Summer Hunting: Popular Game to Keep you Challenged

As a passionate hunter, you know that life is too short to spend the summer cooped up in front of the air conditioner and dreaming of fall. You don't let the heat get you down; hotter weather hunts are one of your favorites.

While not all animals mentioned will be available to hunt during the summer in every state, they can be pursued in a few, so check your local Department of Natural Resources to confirm the season dates for your preferred summer game.
If you're itching to shake up your usual summer hunting this summer, we've got you covered.

Eurasian Collared Doves

While other dove breed's hunting seasons may be limited, the Eurasian Collared Dove, with a valid hunting license, provides a year-round opportunity to hunters. Larger than mourning doves, they got their name from the black half-collar of feathers found along the back of its neck.
Eurasian collared doves are considered an invasive species. An invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in its new environment where it is not native. Invasive species can harm natural ecosystems, threaten human use of resources, and are capable of causing the extinction of native plants and native animals.

Before loading up and heading out, it is critically important for a hunter to recognize what a Eurasian collared dove looks like compared to mourning doves or other doves. Without knowing the difference between a mourning dove, white-winged dove, or African-collared dove, you could be caught with a bird that is a national resource protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There are also a few rules and regulations as to what you can hunt doves on, over, or from, as well as guidelines for baiting that we recommend being familiar with.
First released in the Bahamas in 1974, the Eurasian collared doves have spread and found their way all across the United States. Surprisingly, these collared doves make excellent table fair.

You'll find plenty of them in agricultural areas where harvests have been collected or planted. We also suggest leaving a few feathers on them during hunting so that a game warden can easily recognize and note them.

Wild Hogs

In most states in the U.S., wild hogs can be legally hunted any day of the year. It's essential to check in with your state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to double-check for any restrictions. In some cases, wild hog hunting may not be allowed, especially when it coincides with Turkey season.

However, the best states for hunting wild hogs are in the South, primarily along the coastline. You'll find it a common hunting pastime in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, North Caroline, South Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia, but even California hunters take part.

Hernando De Soto and conquistadors introduced feral hogs to the United States when they first trekked overland through what we now call Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Feral hogs (wild hogs, wild pigs, and boar) are another destructive, invasive species. Much of the U.S.'s feral pig problems are concentrated within the South, where half the estimated six million wild pigs live there.

When hunting wild pigs, ensure you understand your state's rules and guidelines around hunting, trapping, hunting dogs, and landowner permission. If your state has an archery season and a muzzleloading season, ensure you've got the right weapons for those seasons.

Coyote

After the spring turkey season finishes and well before fall white-tailed deer season, small game seasons kick in, and you may think summer drags along. Summertime coyote hunting is an alternative to keep your hunting skills sharp and provide an alternative to what you usually hunt during summer.

Most hunters will tell you the best time to hunt coyotes is during den season. Male and female coyotes have pups in the ground and raise them. Coyotes are known as one of the most territorial animals, and while raising their pups, that territorial instinct skyrockets further. Focusing on den sights can allow you to call them in more effectively.

As for the best time of the day, like any hunting season, early mornings and late evenings are typically the most active part of the day to hunt for coyotes.

Pronghorns

In some states, like California, you can try pronghorn or 'Antelope,' hunting during August. Generally, there are times available for archery or general hunting during that month. Contrary to some beliefs, the pronghorn aren't antelope like those found in Asia and Africa. Some hunters jokingly refer to them as "speed goats." Pronghorns are a uniquely American species that once used their incredible speeds to evade ice-age predators. Today, their speed provides hunters one of the best spot-and-stalk hunting experiences.

One of the best spots for hunting pronghorns is in Wyoming. However, the Archery season begins in August, and rifle season starts on the 1st of October, so remember where you are hunting and what regulations the state may have.

Other Summer Hunting Game:

Always follow your state and local wildlife laws and regulations, as the summer hunting season does vary widely from one state to the next.

• Squirrel hunting. Often overlooked, squirrels can be a worthy and challenging game species.
• For hunters living in the Lone Star State, there's a species you can hunt that is found nowhere else in North America: the nilgai antelope. Originally from India, ranchers began releasing them in the 1930s, and tens of thousands live in South Texas.
• Florida hunters looking for a challenge in the Everglades can consider hunting the severe problem of the Burmese python. But remember that wrangling a python that can grow up to and over 15 feet, in tall grass, is not a hunting adventure for the faint of heart.
• For a more exotic hunt: Lanai, a 90.000-acre private island 40 miles west of Maui, sports one of the largest populations of free-range Axis deer. There are mouflon sheep, too.
  Which of our summer game suggestions are you eager to try? What's your favorite summer hunting? Let us know! Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram, and don't forget to shop for your summer hunting gear with us for the best prices and highest-quality gear.