Dove hunting season drawing near

Submitted photo Dove hunting season is drawing closer.

Nevada Daily Mail

In less than two weeks the 2014 dove season gets underway, and thousands of Missouri dove hunters are getting ready. Hunters looking for a place to open the season might check, the website mdc.mo.gov/18183 to get information on nearly 100 conservation areas across the state where crops have been planted to attract the birds.

The list includes area names, and the county where (the crops are)located. In checking one of the conservation areas managed for quail and dove ---- the Sloan area is located three miles east of Lockwood off 160 Highway, and is ready for the hunters.

Paul Burns, wildlife biologist at the area said, "Our crop of sunflowers and wheat is in good shape to start the season. The conditions here are very good and we expect lots of hunters. It will be an opportunity for dove hunters to kick off the early season and have good hunting. There are a lot of resident doves using the area today and as more birds move in, the hunting should be good for awhile."

The traditional Sep. 1 start of the dove season will fall on Labor Day which should see more hunters afield than usual for opening day.

Hunters need to practice safety while hunting public areas since some fields tend to be crowded. A rule of thumb is to be spaced at least 50 yards from other hunters.

Several years ago, Mac Johnson and I hunted a corn field that had recently been harvested. There was waste corn scattered in the field and the doves were feeding in large numbers.

The action on opening day was fast and furious. Our gun barrels were hot from all the shooting. In about an hour, we both had our limit and the birds were still coming into the field.

When you find hot spots like that, you need to have plenty of ammo. The doves can make tricky targets and it takes more than 15 shells to get 15 doves.

On another opening day hunt, we found a near perfect spot to hunt doves. There was a field that had been harvested for silage next to a small pond with several dead trees for the doves to roost. By sitting on the bank of the pond, we had all the action we could handle. Doves were using the area all morning long and once the action started, never stopped until we reached our limit.

Dove hunting on opening day is a tradition for many hunters. Its gives them a chance to get out the shotgun and head afield. George Wilson, a veteran dove hunter from Joplin, told me that once you have experienced bagging that first bird of the season, you are hooked. It's a great way to start off the hunting seasons ahead.

Wilson pointed out that getting a limit of doves isn't so easy. There are plenty of misses to go along with the hits. There have been many hunters who shoot a box of 25 shot shells, or more, before getting their limit of 15 birds.

After a spring and summer of fishing, its good to get up on a September morning pick up the shotgun and go after those tricky, fast flying and erratic flight of a dove.

As in most hunting, scouting before the season opens pays good dividends.

The dove season that opens on Sep. 1, runs through Nov. 9. The daily limit is 15 doves with the possession limit 45 birds.

September 1, is also the opening day for two other small migrating birds. Snipe and rail season also starts that day.

Although not nearly as many hunters go after snipe and rail, there are some dedicated hunters who hunt them.

Its been said many times that you only go rail hunting once. Wading through shallow water in heavy cover amid lots of mosquitoes for a bird the size of a blackbird, isn't a popular thing to do for most hunters.

The season on rail that starts on Labor Day this year will continue through Nov. 9 with a daily limit of 25 birds and a possession limit of 75.

The snipe season (yes, there is such a bird) will continue through Dec. 16. The daily limit is 8 snipe and the possession limit is 24.

On Sept. 6, the early teal season gets underway with a forecast of another good season as the teal population is high. This will be the third straight year, the teal numbers have increased. The breeding survey shows more than 8 million blue wing teal will be heading south this year. The teal season that opens Sep. 6 will continue for 16 days, ending on Sep. 21. Daily limit on teal is six with a possession limit of 18.

A small game hunting permit is required for hunters age 16 to 64, as well as a migratory bird hunting permit for hunters age 16 and older. Teal hunters age 16 and older, also need a federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp.