By admin 
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — Dove hunting season is officially underway in Yuma County, bringing thousands of hunters from across the country to the Southern Arizona desert for one of the region’s most anticipated annual events.
Read more Hobbs, Biggs both accuse each other of protecting pedophiles
The season kicked off Tuesday morning, and while the weekday start slowed overall traffic around town slightly compared to last year’s Friday opener, local business owners say they are still packed with eager customers.
“September 1 in Yuma, it’s like grown men are like kids at Christmas,” one resident said of the excitement surrounding opening day.
For many, the trek to Yuma County is a long-standing family tradition. Hunter Steve Kehrwald traveled all the way from Santa Barbara, California, to participate.
“It’s the first hunting season [where] we haven’t been able to hunt for six, seven months since the last season closed, so you just get excited about it,” Kehrwald said. ”It’s fun to carry on the tradition.”
According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, approximately 130 hunters were already out in the fields across four different locations early Tuesday morning. Officials expect those numbers to climb significantly as the week continues.
Staff at Sprague’s Sports noted that while opening-day foot traffic was down about 10% to 15% compared to last year’s weekend launch, they have still seen a massive influx of customers since last weekend.
Store representatives explained that because the hunt is so deeply rooted in tradition, many visitors still made the trip despite school and work schedules. A second, smaller wave of hunters is expected to arrive this coming weekend.
Read more Man found guilty in fatal shooting on Tucson’s south side
The annual migration of hunters also provides a major economic boost to the local community, rescuing businesses from the typical summer slowdown.
At Chretin’s Mexican Food, assistant manager Marissa Marquez said the long lines are a welcome sight.
To help handle the rush, local non-profit group Gila Barn Busters has set up their annual operation. Members clean-harvest birds for donation to support their charitable causes, which in turn helps bring more customers back to local restaurants.
The Arizona dove hunting season runs through Sept. 15. Hunters are reminded to brush up on local regulations and bag limits before heading out into the fields.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.