Eurasian Collared Doves in Colorado

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jetpopt

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Apr 15, 2023
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Colorado, USA
My first post here and I hope not off topic: I read CO laws on shooting the invasive Eurasian Collared Dove. Shooting with air rifle is legal, no bag limit or season on them, no hunting license required. What I stumbled upon is that I would still need a Hunter’s Education card/certification. It looks like this is a 10-hour class, including a range test, but there is NO info on scheduled dates or locations or range test quals!

Because most hunting here is done with PB rifles, I am left wondering whether *possibly* shooting one or two doves trying to establish territory right near my house (therefore driving away the native Mourning Doves) really falls into “hunting”. To make it clear, I am not trying to evade the rules, just concerned that I need to qualify for shooting targets 100 yards away when all I plan to do is short-range shooting with an entry-level air rifle. Has anyone here in CO taken that Hunter Ed class? 10 hours of what, detailing gun laws (which I already took in PB handgun classes)? What does the range test consist of?
 
Pyramid Air shows it's legal to hunt Collared Dove with an airgun in Colorado, but no mention of a license.
I agree with talking to your warden and see what they say.
If no hunting license is required to shoot them, than no hunter safety should be required either, but laws are never that logical.
Even if you do need the class, they are usually free or pretty close to free.
 
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AmosBurton said:
Pyramid Air shows it's legal to hunt Collared Dove with an airgun in Colorado, but no mention of a license.
I agree with talking to your warden and see what they say.
If no hunting license is required to shoot them, than no hunter safety should be required either, but laws are never that logical.
Even if you do need the class, they are usually free or pretty close to free.
Click to expand...
I agree the law makes no sense. Also, I would bet that non-big-game hunters who want to get rid of pests just do it, Hunter Ed card or not. It’s like the commonlaw practice of SSS. Common around here, anyway.

I have the contact info for the ONE game warden who handles this vast area including two geographically large counties. Will see what he says, though frankly State Wildlife Dept is scraping the barrel for revenue and will push taking the class (it’s not free) even if not actually required.

I don’t consider myself good enough to make a clean hit yet, so this is something to look into for the future. Meanwhile, I run the things off with vocal and other tactics. They recognize me a mile or two away and sound the alarm/flight call yet persist in trying to roost here. One actually watches me through a window, till I run him off.

Noticed, though, that after a pellet practice session, they don’t return for a couple of days. Solution: Practice 3x a week!
 
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You’re technically hunting Eurasian Collared dove so even on private property you have to have a hunting license.
Simply get a hunter safety card buy a small game license and pay the habitat fee then you’re legal to carry a gun in the field any where in the state. I’ll add that since there is no season on collared dove you can carry and shoot them anywhere it’s legal year ‘round. Ya can’t beat that for value for the dollar.

{New this year Fall turkey hunting is now legal with a 25cal airgun!
But it’s a draw license so you need the Customer ID number through Parks and wildlife for next year}

Most gun ranges will have or know of a hunter safety course.
Cabela’s, Bass Pro, Sportsman’s warehouse usually will offer them too.
Its never 100yd qualifying. More like 50yds with a 22lr prone or sitting and iron sights.

I passed my hunter safety course at age 9 because dad wanted to hunt rabbits so he dragged me to class.
I shot the clothes pin off the target twice by mistake because the sights were off and the instructor passed me.
I was shooting out camping when I was 7.
I learned from my mom, and she was a crack shot. Those were good days.
 
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jetpopt said:
My first post here and I hope not off topic: I read CO laws on shooting the invasive Eurasian Collared Dove. Shooting with air rifle is legal, no bag limit or season on them, no hunting license required. What I stumbled upon is that I would still need a Hunter’s Education card/certification. It looks like this is a 10-hour class, including a range test, but there is NO info on scheduled dates or locations or range test quals!

