DOVE HUNTERS: DON'T FORGET GOOD MANNERS.

Byline: Nevin Barich Staff Writer

With dove season only a week away, it's a good time to review good hunting etiquette.

--Make a concerted effort to find any bird you shoot. Failure to do so could result in a fine.

``Sometimes, when you shoot a bird, it will travel for as much as 100 yards,'' said Bruce Kenyon, the state chairman for Quail Unlimited and Doves Unlimited, two organizations geared toward restoring the habitat of its respective birds. ``It's the hunter's responsibility to find a bird that he or she shoots. Otherwise, that person may end up shooting up to 15 or 20 birds.''

--It is generally agreed that a distance of 70-80 yards between hunters is accepted protocol.

``When you go to a spot where you know birds are working, there's a reasonable chance that there'll be 100 guys there,'' said Kenyon, whose Santa Clarita Chapter of his organizations pays to put 150 kids through hunter safety training every year. ``And since you're using guns, distance is important.''

But the safety distance is not a rule in the National Fish and Game Code. Both Kenyon and Dick Haldeman, the regional director for Quail Unlimited and Doves Unlimited, think it should stay that way.

``It's one of those ethical decisions,'' Haldeman said. ``Guys are usually pretty good about it. It's really a safety factor. I don't know that it needs to be set into law.''

For more information on updated dove hunting rules and laws, ask for a rulebook at your local sporting goods store.