Dove season opened yesterday, but the opening may not have been what most hunters were looking for.

Some fields in our area are still flooded and others, if not flooded, are wet and that makes for a difficult hunt.

Longtime dove hunter Ronny Breaux said he believes that good hunting might be a little late this year, perhaps in the second split (there are three splits and the first split closes next Sunday).

“Unless you have some fields that are high and dry and with feed, I think that you will have a hard time,” he said.

Breaux hunts fields in the Lake Arthur area and said he has seen a few doves, but nothing in numbers.

He said in the past he has watched doves come into wet fields, but usually only to get out of the weather.

“They won’t stay any length of time,” he said. “You see them today, you won’t see them tomorrow.”

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries canceled yesterday’s leased dove field hunts in DeRidder and Ragley due to the excessive rainfall.

A news release said the LDWF was working with landowners to provide an alternate date for both hunts and that successful the dates will be announced on the department’s website.

The department’s wildlife management areas in other parts of the state were open and it was noted that hunters must use non-toxic shot when hunting doves in these areas.

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A couple of other notes from the LDWF is that Rockefeller, which is located in both Cameron and Vermilion parishes, was re-opened in part on Friday.

The south end of Price road will remain closed until flood waters recede and repairs can be made on the road. The closure is south of the bird observation tower.

Areas open are the Joseph Harbor boat launch and East End Locks road, both about 3 miles east of the refuge headquarters.

And the White Lake birding and nature trail will be closed until further notice because of flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

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The LDWF has also extended the red snapper season in federal waters until 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Fishing for snapper will be shut down when the allotted 1.04 million pounds of fish has been met. At the last count, 880,603 pounds had been reported.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has re-opened most of its recreation areas in Southwest Louisiana.

Among these are the Sabine, Cameron Prairie and Lacassine refuges.

Pintail Drive at Cameron Prairie is not opened, nor is the bank fishing road because of flooding.

A spokesperson for the refuges said flooded areas will be re-evaluated after Labor Day.

Also, it was announced that dove hunting will be open on the Cameron Prairie Refuge for the first split (Sept. 2-10). Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset and only approved non-toxic shot can be used. Hunting dogs are allowed but must stay under the hunter’s control.

Hunters are required to have a refuge hunting permit and must turn in a bird hunt report after each hunt. The permit can be a refuge complex hunting regulation brochure signed, dated and in the hunter’s possession.