Conservation Agents Conduct Large Wildlife Violation Investigation in the Ozarks

News from the Ozark region

Published on: Jul. 18, 2010

WEST PLAINS Mo – A large investigation involving illegal commercialization of wildlife and wildlife parts was brought to a close this weekend where the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) documented a total of 299 serious violations in seven counties across southern Missouri.
“Investigators were able to document that 62 percent of the wildlife brought in for mounting at a local taxidermy shop was taken illegally in some manner,” said MDC Protection Regional Supervisor Gary Cravens.
The violations include those related to deer, turkey, furbearers, both game and non-game fish, and migratory birds. This documentation occurred over the past two years in Crawford, Dent, Miller, Howell, Iron, Oregon and Shannon counties.
Beginning July 17, Conservation agents contacted individuals believed to have been involved in violations.
“Teams of agents met with 68 individuals and were able to document another 126 violations, bringing the total number of violations to 425,” said Cravens. “Of these, 289 were related to deer and 23 were related to turkey.”
Conservation agents seized a total of 240 items including 90 deer mounts or sets of antlers, approximately 20 various small game, fish, or furbearer mounts, 70 frog legs, one rattlesnake, and 16 firearms. Some of the wildlife was sold illegally. Additionally, three individuals were arrested on a total of 11 outstanding warrants including two for out-of-state felonies.
“This investigation was important to the state,” Cravens remarked. “These violators are in effect stealing wildlife that belongs to all of us here in Missouri who obey the laws. And it’s our job to make sure that wildlife resources are protected.”
The MDC’s mission is, “To protect and manage the fish, forest and wildlife resources of the state; to serve the public and facilitate their participation in resource management activities; and to provide opportunity for all citizens to use, enjoy and learn about fish, forest and wildlife resources.”
“A lot of hard work went in to investigating these wildlife violations but it is worth our time and effort if we change the attitudes and behavior of those who commit such acts,” Cravens said.

Conservation agents seized 240 items including deer and other mounts, antlers and firearms as part of a large investigation in the Ozarks.

Conservation Commission approves appeal of Ripley County judgment

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Department plans appeal over three deer hunting regulations.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – At its Aug. 20 meeting in Jefferson City, the Missouri Conservation Commission announced its decision to have the Missouri Department of Conservation appeal a judgment by Ripley County Circuit Judge Robert Smith who ruled in early August that three state regulations prohibiting the use of motorized vehicles and dogs in deer hunting are too vague to be constitutional.

The ruling followed a case involving two Ripley County hunters who sued in February over the regulations.

At issue are Missouri Wildlife Code regulations that prohibit the use of “motor-driven air, land or water conveyances” while deer hunting and regulations stating that deer may not be “hunted, pursued, taken or killed with the aid of dogs, in use or possession.”

Missouri Public Lands Hunting

Conservation Action August 2010

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The Conservation Commission met Aug. 19 and 20 at Conservation Department Headquarters in Jefferson City. Commissioners present were:

Becky L. Plattner, Grand Pass, Chair

Don R. Johnson, Festus, Vice Chair

Don C. Bedell, Sikeston, Secretary

William F. “Chip” McGeehan, Marshfield, Member

REGULATIONS

The Commission approved the following 2010-2011 waterfowl seasons, contingent on final federal approval:

DUCK SEASON:

North Zone: Oct. 30 through Dec. 28

Middle Zone: Nov. 6 through Jan. 4

South Zone: Nov. 25 through Jan. 23

Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Bag Limit:  Six ducks daily, with species restrictions of:

·        4 mallards (no more than 2 females)

·        3 wood ducks

·        2 scaup

·        2 redheads

·        2 hooded mergansers

·        2 pintails

·        1 canvasback

·        1 black duck

·        1 mottled duck

Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag (12 total; varies by species).

COOT SEASON:  Concurrent with duck seasons in the respective zones, with a daily bag limit of 15 and a possession limit of 30.

GOOSE SEASON:

·        Blue, snow, and Ross’s geese:  Oct. 30 through Jan. 31 statewide.

·        White-fronted geese: Nov. 25 through Jan. 31 statewide.

·        Canada geese and brant: Oct. 2 through 10 and Nov. 25 through Jan. 31 statewide.

Shooting Hours: One-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Bag/Possession Limit:

·        3 Canada geese daily (6 in possession)

·        1 brant daily (2 in possession)

·        2 white-fronted geese daily (4 in possession)

·        20 blue, snow, or Ross’s geese daily (no possession limit)

YOUTH HUNTING DAYS: Any person 15 years or younger may participate in the youth waterfowl hunting days without permit, provided they are in the immediate presence of an adult 18 or older. If the youth hunter does not possess a hunter education certificate card, the adult must be properly licensed and have a valid hunter education certificate card unless he or she was born before Jan. 1, 1967. The adult may not hunt ducks but may participate in other seasons that are open (e.g., geese) on the special youth days. Youth hunting days are:

North Zone:                Oct. 23 - 24

Middle Zone:              Oct. 23 - 24

South Zone:                Nov. 20 - 21

 Bag Limit: Bag limits for ducks and geese are the same as during the regular waterfowl season (including three Canada geese daily and six in possession). 

FALCONRY SEASON FOR DUCKS, COOTS AND MERGANSERS:   Falconry hunting is open during the teal and regular firearms duck season, including the youth seasons in the respective zones. In addition to these periods, falconers may hunt during the extended falconry season Feb. 10 through March 10 statewide. The daily bag and possession limits shall not exceed three and six birds, respectively, during the regular duck hunting seasons (including teal and youth seasons) and extended falconry seasons.

LIGHT GOOSE CONSERVATION ORDER:  Feb. 1 through April 30, 2011. Persons must possess a Conservation Order permit to chase, pursue, and take blue, snow, and Ross’s geese between the hours of one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Hunters 15 and younger are exempt from the permit requirement if they possess a valid hunter education certificate card or hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed hunter 18 or older who has in his possession a valid hunter education certificate card, or who was born before Jan. 1, 1967. Methods for taking blue, snow, and Ross’s geese during the Conservation Order include using shotguns capable of holding more than three shells, and with the use or aid of recorded or electrically amplified bird calls or sounds, or recorded or electrically amplified imitations of bird calls or sounds. There is no daily bag limit during the Conservation Order.

ADMINISTRATIVE

The Commission:

• