For two weeks in September, dove season filled Yuma hotels

The early dove season is over for another year, but it left a noticeable mark on Yuma’s summer business calendar. Visit Yuma told AZFamily that hotel occupancy, which had been around 50% through summer, rose to 90%–95% during the September hunt.

That is a big jump for a town used to thinking of tourism as a winter business. The figure came from Visit Yuma Executive Director Marcus Carney, and final occupancy results had not yet been released when AZFamily reported it.

A short season, a concentrated crowd

Arizona’s early dove season ran Sept. 1 through 15. On opening morning, the Arizona Game and Fish Department counted about 130 hunters at four locations early in the day, according to AZFamily’s coverage. Sporting-goods stores saw hunters arriving before the opener, while restaurant staff described large groups coming in to eat.

The benefit was not uniform. Sprague’s Sports told AZFamily that opening-day foot traffic was down about 10% to 15% from the prior year, even as the store saw a rush in the days before the season. That is a useful reminder that one busy weekend and the whole season are not the same measure.

A local use for the harvest

The story also includes a community piece beyond hotel rooms and sales. AZFamily reported that Gila Barn Busters cleans harvested birds and donates them to charitable causes.

For a couple of weeks, hunters bring visitors during one of the slowest stretches of the year. The 90%–95% occupancy figure is an estimate reported by Visit Yuma, not a final count, but it helps explain why local businesses pay attention when dove season rolls around.