Special to the Sun

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is changing its application process for the popular mentor-youth dove hunts being offered Sept. 2. The hunts allow adults to take kids hunting in dove fields that limit the number of participants.

Traditionally, people had to call the department to sign up for a mentor-youth dove hunt. These were handled on a first-come, first-served basis. By switching to an online registration, more people can apply, with the winners being selected at random. There is no fee to apply.

“The idea behind this is to create a fairer system,” said John Brunjes, migratory bird program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “People who had the ability to call at 8 a.m. on the first day of registration had an advantage over those who could not.”

Online registration for these hunts is now open and concludes at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) Aug. 18. Hunters can find dove field locations, maps and online applications at fw.ky.gov, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website. Field locations will also be published in the department’s dove hunting guide.

Kentucky will offer four mentor-youth dove hunting fields this season.

“People have two weeks to apply,” Brunjes said. “Mentors must go online and complete the registration. Then, they can go back to the website on Aug. 25 to see if they were drawn for the mentor hunt.”

Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA Archery Trail closed until further notice

The public archery trail at Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Grant County is closed until further notice for cleanup and repairs after storms littered the trail with debris and damaged some targets.

The ¼-mile trail courses through the wooded area near Leary Lake and includes 15 targets of varying yardage.

White ash trees dominate this section of the WMA and many are dead because of the invasive emerald ash borer. The standing snags pose a danger to trail users.

Strong storms toppled several trees and snapped limbs earlier this summer. The debris is blocking target lanes and some target stands are in need of repair or replacement.

The public archery range on the WMA remains open while the archery trail is closed.