Things are about to "get real" for hunters in Southeast Missouri when the fall dove hunting season kicks off Saturday.
Full of history and tradition in the region, the dove opener typically draws large numbers of hunters to Stoddard, Dunklin and other area counties where doves are prevalent.
Fortunately, this year's opener looks to be considerably better habitat-wise than the last couple years. The two previous opening days saw hunters scrambling to find water holes because the local corn harvest was well behind schedule. This year, the situation is much improved, with the corn harvest starting about two weeks ago.
There also seems to be a good number of doves in the region.
At conservation areas locally, habitat conditions vary as the season approaches.
At the Otter Slough Conservation Area, staff were unable to get any sunflowers planted this spring. While that may limit hunting opportunities, there still have been several areas freshly disced to provide a feeding place for doves. There will be no morning draw for dove hunters.
At the Duck Creek Conservation Area, there are no sunflowers, but there is a little milo. There also will be no morning draw at Duck Creek.
Since dove hunting tends to be a group endeavor, it's especially important for hunters to be as safe as possible.
Watching your line of fire and not swinging outside of your designated zone is critical to avoid sending pellets another hunter's way. With that said, it's a good idea to wear protective eyewear while dove hunting.
You'll need a small-game hunting license (unless exempt) and a Missouri migratory bird hunting permit to hunt doves.
Being a migratory bird, dove hunting requires a plugged shotgun with a capacity of no more than three shells total, including the one in the chamber. This is a common violation and it's easily avoidable.
The daily limit for doves is 15, and the possession limit is 45.
One important thing to keep in mind is if you are hunting with other people, you must keep your birds separate and identifiable from their. Again, this is a common violation.
For the complete regulations, check out MDC's Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest, available at permit vendors.
The dove season will continue through Nov. 29.
Good and Bad
Catfishing has just about been the only positive thing for anglers lately, with good catches of both channel cats and flatheads common.
Crappies, on the other hand, seem to have shut down and gone into hiding at both Wappapello and Clearwater lakes.
"There's just nothing going on," said Charlie Brotherton of the crappie fishing. "I went the other day and had one bite."
Wappapello, he said, has seen very little pressure from anglers lately.
Hopefully, things improve before next weekend's Ben Kruse 18-Fore-Life crappie tournament.
Fortunately, with the majority of the hot summer behind us, anglers can look forward to cooler nights soon, which bring falling water temperatures and a strong fish bite.
Waterfowl
Reservations
If you're a duck hunter in Missouri, Saturday is the first day you can apply for reservations to hunt on several managed wetland areas this fall.
If you go to the Department of Conservation's main web page, mdc.mo.gov, you should find a link to the application page.
On areas using the system, half of each day's available hunting positions are given to reservation holders, while the rest go to those in the so-called "poor line."
Locally, you can apply for reservations at the Duck Creek and Ten Mile Pond conservation areas.
At the Otter Slough Conservation Area in Stoddard County, the quickdraw system is used instead of reservations, and the applications for that will begin Oct. 26, a few days before the early November first split opener.
Drawing Results
Saturday also is the date when managed deer hunt drawing results will be published on the MDC website.
If you're lucky, you'll see instructions on what to do before your hunt. If not, you'll see the all-too-familiar "Your party was not chosen for a hunt" message. On the bright side (sarcasm absolutely intended), you'll gain a bonus point for future drawings, just like 30,000 other people.
Nicholsons Win
It was a hot one Saturday and the water level was very low, but conditions weren't bad enough to keep 20 teams from fishing the Current River Smallmouth Association's tournament at Doniphan, Mo.
Nicholson and Nicholson were the top anglers on the day, bringing 10.65 pounds to the weigh-in.
Second place went to Henderson and Henderson with 9.37 pounds, and they barely edged out the third place team of Kram and Williams with 9.34 pounds.
McAfee and Rutledge hauled in 8.75 pounds to take the fourth spot, and fifth place was earned by Joachim and Joachim with 8.12 pounds.
The biggest bass of the day was caught by Kason Henderson and weighed in at 2.75 pounds.
The club's next tournament will take place Sept. 15, with fishing from Van Buren, Mo.
Angler's Choice
Sunday was even hotter than Saturday, but 34 teams still made it out for the Angler's Choice tournament on Wappapello Lake.
Gale Breckenridge and Doug Cheatam were the event's top anglers, bringing 20.26 pounds to the scales. They also got a boost from catching the day's biggest bass, which weighed 5.85 pounds.
Taking the second spot was Bill Bates and Josh Bates with 15.3 pounds, and James Goodpasture and Scott Fischer took third with 13.68 pounds.
Finishing in the fourth spot was Ken Owens and Justun Buchanan with 11.4 pounds, and Justin Mosier and Matt Allison rounded out the top five with a weight of 11.39 pounds.
The Angler's Choice circuit will fish again on Sept. 16.