Missouri’s Conservation Commission, in its meeting last week, set the dates and regulations for this fall’s dove, waterfowl and other migratory bird seasons.
The fall bird seasons will kick off with the dove opener on Sept. 1. The daily limit remains 15 and the season will continue through Nov. 29, exactly like last year.
For those who hunt woodcock, the season on those birds will run Oct. 15-Nov. 28, with a three-bird daily limit.
The traditional September teal season is set for Sept. 7-22, taking in the full 16 days allowed by the federal framework. The daily limit for green-winged, blue-winged and cinnamon teal in any combination will continue to be six.
The youth duck hunting seasons will run Oct. 26-27 in both the North and Middle zones, while the South Zone season will be Nov. 23-24.
The North Zone’s regular season will open Nov. 2 and continue through Dec. 31, with no splits.
In the Middle Zone, which includes most of our region’s best public areas, the first segment of the season will run Nov. 9-15, followed by a second segment Nov. 21-Jan. 12.
South Zone hunters can take to the field Nov. 28-Dec. 1 for their first segment, and again Dec. 7-Jan. 31 for a second segment.
The later closing date of the South Zone is allowed under new federal guidelines this year, but the season remains 60 days long.
The daily limit will remain six ducks, including no more than four mallards (two females), three scaup, three wood ducks, two redheads, two hooded mergansers, two canvasbacks, two black ducks, a single mottle duck and, new this year, one pintail.
Goose hunting kicks off with the early Canada goose season Oct. 5-13, with a daily limit of three birds.
The regular season for snow, Ross’s, white-fronted and Canada geese will run Nov. 11 through Feb. 6. The limit on snow and Ross’s geese will be 20 daily, while hunters can take two white-fronted and three Canada geese each day.
The waterfowl seasons will wrap up with the Light Goose Conservation Order Feb. 7-April 30.
For those who hunt waterfowl in Arkansas, that state is expected to approve its fall season dates at its next commission meeting.
If you’ve noticed the last couple years that waterfowl seasons have been approved earlier than in the past, you’d be correct. Until a couple years ago, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would wait until spring breeding ground surveys were completed before setting season frameworks for each flyway and allowing states to set seasons. Now, states are allowed to set seasons and limits based on the previous year’s survey numbers.
Last year’s two-pintail daily limit was based on numbers from the year before, and it turned out that pintail numbers were way down. The response this year is to reduce the limit. In effect, under the newer rules, states are always playing reactionary game of catch-up when bird numbers drop.