Upcoming hunting seasons draw closer

Blue wing teal will be the first duck migrants heading south next month. (MDC photo)

Although its early-August with all the heat and dog days ahead, it's hard to think that in less that a month, hunting seasons will be open for hunters who go after the small migratory birds.

Dove hunters will start off September, their season opens and continues through Nov. 9 with a daily limit of 15 doves and a possession limit of 45 birds. Early indications show there are plenty of birds in the state today and hunting should be very good, at least for the first week of the season.

Also opening Sept. 1, will be snipe and rail. Yes, there is a real bird called snipe in spite of all the jokes about taking a gunny sack to catch them in. These fast flying small birds make shotgun shell manufactures happy since it takes a lot of shells to bag a limit of eight birds, which is the daily limit. The possession limit is 24 snipe. The snipe season runs through Dec. 16.

Dove hunting opens on the traditional Sept. 1 date, with a forecast of good hunting, especially during the first week. The season runs thru Nov. 9 with a daily limit of 15 birds. (MCD Photo)

Teal hunting season opens Sept. 12 and runs through Sept. 27 with a daily limit of six teal and possession limit of 18. Most of these early migrants are blue-winged teal, though there will be some green-winged teal available during the season.

Early surveys show that there should be about the same number of blue-winged teal coming south this year, while green-winged teal have shown a 19 percent increase over last year.

Rail are much different than snipe, though they are usually found in the same areas. These small birds are slow flyers and after flushing, they usually fly short distances before dropping back into the marsh. The daily limit on rail is 25 birds, which is approximately the amount it takes for a meal. The possession limit is 75 birds. The rail season runs through Nov. 9.

Archers start their season for deer and turkey Sept. 15. The season runs through Nov.13 and picks up again again from Nov. 25 to Jan. 15. Firearm turkey hunters will once again have the entire month of October to bag a season limit of two birds of either sex.

The Hunting Regulations and information booklet on the deer and turkey seasons will be available from permit vendors across the state and MDC offices later this month.

The annual duck breeding survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a slight increase in the numbers of breeding ducks this year. Based on surveys conducted in late-May and early-June, it appears duck numbers remain high. The total population number was 49.5 million birds, up from 49.2 million last year at the same time.

Mallards, the most popular duck hunted in the Mississippi Flyway, show an increas of 7 percent over last year. Gadwall number were 1 percent higher, green-winged teal increased 19 percent, while blue-winged numbers remained the same as last year's high number. Overall, breeding duck numbers are up 1 percent from last year.

Migratory bird hunters need to have a Migratory Bird Hunting Permit to hunt any migratory bird. This permit is more than just a legal requirement, it is an investment in the future of hunting.

Dale Humburg, Wildlife Research Biologist for the MDC, once said, "Our management of migratory birds can only be as good as the data we have to work with. The permit was designed to help biologist gather information that would help enable them to more effectively manage migratory birds."

Last week, while fishing in the high water on Bull Shoals, Jack Clark of West Plains, said, "It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks I will be hunting doves. After a hot July and all the high water in the lakes, I am ready for cooler weather and hunting seasons."

Many other hunters have started thinking about the month of September when hunting will be taking the spotlight.

Although we have just started the month of August, in less than a month, hunters will be afield as migratory birds should be plentiful as the hunting seasons draw near.