speaker: They show up before sunup.
Doug Burt: You know, there’s 10 dove right there; there’s 10 dove over there.
Speaker: Like kids on Christmas morning, they’ve been waiting for this all year.
Doug Burt: It just gets you giddy. (laughs)
Speaker: September 1st is opening day of dove season, and in Yuma, Arizona, that’s a pretty big deal.
Male Speaker 1: It’s like Disneyland for us, you know, it’s our busiest hunting season of the year.
Debbie Stewart, Yuma Resident: If they’re a hunter, I would say a lot of excitement and apprehension. You know what’s it going to be like? Are there going to be a lot of birds? Am I going to find the right spot? If you don’t know anything about it, you still feel the buzz and the energy in the community, but you’re not quite sure why.
Speaker: This agricultural community on the Colorado River is a dove hunter’s paradise, and it’s the place to be on opening day.
Male Speaker 1: We’re the Dove Hunting Capital of the United States.
Male Speaker 2: It’s always a good time. This is the third year we’ve come out, and, yeah, we’ll be coming out here as long as they keep inviting us.
Debbie Stewart: It’s a huge economic boost for the community.
David Smith, California Resident: This is my 33rd year in a row. I haven’t missed an opening day.
Emily: It’s really fun.
Speaker: People come here from all across Arizona, California, and beyond.
David Smith: And we come with a group of about 20, 30 people out here. So it’s just been a kind of a tradition to come out.
Emily’s Father: My daughter Emily looks forward to it every year. So, it’s a real fun weekend for us, so.
Speaker: For many, it’s a family tradition that often starts at Sprague’s Sports, also known as dove central.
On screen: A large outdoor banner announces “Welcome Back Dove Hunters.”
Richard Sprague, Owner, Sprague’s Sports: Yeah, this is dove central. That’s what we advertise, and that’s what we are.
Speaker: This is where hunters stock up on gear and ammo, buy a hunting license, or grab a souvenir t-shirt.
Richard Sprague: I had to talk to a guy today who’s been coming down here for 56 years. It’s an event. It really is. It’s a tradition too.
Speaker: It’s a carnival-like atmosphere, with plenty of chances to win prizes and raise money for a good cause.
Male Speaker 3: Winner, winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Female Speaker: We’re raising money for the wrestling team at Yuma Catholic High School.
Debbie Stewart: I’m actually out here to do an annual raffle that helps to support Chase Stewart, who is my son.
Chase Stewart: Hunting doves is what got me started into shotgun shooting.
Debbie Stewart: He is an international skeet shooter who is vying for a spot on the USA national shotgun team.
Chase Stewart: Because of dove hunting in Yuma, Arizona, I might someday be going to the Olympics.
Speaker: After stopping and shopping at Sprague’s, a lot of folks head on over to the banquet and raffle sponsored by the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club.
Male Speaker 4: All right, our winner.
Speaker: Winning prizes is exciting, but the real fun takes place in the morning.
Doug Burt: There’s a single right here. (fires two shots) And I missed him, twice.
Youth Hunter: I got two.
Speaker: Hunting dove is great for beginners because there’s lots of opportunities to shoot.
Doug Burt: You see I just shot two times at a bird, missed. I’m not really disappointed because I know I’ll probably see about a hundred more birds. So, if you have plenty of ammo, you get a lot of practice at it.
Speaker: Of course, everyone can benefit from a little practice.
Doug Burt: (fires twice, sighs) That should have been a dead bird.
Johnathan O’Dell, Arizona Game & Fish Department: To me, dove hunting is just spectacular. The wing shooting is a lot of fun. It’s challenging.
Speaker: And now it’s even better. A new, simplified license structure includes a very affordable $5 license for resident and nonresident kids. Plus, the daily bag limit was raised from 10 to 15 dove. That’s five more chances to bag a bird with a bracelet, just like Johnathan did.
Johnathan O’Dell: (displays the banded leg of a harvested dove) Yeah, the little bands are individually numbered.
Speaker: Each year, thousands of mourning dove are banded as part of a national project that helps wildlife managers track the birds and estimate their populations.
Johnathan O’Dell: I’ve been banding for Arizona for eight years. I’ve been coordinating the banding program for the last seven.
Speaker: Johnathan O’Dell manages the program for Arizona Game and Fish, but this is the first banded bird he’s shot.
Johnathan O’Dell: I really wanted to get one, over time, and finally have. So, I’m just real excited about it.
Doug Burt: I thought we had a bird coming in. Here’s one right over your head. Another one right over your head. There’s a perfect shot right…. (gestures at camera, laughs) I need them right here. (gestures in front of himself) No sun in my eyes. No other hunters. I like to shoot within, like, a 45-degree angle. So I make sure there’s no one within those ranges.
Speaker: Every successful hunt starts with safety. And courteous hunters who practice good stewardship help ensure a good time for all.
Doug Burt: Sun is really smoking bright now.
Speaker: By mid-morning, it’s getting pretty hot, and the birds are few and far between. It’s time to cool off in the hotel pool or maybe the Colorado River. However, if you’re hungry, you might want to stop at one of the local restaurants that will transform your fresh dove into a delicious lunch.
Doug Burt: Thank you very much, ladies.
Speaker: For a donation, the members of this girls’ soccer team will clean your birds and get them ready for the cooks at Chretin’s.
Doug Burt: Yeah, they’re really, really tasty. You just don’t want to overcook them.
Speaker: Now hopefully, you saved your biggest bird for the annual Big Breast Contest at Sprague’s.
Male Speaker 5: Oh yeah, that’s a good one. So you’re looking at 68.5, so that one’s in the lead right now.
Speaker: This guy had the lead for a while, but the winning breast weighed in at just over 70 grams.
Not quite ready to call it quits, we’re back in the field for one last hunt.
Doug Burt: I wasn’t even shooting at that bird; I was shooting at the front bird. Here he is, nice. That’s a collared dove too.
Speaker: When the sun disappears, opening day will be over, but anticipating the next opening day of dove season in Yuma will have only just begun.
Johnathan O’Dell: It’s a tradition. Dove hunting, the September 1st holiday, getting together with friends and family, enjoying some wing shooting, and just spending time together.
Safe Zone-of-Fire is the 45-degree area directly in front of each hunter with hunters spaced 25 yards to 40 yards apart and always in sight of each other.
If you aren’t sure if a shot is safe, let the bird go. There will be more.
Sometimes individuals may take a shot toward another hunter because they are supposedly outside the range of a shotgun. This is a mistake, as anyone who has ever heard shot rattle through the bushes nearby or been peppered by spent shot can attest to. It is never safe to shoot toward another hunter, and judging distance can be very difficult, particularly when trying to track a fast-moving dove.
Dove and quail hunting with others requires careful attention. So it is not surprising that once everyone is back at the truck it is easy to let your guard down. What to do with that shotgun? Lean it against the truck or tire while looking for the keys or getting a drink out of the cooler, right? But then the truck shifts as someone climbs in or the dog bumps one of the shotguns or rifles. It slips and then falls to the ground and bird-shot explodes out of the barrel. Sound far-fetched? We wouldn’t be talking about it if it was. Make sure to unload guns and lay them down where they can’t fall over. Accidental discharges are very scary and very dangerous.