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Cavalier Wildlife Management Area Closed for Dove Hunting
Richmond, VA – The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) wants to let the public know that dove hunting on Cavalier Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is closed until further notice due to illegal baiting on the area. Federal and state laws require a 10-day waiting period once all of the bait has been removed from the landscape before hunting activities can resume. Virginia’s dove season begins on Sept. 3, and DWR will continue to monitor the situation and re-open the area to dove hunting once we can legally do so. Please check dwr.virginia.gov/wma/cavalier/ for updates.
If you have any information on the illegal baiting activities please contact the Wildlife Crime Line at 1-800-237-5712.
Under federal regulations, baiting is prohibited for all migratory game birds (including doves, woodcock, snipe, rails, waterfowl) in North America. Migratory game birds cross state and international borders and must be managed cooperatively as a shared resource by all entities (states, provinces, countries). Therefore no one entity can conduct activities (like baiting) that others cannot do, and there are general guidelines or frameworks that have been established (like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act) to regulate migratory bird management and harvest.
Baiting has the potential to concentrate birds into specific areas and could increase harvests in those areas at the expense of other areas and other hunters. Hunting seasons are established based on bird population size, the number of hunters, and the expected harvests from the annual season regulations (including the number of hunting days, daily bag limits, dates when seasons can open and close, etc.). If baiting were allowed, harvests would change–it would likely increase–and therefore the number of hunting days, daily limits, the number of hunters, and other season parameters might have to be limited, and many hunters would lose opportunities.
Baiting is not legal and is unethical. Baiting can impact bird movements and use areas, and artificially concentrate birds in baited areas. It can provide an unfair advantage to those using the baited area and can spoil the experience and limit the opportunity for those legal hunters in unbaited areas.