Opening day of dove hunting at Illinois public sites reflected generally poor or fair field conditions.

Even at the traditional top public sites, dove harvest was down as field conditions suggested it would be.

By Dale Bowman

Resized/Sun-Times — One of the prepped dove fields at Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA an hour before the start of hunting on opening day Sunday.

Here are opening day harvest numbers from nearby public sites in Illinois and a few Downstate ones. (If I receive more numbers, I will update.)

The numbers, with a few exceptions, reflect poor or fair field conditions virtually statewide.

There are some surprises, including Chain O’Lakes SP with the best I remember in a couple decades of doing this and Kankakee River SP with its worst.

Site: Hunters, doves harvested, doves per hunter

Iroquois County SWA: 44, 243, 5.5
Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA: 139, 721, 5.2
Silver Springs SFWA 92, 292, 3.2
Chain O’Lakes SP: 21, 54, 2.6
Des Plaines SFWA: 53, 122, 2.3
Shabbona Lake SRA: 33, 67, 2.0
Matthiessen SP: 83, 104, 1.3
Green River SWA: 124, 129, 1.0
Kankakee River SP: 22, 2, 0.1

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Opening day: Field conditions reflected in dove harvest at Illinois public sites

Even at the traditional top public sites, dove harvest was down as field conditions suggested it would be.