Autumn Hunts Begin Now

While many Pennsylvania hunters are awaiting the Oct. 2 opener of the autumn archery season for deer, a few hunters will be getting in on hunting action that begins right now.

For instance, the statewide hunting season for doves opened yesterday (Sept. 1). This autumn season runs until Nov. 26, with hunting hours this year running from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. The daily limit is 15 birds, with a possession limit of 45 doves. There is an extended season later, running from Dec. 16 to Jan. 21. Besides having a regular hunting license, a dove hunter must also possess a Pennsylvania Migratory Bird License. Although dove hunting is not popular around here, it is a popular social activity in many areas, including southeastern Pennsylvania where hunters line fields and try to down the small rockets as they zoom past. When my son, Bob, was young, we tried dove hunting; and he was able to collect doves regularly. Don't ask how I did.

Another hunt that began yesterday was the hunt for Canada geese in the Resident Population Zone, which encompasses nearly all of Pennsylvania. The daily limit is eight geese, with a possession limit of 24. This season also extends from Oct. 23 to Nov. 26, Dec. 13 through Jan. 15, and Feb. 4 through Feb. 26. In addition to the regular hunting license and the Pennsylvania Migratory Game Bird License, a hunter must possess a Federal Duck Stamp if he is 16 or older. Again, I know few hunters in the Cove who hunt geese, though one told me that he shot several a few years ago and that a roasted goose makes a delicious meal. Some landowners might welcome goose hunters, since flocks of geese can make quite a mess on properties they frequent.

Surprising to me has been the lack of interest in the early squirrel hunting season that begins this year on Sept. 11 and runs through Nov. 26. It comes back in on Dec. 13 through Dec. 24 and again from Dec. 27 through Feb. 28. Six squirrels comprise the daily limit, with a possession limit of 18 animals. Squirrels were once one of the most popular small-game animals, with hunters shouldering .22 rifles and small-bore shotguns in their pursuits of bushytails. In my own case, my father introduced me to hunting by taking me on unofficial mentored squirrel hunts when I was 10, and I did the same when Bob was young.

Hunting doves, resident geese, and squirrels can be good ways to get your autumn hunts underway.