By FRANK CAMPA
Outdoors Editor
This last Friday was the opening day of our fall dove hunting season. So, how did it go as compared to previous year in southeast Missouri?
Opening day was better than originally projected. Weather played an important role as did the forecast. Newscasters really did not know how much rain we would get that day in different parts of the Bootheel from the spiraling remnants of Harvey working its way north from the gulf.
The way it turned out, some extreme southeast parts of the Missouri Bootheel got considerable rainfall; however, although we started out very cloudy and relatively cool on the morning of Sept. 1, it did clear up nicely during the course of the day.
In case you are not a seasoned dove hunter, hot and dry conditions are best with little wind. Even though this year saw a Friday opener, which normally produces fairly high hunter pressure in the field, I believe the forecast scared off would-be hunters. I have noticed over the years that most people plan their time off fairly closely to the forecast even if the weatherman is wrong. This can be a mistake a lot of times and we miss golden outdoor opportunities.
The last two dove openers have seen little in the way of available fields to hunt. Crops had been put in late due to wet springs and/or wet conditions at harvest time. This year saw many more harvested melon fields that produce good dove hunting due to the sandy soil conditions melons are planted in, providing grit for the doves, and the amount of ragweed seed usually available for food.
Also, most, if not all, of the popcorn fields in Southeast Missouri got harvested a few days before the opener. Therefore, there were more available fields to hunt this year's opening weekend of dove season. But, a lot of corn had not been harvested and a lot of areas in Southeast Missouri only had late planted soybeans and cotton from our extremely wet conditions in May and June.
So, even though we had a better opener than we have had the last two years, it could have been better. Hunters got scared off by weather predictions and hunting opportunity was somewhat limited. There were, however, several fields with doves in them and a shortage of hunters.
The harvest was spotty with everyone taking a few doves, but very few spots produced limits of birds (15 daily).
I was also very happy to see on Facebook that several families took advantage of the hunting opportunities over Labor Day weekend and took the time to include their children and teach them the sport of hunting and how to enjoy the out of doors.
The good news is that dove season is not over by a longshot. Dove season continues through Nov. 29. And, more and more corn is being harvested daily, creating even more hunting opportunities. Just make sure you and all your buddies have permission to hunt the ground you intend to hunt and never wear out your welcome.
I also want to mention something very important that is a bit of a change this year. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a vast amount of trees and shrub seedlings available each year for anyone to purchase. These are for wildlife plantings, not necessarily for ornamental purposes.
Normally this ordering information does not appear on our website or in print until late October. This year, it has come out at the end of August and is available now. The price you pay for your seedlings is fairly inexpensive and is predominantly for shipping costs.
Research each plant you intend to order so you will be planting it in ideal conditions. And, pick an early delivery date in the spring when you will be available to plant and your seedlings will have a better chance of survival. Order now, because it is strictly first-come, first-served. Your selection will be best right now.