Photo by Bill Lea.

With each approach of autumn, Mountain State hunters begin to dream anew. And just what wild and wonderful hunting experiences lie in wait for the various 2007 seasons? The past two years have seen a return to weather normalcy and decent mast production, which is good a thing for deer, bears and turkeys.

From the native big-game trio of deer, bears and turkeys to the small-game species, such as squirrels and rabbits, there should be no lack of excitement among hunters. A smorgasbord of species doing well means there should be something in store for everyone.

With that in mind, West Virginia Game & Fish offers up its 2007 Hunting Calendar. What follows is a six-month rundown commencing with the September season kickoffs and running through the February closures. With plenty of input from West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) staff, here's some top hunting action by species and locations, presented for your consideration. Let's get started!

SEPTEMBER
District 5
Mourning Doves
Dove hunting opportunities can be pretty scarce in our mostly forested state. The preferred bare ground haunts of these small, seed-eating pigeons is dependent on the forest-clearing hands of man. However, with its Ohio River Valley farms and abundant surface coalmine reclaims, the state's southwestern District 5 is a good bet for dove hunting.

In fact, two of the district's wildlife management areas (WMAs) offer some river bottom agriculture with specially managed dove fields. They include Green Bottom and McClintic WMAs in Cabell and Mason counties, respectively.

Nearly two-thirds of Green Bottom's 1,100 acres consist of agricultural lands. That's plenty of elbowroom for dove hunters. Sharecropping is a normal part of the mix and freshly harvested corn or other cash crop fields draw doves like magnets. Green Bottom is accessible via state Route (SR) 2, some 16 miles north of Huntington.

Green Bottom WMA, in fact, touches into Mason County on its northern fringe, and it is the home base of the McClintic WMA. McClintic offers a similar quantity of farmland dove opportunities, though the overall WMA is much larger at 3,655 acres. McClintic is located five miles north of Point Pleasant or eight miles south of the Mason, off SR 62 via Fairgrounds Road (county Route 12); just follow the DNR signs.

In addition to these Ohio River bottomland WMAs, hunters should also consider seeking permission on private farmlands of the stated counties' cash crop zones. Just ask and you should be pleasantly surprised. Doves, however, can be found wherever the right conditions exist. The top coal-producing counties of this district (and state for that matter) include the likes of Boone, Lincoln, Logan and Mingo.

The fresh "strip" reclaims, as they're called, often provide water but more importantly millet, rye or other seed-bearing mulch crops. Access can often be gained for the areas away from active operations. Several operations also post dove hunts with sign-up sheets and picnics to make for an enjoyable social event.

Again, such events may be available just for the asking. The traditional dove opener is generally Sept. 1 with a 12-bird-per-day limit. Be sure to confirm this, as the migratory bird regulations are not finalized until shortly before opening day. For updates on dove and crop field statuses, call the District 5 office at (304) 675-0871.

OCTOBER
R. D. Bailey WMA
Deer
The allure of a vast bowhunting-only wildlife management area is as close as this year's Saturday, Oct. 13, archery deer opener on R.D. Bailey WMA. R.D. Bailey's well-managed 17,280 acres lie mostly within the southwestern coalfields of Wyoming County, with its western fringe penetrating into Mingo County. With a 630-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lake of the same name comprising its central core, this WMA provides more than just another attractive public option for hunters.

As if that weren't convincing enough, this WMA, by far, took the top honors in the public-land bow kill category, giving up 91 whitetails to archers just last year. If numbers alone don't do it, Wyoming County is a perennial powerhouse in the trophy quality corner as well. In fact, Robert Cooper's non-typical archery class category Big Buck Contest winner for 2006 scored a whopping 201 4/8 inches.