Because most hunting here is done with PB rifles, I am left wondering whether *possibly* shooting one or two doves trying to establish territory right near my house (therefore driving away the native Mourning Doves) really falls into “hunting”. To make it clear, I am not trying to evade the rules, just concerned that I need to qualify for shooting targets 100 yards away when all I plan to do is short-range shooting with an entry-level air rifle. Has anyone here in CO taken that Hunter Ed class? 10 hours of what, detailing gun laws (which I already took in PB handgun classes)? What does the range test consist of?
Click to expand...

Upcoming hunters education classes

Colorado Hunter Education Course List and Registration

Ready to get registered for Colorado's required hunting safety education classes? Find everything you need right here: course lists, dates, forms, and registration.
register-ed.com register-ed.com

I think I was 10 or so when I took the hunter’s education class. When I took mine the range test was demonstrating firearm safety and safe handling more than anything else. We shot single shot .22 short rifles in an indoor range. No big deal.
Whether you plan to “hunt”or not I don’t think it’s a bad idea for every shooter to attend the class. The more knowledge you have the better.
 
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Depending upon how old you are, you may not even be asked to produce one by the counter staff selling you the license. Not sure about your state, but there are age and "grandfather" clauses that sometimes just allow you to buy a licence. It would not hurt look a little deeper into the rules for that grandfather clauses, or go to the local sports shop and ask, while trying to buy the appropriate license. There's some good breast meat on them doves.
 
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Thanks for info about the class. The class fee is very low; the cost of driving at least 5 hrs to the closest location and time/lodging for the span of the class is not. I’ll check later in the year to see if any classes are offered in winter, because spring through fall is always too busy with other activities.

The state’s own rules say that a hunting license is NOT required to shoot ECD, only the Hunter Ed card. The private land is my own land, not someone else’s private property. It is rural, so houses are not close.

There are other ways to deter the invasive species from proliferating at my property.
 
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I live on some acreage in California. My experience has been that the Collared Doves will congregate where there are grain fed animals or places where grain hay is fed but are sparse in a cropland environment. The native Mourning Dove are abundant in the crops and plowed fields where I live but there are only maybe 3 pairs of Collared Doves. I do find the Collared Doves far more wary than the Mourning Doves. If I stand and watch them for just a moment they'll take off.
When I took my hunter safety course decades ago the class provided .22 rimfires for us to shoot if we didn't bring our own rifles.
 
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jetpopt said:
Thanks for info about the class. The class fee is very low; the cost of driving at least 5 hrs to the closest location and time/lodging for the span of the class is not. I’ll check later in the year to see if any classes are offered in winter, because spring through fall is always too busy with other activities.

The state’s own rules say that a hunting license is NOT required to shoot ECD, only the Hunter Ed card. The private land is my own land, not someone else’s private property. It is rural, so houses are not close.

There are other ways to deter the invasive species from proliferating at my property.
Click to expand...
You’re correct in not needing a license.
If you are on private property and it sounds like you're in a more rural area you should be ok plinking away on your own.
The only reason to get licensed up is to roam about without worries.
Personally on my own land I’d just take care of the issue without additional fanfare etc.
 
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Yes you need hunter safety card. See attached

IMG_4616.png
 
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The state info makes it clear that Hunter Ed cert is required even for shooting invasive nongame species. Whether that applies on my own land is not clear.

I looked at the variations on the class (how many hours, how they are distributed over the days of the class). Safety ed, legal aspects, basic gun handling—expected and accepted. The part that gets ridiculous for my purposes is that the class includes rifle AND shotgun (including adjusting choke) AND handgun AND field dressing. Shooting ECD, there’s not going to be any dressing other than bagging for disposal.

I’ll ask a couple of hunting neigbors if they remember the Hunter Ed class and did it really require the whole enchilada including procedures needed for big-game or waterfowl. That’s overkill. Maybe the cert should allow choosing one or more modules, not all of them. Why not a cert for only invasive pest shooting? In neighboring NM, handgun quals to carry concealed are specific to semiautomatic OR revolver, not both.
 
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