OUTDOOR CORNER: EARLY HOMEWORK CAN HELP HEAT UP DOVE HUNTING ACTION

With the sweltering temperatures that we have recently endured, it might seem inappropriate to think about hunting. We associate most hunting seasons with the cool, crisp days of autumn or the bitter cold days of winter. Unless you are a hard core squirrel hunter, you are probably limiting your hunting activity to daydreaming as you stare wistfully out the window of an air conditioned building or motor vehicle.

Actually, now is the time to start making plans in earnest because mourning dove hunting season opens in Missouri next Sunday, Sept. 1. Now is the time to get out and scout for concentrations of birds. How do you do that? It's a relatively simple process but this year it won't be easy.

The simple part involves driving through agricultural areas in late afternoon. You should be looking for fields of corn or milo (sorghum) that have been harvested. Waste grain acts like a magnet and will attract dove from miles around. Such fields will be "hot spots" for an opening day dove hunt. Watch for numbers of dove perched on telephone lines. It is common for the birds to alight on power lines adjacent to feeding areas before dropping to the ground.

The hard part of the pre-season scouting trip will be locating harvested fields. A wet spring planting season in much of southeast Missouri resulted in widespread "late" planting dates. You don't have to be a farmer to figure out the fact that "late" planting will, in general, result in "late" harvest dates. In other words, you will have to hunt a little harder to find harvested fields. The reward for that extra effort could be some excellent hunting because the limited number of fields will tend to concentrate the birds.

When you do locate a promising field, be sure to contact the landowner and obtain permission prior to your hunt. It isn't likely that you will be the only hunter in a particular field so you should take a few moments before you load your shotgun to "check things out." Take notice of the location of other hunters. That way, you will know in what direction you can safely shoot. This is essential when a dove dips down and flies low across a field.

Not only should you know the locations of other hunter but also the location of houses, roads and vehicles. You want to remember that a shot can travel several hundred yards when fired upward at high-flying birds.

Dove hunters should be aware of a change in permit requirements this year. Any person 16 years of age or older is required to obtain a Migratory Bird Hunting Permit. It costs $4 and replaces the Migratory Bird Harvest Information Card that was previously required of all dove hunters, regardless of age.

Dove hunting season runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 30. Shooting hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset. Bag limits are 15 per day and a possession limit of 30.

The dove population in most of southeast Missouri is slightly better than last year. As usual, the numbers are highest in the southern-most counties of Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Mississippi and Scott. These same counties, because of their southern location, should have more crops harvested by opening day compared to Cape Girardeau and Perry counties.

We associated dove hunting with Labor Day weekend and warm weather. Many hunters hunt the first week or two of the season and then stop because the birds seem to move out as the weather cools off. To a certain extent this is true but it doesn't mean that your dove season has to end prematurely.

Most of the dove that are hunted during the first part of the season are "local" birds. They were born and raised in the immediate area. The first blast of cool air will cause those young birds to migrate further south. That same cold air that caused the local birds to migrate will bring migrant birds into the area from further north. Some excellent hunting can be enjoyed well into October on migrant birds.

~Gene Myers is a Missouri Conservation agent in Cape Girardeau County.