A warm end to August could bode well for mourning and white-winged dove upland game hunters. Utah's upland game season opens Sept. 1 and warm weather means more birds are likely to be around.

"As the days get shorter in mid-August, doves start to leave the state, no matter what the weather is doing," said Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, in a prepared release. "But cold and rainy weather can really speed the migration up. The key to a good dove hunt opener is for the weather to stay hot and dry."

Wildlife officials have conducted annual dove counts on 15 survey routes across Utah for more than 40 years. The surveys are completed in May during breeding season. Biologists record the number of doves they see and hear along the routes.

The numbers of observed or heard birds this past May was up 62 percent from 2008. Of course, the number of doves in May isn't usually the same number found when the hunt opens.

Water and food are the keys to finding doves.

"Doves eat mostly seeds," Aldrich said. "If you can find the seeds they like, you'll probably find the doves."

Wild sunflower seeds are among doves' favorite foods. Aldrich says some of the best weed-producing areas are places that have been disturbed by road building.

Doves also eat seeds from agricultural crops, such as waste left in fields after grain is harvested. Safflower, wheat and sorghum seeds are especially important to doves.

If you plan on hunting doves, or any other game birds in Utah, here are some important reminders.

» Make sure you are registered in the Migratory Game Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) for the 2009 season. You can register at www.uthip.com.

» There's no limit on the number of Eurasian collared doves you can take. But if you do take a Eurasian collared dove, don't pluck or breast the bird out until you get home. If wildlife officers can't identify the bird as a Eurasian collared dove, the bird will count as part of your 10-bird mourning and white-winged dove bag limit.

» It's a good idea to wear hunter orange during the dove hunt, especially during the opening weekend. "Doves don't seem to notice the hunter orange, and wearing it makes you stand out more to other hunters," Aldrich says.

» Much of Utah's dove hunting happens on private land. Make sure you get written permission from the landowner first.

» It's usually hot during the dove hunt. Make sure you clean your doves quickly and keep them cool in an ice chest.

» Take good care of your dog. Bring drinking water and be careful about taking your dog into an area that might have rattlesnakes.