September marks prime hunting and fishing time

A mourning dove rests prior to opening day of the 2013 dove season that opened Sept.1.

September is the month that kicks off the hunting seasons and when fishing picks up. Missouri outdoorspeople look forward to September for several reasons.

Dove hunters got the month started, along with a small number of rail and snipe hunters. Fishermen know that as the water starts to cool, the fish will more active. It is a great time of the year for the outdoor-minded people, as well as football fans.

September is also the month when the sky can get filled with migrating monarch butterflies. Last year, Terry Hopkins, Springfield, was dove hunting near the Schell-Osage Wildlife Area.

This dove hunter is in a good spot to find doves as they love sunflowers.

"I had butterflies all around me and sometimes, I would get ready to shoot thinking a dove was going by," he said. "The air was filled with the migrating monarchs.

"I counted 42 before I lost count. On the way to Schell, it was easy to see the migration was on because they were so thick, I had to clean off my windshield several times.

"For years, I have been fascinated with the monarchs and look forward to seeing them this month."

John Farris, Carl Junction, took his limit of doves on opening day.

The opening day of the dove season turned into a washout for some hunters in Benton County. Harold Summers, Warsaw, had found a great place to hunt dove prior to Labor Day Weekend.

There were sunflowers, a pond with dead trees around, a perfect place for doves. However, by the time he took a stand near the pond, the rain began to fall and the doves moved elsewhere.

He did see several bunches of teal, so when the teal season opens next weekend, he will be back.

"At least I know there will be plenty of water for the teal to land," he said. "The dove season is a long one, so I should get in some good dove hunting, along with the teal."

At the Bois D' Arc Conservation Area, there were 221 hunters on opening day, who took 361 birds. Officials at the area said the birds weren't moving like they were a couple of weeks ago, but the opening day was much better than last year.

Fred Smart, Ozark, said "I had a great opening day. Hunting near a pond in Laclede County, I had my limit of 15 birds in just over an hour.

"My gun barrel was hot from all the action. As usual, it took more than a box of shells to get my limit."

Mac Davis and Sam Johnson, Joplin, also had a good opening day. The pair of hunters took their limits of dove while hunting a field east of Nevada.

"We had seen the birds using this stubble field a few days before the season opened, so we knew the birds were around," Johnson said. "On Sunday, we took a stand before sunrise and it wasn't long before the first birds started flying into the field.

"The action was fast and furious. It took less than two hours for us to get our limit.

"After getting our birds, we counted up how many shots it took for us to bag 30 birds. We were surprised to learn we had taken three boxes of 20 gauge shells, which we thought was very good. After we fired the first few shots, the birds darted and dived which made an even harder target to hit."

The dove season runs through Nov. 9, but by that time, most of the birds have moved south. The daily limit is 15, but the possession limit has been raised to 45.