Catlin Canal - Doves

Catlin Canal Doves puts you on 64 acres of private dove hunting just south of Rocky Ford, Colorado, in Otero County and GMU 129. Rocky Ford is known as the dove hunting capital of Colorado, and this property sits right in the thick of it, with irrigated farm ground, a working canal, and a feedlot next door that keeps birds in the neighborhood.

Doves need food, water, and a place to loaf, and Catlin Canal covers all three. Mourning doves feed on the open irrigated ground, water along the canal, and stage around the feedlot just south of the property line, which sets up steady traffic from morning through evening. Eurasian collared doves are common here as well, adding extra birds to the bag.

You have the run of the entire property. Two sides border county roads, so plan your setup around safe shooting lanes and know where the roads and the feedlot sit before you take a shot. This is a DIY hunt with no blinds on site, so bring a bucket, decoys, and some shade. Your party of up to six gets the ground to itself for the day.

Hunts are booked by the day. A Colorado small game license, Habitat Stamp, and HIP number cover mourning doves, and all are sold over the counter with no draw required. Rocky Ford is a few minutes north for fuel, food, and lodging, with more choices in La Junta.

The irrigated farm country of the Arkansas Valley is what makes Rocky Ford dove country. Catlin Canal sits about 2 miles from the Arkansas River, and the water the river and its canals bring to this dry stretch of the plains grows the crops and weed seed that pull mourning doves in every September.
On this property, the canal provides water, the open ag ground provides feed, and the feedlot to the south gives birds a place to loaf and pick up spilled grain. When all three sit this close together, doves settle in and keep cycling through the area all day. Mourning dove hunting is at its best early in the season, before the first cold fronts send birds south, so early September dates are the ones to grab.
Rocky Ford also holds a place in Colorado bird history as the site of the state’s first recorded Eurasian collared doves in 1996. The population has grown ever since. Colorado classifies them as invasive, with a year round season and no bag limit, so they are fair game on every hunt here. Mourning and white-winged doves follow state seasons and bag limits, so make sure you know which bird is in front of you.

Reservation fees are due at the time of booking and are non-refundable. Outdoorsman fees will automatically process 48 hours prior to the adventure - it is the responsibility of the party organizer to invite their guests to the hunt prior to 48 hours before, so charges can process smoothly.

For waterfowl, fishing, and other small game adventures, cancellations made 48 hours or more prior to the scheduled adventure will not be charged. Cancellations made within 48 hours of the adventure will be charged the full outdoorsman fee.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged to reach out to IO. All calendars are set and managed by landowners, and unavailability is set by them. However, IO is willing to reach out on your behalf, to check on available dates. Other reasons for unavailable dates include biologist recommended hunter/harvest quotas that landowners implement, as well as state season dates not being released.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein.

Mourning and white-winged doves require a Colorado small game license (annual or one-day), a Habitat Stamp, and a HIP number written on your license. No license is needed for Eurasian collared doves. Purchase at cpw.state.co.us or any license agent.