Dove season is a Southern tradition that offers just as much excitement to seasoned wingshooters as it does to those new to the sport. However, one element must be present in order for a successful hunt to take place -- plenty of doves.

Unfortunately, the availability of doves in any particular area is, for the most part, out of our control. Let's take a closer look at the conditions that determine how good (or bad) the upcoming dove season will be.

Although mourning doves are migratory birds, they will stay in warm climates, such as Mississippi and Louisiana, year 'round. In fact, during the first few weeks of the season when most hunting pressure takes place, the vast majority of the birds that hunters harvest are these "resident" doves. The migratory birds do not generally start showing up this far south until October or November.

A dove's primary diet consists of seeds from agricultural grain crops, native grasses and weeds. Since mourning doves are poor scratchers, they feed mostly on open ground. It should also be noted that while doves will travel to forage, they prefer food sources that are nearby.

Banding data from both Louisiana and Mississippi indicate that most doves have a very small home range, if there is good habitat with plenty of food in that particular area. With only a few rare exceptions, most of the doves in these studies were harvested within a few miles of where they were captured and banded a month or two earlier.

Fresh water for drinking is another necessity of doves. There must be a pond, puddle or stream near their nesting sites for access daily. The water source should ideally be in an area with scarce vegetation. This allows the doves to have easy access to the water's edge and good visibility to be on the watch for predators.

According to studies conducted across the Southeast, the long-term trend has been a slight decrease in dove populations.

"We have attributed this to a change in habitat availability," said Scott Baker, wildlife biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "Thousands of acres of our open fields have been planted in trees. However, a fragmented landscape consisting of the right mixture of openings, trees and water is the habitat best suited for doves to thrive."

"Here in Louisiana, our data indicates that dove populations are stable to slightly increasing," said Mike Olinde, research program manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. "But opening weekend success may vary across the state depending on factors such as how much rain has fallen, whether farmers have been able to harvest grain crops, and how many doves have migrated into an area."