Arizona wildlife agencies sponsor dove hunting to protect environment

Robert Zavala, 19, looked up at the dawn sky on the grassy field, searching for doves. He grabbed his shotgun, placed it against his shoulder and aimed. He pulled the trigger, the blast interrupting the morning silence, and watched as his quarry plummeted to the ground.

Zavala and his father were among about 30 people who gathered Sept. 7 at the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area near Buckeye to participate in the Dove Hunting Made Simple event.

“I’ve never hunted birds before,” said Zavala, who had previously only shot clay targets. “Got to shoot a shotgun, just hang out, and have a good time.”

Valley of the Sun Quail Forever co-hosted the event with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to inspire wildlife conservation by showcasing mentored dove hunting events.

With dove hunting events hosted at different facilities in Buckeye, Valley of the Sun Quail Forever and Game and Fish say they share the same mission: to curb animal populations by rallying hunters to reinforce equilibrium with Arizona’s native wildlife.

“We’re not out here to destroy animals,” said James Thornton, a hunting mentor and volunteer for Valley of the Sun Quail Forever. “We’re out here for the conservation of animals.”

At 6 a.m., the sun loomed over the horizon, beaming its early morning rays on the grassy fields with the sound of fluttering doves in the background.

The dove hunters, young and old, novice and experienced, crept through the grass with shotguns in hand, trying not to startle the doves. In an instant, the loud booming of shotguns interrupted the calm.

Afterward, the hunters collected whatever doves they hit.

One of those hunters was Robert Zavala’s father, who goes by the nickname Bob. The 60-year-old Flagstaff resident has hunted doves for about five years.

“I’ve been wanting to get interested in learning how to hunt the smaller game,” said Bob Zavala. “I thought it was a nice introduction on how to find the birds.”


The season in Arizona starts in September and revolves around three varieties, according to organizers: Eurasian collared-doves, mourning doves and white-winged doves. Each variety has a bag limit, the number of birds a hunter can legally keep, according to Game and FishEditSign.

Arizona cities including Buckeye and Yuma host dove hunting events on public lands to keep the hunting tradition alive while also encouraging hunters to donate funds, such as buying migratory bird stamps, to aid conservationists in protecting wildlife from environmental problems like dove overpopulation, organizers said.

Mentors and volunteers from Valley of the Sun Quail Forever offered hunters demonstrations on how to carefully remove breast meat from a dove’s body.

Organizers said they hope to help Arizona ecosystems thrive in the future, prevent starvation and overpopulation and keep the number of doves manageable.

“We have the capacity to understand our impact on the environment. We also have the power to remediate any potential damage that we have while also existing at the same time in the same place with these other animals,” Robert Zavala said.

But the elder Zavala said dove hunting is more than just environmental protection.

“Our son actually and successfully shot down two birds, and we’re bringing one home,” he said. “We’ll be able to try a recipe. I’m very excited.”

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