TWRA Seeks Fields to Lease, Landowners Earn up to $4K
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is seeking fields to lease for the upcoming 2024 dove season. Landowners can earn up to $4,000 for providing a dove field for public hunting. The first segment of dove season opens at noon on Sunday, September 1, 2024.
Leased fields must be available for public hunting a minimum of three priority hunt dates in September. The hunting access rate paid to landowners may be up to $75 per acre for a maximum of 40 acres. The standard fall leased field is a harvested grain field. Fields that are top sown with wheat are eligible for an additional $25 per acre. Interested landowners must sign up their fields in August.
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 will be added as the fields are enrolled in the program.
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 22,000 hunters harvest approximately 326,000 mourning doves each year.
Anyone interested in leasing a dove field to TWRA should contact their TWRA regional office. TWRA has four regional offices across the state that interested landowners can contact: Region I (West Tennessee) (731) 423-5725 or toll free (800) 372-3928; Region II (Middle Tennessee) (615) 781-6622 or toll free (800) 624-7406; Region III (Upper Cumberland) (931) 484-9571 or toll free (833) 402-4698; Region IV (East Tennessee) (423) 587-7037 or (800) 332-0900. Offices are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (local time).
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