Missouri Dove Season

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gspmo1
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Missouri Dove Season

Post by gspmo1 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:57 am

Well the dove season starts on Sept. 1!! I have not seen many birds around the central Missouri area. Was wondering if anyone is seeing any birds around other parts of The Show Me State?

r nickell
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by r nickell » Tue Aug 30, 2011 5:45 am

Spent Saturday driving from the KC area down to Clinton checking out the fields. The conservation dept has several fields set up around Clinton and if there are enough hunters spread out in the area to keep the birds moving it could be good. Anything would be better then last year opening day that cold rainy weather made for a pretty bad opening morning.
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jimssetters
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by jimssetters » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:09 am

Iam in sw corner and not seeing very many. I think we have only local birds now. Maybe latter

MO_GSP
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by MO_GSP » Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:06 am

I'm just down the road from jim have seen some fields/areas with good numbers and some with very few. overall seems to be average although mdc claims due to the dry weather that there is an excellent hatch this season, they banded 500 birds this year and 400 of them were young so that sounds promising

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CHJIII
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by CHJIII » Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:07 am

There's a few birds around here Toronto Springs CA is planted heavy and should be loaded. Having trouble finding steel for my 16ga Citori.

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gspmo1
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by gspmo1 » Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:54 am

CHJIII wrote:There's a few birds around here Toronto Springs CA is planted heavy and should be loaded. Having trouble finding steel for my 16ga Citori.
Is steel mandatory for Toronto Springs? Im about a hour from there, hunted it one time last year for quail. No birds but it was a very rainy day some rabbit hunters were running the area I really wanted to hit.

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RoostersMom
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by RoostersMom » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:35 am

One of my QF chapter is hosting a Hunting for Heroes event in Central MO - it's a dove hunt for wounded police officers. The local guy we'll be hunting on Thursday hasn't seen a ton of birds - and I'm not seeing many here in Macon or Randolph counties. However, we have a hunt farm (String Creek) to go to on Friday that the owner says he's seeing thousands of doves on. He's been working on the fields for the last month - so they look good!

I'm hoping we can get into lots of birds for these guys. We're doing a continental pheasant hunt on Saturday as their last "big bang" of the 3-day event.

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CHJIII
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by CHJIII » Wed Aug 31, 2011 10:05 am

gspmo1 wrote:
CHJIII wrote:There's a few birds around here Toronto Springs CA is planted heavy and should be loaded. Having trouble finding steel for my 16ga Citori.
Is steel mandatory for Toronto Springs? Im about a hour from there, hunted it one time last year for quail. No birds but it was a very rainy day some rabbit hunters were running the area I really wanted to hit.
Unless I'm misguided, I thought steel or non-tox was mandatory for all migratory birds.

If you ever head up there again, give me a shout. I'll meet you for whatever and bring some birds to plant too. Whups, can't do that on CA grounds...never mind. :D

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gspmo1
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by gspmo1 » Thu Sep 01, 2011 1:34 am

RoostersMom wrote:One of my QF chapter is hosting a Hunting for Heroes event in Central MO - it's a dove hunt for wounded police officers. The local guy we'll be hunting on Thursday hasn't seen a ton of birds - and I'm not seeing many here in Macon or Randolph counties. However, we have a hunt farm (String Creek) to go to on Friday that the owner says he's seeing thousands of doves on. He's been working on the fields for the last month - so they look good!

I'm hoping we can get into lots of birds for these guys. We're doing a continental pheasant hunt on Saturday as their last "big bang" of the 3-day event.
Yes that Hunting for Heroes at Mr. Peak's farm should be a lot of fun, I wish I could be there but it did not work out. I know he plants several acres of sunflowers and works the fields all season long, he really has a great place with natural habitat to hunt.

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gspmo1
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by gspmo1 » Thu Sep 01, 2011 1:39 am

CHJIII wrote:
gspmo1 wrote:
CHJIII wrote:There's a few birds around here Toronto Springs CA is planted heavy and should be loaded. Having trouble finding steel for my 16ga Citori.
Is steel mandatory for Toronto Springs? Im about a hour from there, hunted it one time last year for quail. No birds but it was a very rainy day some rabbit hunters were running the area I really wanted to hit.
Unless I'm misguided, I thought steel or non-tox was mandatory for all migratory birds.

If you ever head up there again, give me a shout. I'll meet you for whatever and bring some birds to plant too. Whups, can't do that on CA grounds...never mind. :D

You know I have heard that you have to use steel shot for all migratory birds too, I think it says that in the migratory bird manual the Conservation Department puts out each year. However if you look further into it, it later says non-tox and steel is only needed for ducks and geese. Everyone that I know uses lead unless they are one of the special MDC areas that require non-tox. :?

Although its a bit confusing here is the link to the migratory bird manual: http://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/r ... 11_mbd.pdf

Page 16 seems to say lead is legal for doves unless otherwise posted on public lands?

sckwest1
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by sckwest1 » Thu Sep 01, 2011 7:38 am

I think you have to use steel or nontoxic on all conservation land. I could be mistaken, but believe for sure you must on the quail emphasis areas. goodluck, sckwest

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CHJIII
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by CHJIII » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:54 am

Page 16 is kind of vague.

"Shot possessed or used while hunting teal statewide, or doves, rails, snipe and woodcock as designated by posting on public areas, must be approved as nontoxic by The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service."

Hmmmmm......

That says to me, that lead is ok in public areas not posted as non-toxic only. Don't think Toronto is posted as such. I'll drive by after school today and see if it is.


Scott, Still plan on Sat. morning training!

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CHJIII
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by CHJIII » Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:07 am

Alright, I went right to the source and called the Camden County MDC. Lead is ok if it is not a public land that is specifically posted non-tox. Toronto Springs is not posted, therefore, Lead is acceptable for dove there. Specific Quail Empahsis areas may or may not be psoted as non-tox.

My understanding with them is that it is only CA's that are waterfowl areas that are posted non-tox.

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gspmo1
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by gspmo1 » Mon Sep 05, 2011 8:40 pm

I made it out on opening morning, there were a good amount of birds flying and was able to harvest a few. However, I was out again this morning in nearly the same area, and not a single bird flew. Also I only heard two shots. I guess the cold front that came through took most of the birds out of the area.... Hopefully some new ones are on the way?

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nhachman
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by nhachman » Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:22 pm

Drove around the farm in Shelby county this weekend and saw few dove, ones and twos on the power lines. Saw a few small groups on the gravel roads in the early morning. Didn't shoot at any. I did also see 8 turkeys, 2 coyotes, and bumped two quail out of the ditch so it turned out to be a good morning to see some wildlife.

r nickell
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by r nickell » Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:22 pm

Hunted opening weekend around Deepwater area managed to get into enough birds for the griff to understand what dove hunting was all about. She had it all figured out by thursday afternoon and was helping me look for birds.
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MO_GSP
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Re: Missouri Dove Season

Post by MO_GSP » Sat Sep 10, 2011 8:37 am

got 5 last saturday morning and 8 sunday, seen several though. havent been out since

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