Through work by both state and federal agency personnel, the definitions have been clarified. Actually, the large fines never became reality. Even so, Congress is considering returning the penalties to what they were in previous years for dove hunting violations.
Doves feed almost entirely on seeds of various types, either cultivated or grown naturally.
Doves can be hunted near spots they go to for water and around openings of various kinds. However, most dove hunting occurs on fields managed for an ample supply of seeds under conditions the birds prefer. Some areas that attract doves develop as a result of other activities such as row crop farming and livestock operations. However, most dove fields are the result of someone planning ahead to produce crops of seeds that will appeal to doves during the fall and winter and manipulating that crop to attract the birds at the particular time hunting will take place. The challenge is to choose good crops and plant them at the proper time in spring and early summer to produce seeds that mature at just the right time in fall.