Here’s a preliminary recap of opening day (Friday, Sept. 1) for dove hunting at select public sites in Illinois. As more reports come, the list will be updated, specially for Saturday, Sept. 2, for Jim Edgar-Panther Creek SFWA, where odd fields are hunted on odd days while even the fields are hunted even.
The harvest rate overall strikes me as low. Maybe the cold snap earlier this week before the opener and the heat arrived.
Site: doves harvested, hunters, doves per hunter
Jim Edgar/Panther Creek SFWA (odd fields, Day 1): 150, 1,097, 7.3
Des Plaines SFWA: 64, 468, 7.2
Shabbona SRA: 60, 347, 5.8
Johnson-Sauk Trail SRA: 48, 220, 4.6
Iroquois County SWA: 34, 143, 4.2
(UPDATE 1) JEPC SFWA (even fields, Day 2): 160, 658 4.1
(UPDATE 2) Matthiessen SP: 107, 381, 3.6
Silver Springs SFWA: 76, 87, 1.1
Green River SWA: 128, 99, .8
Kankakee River SP: 17, 8, .5
[UPDATE 1] Chain O’Lakes SP: 10, 5, .5
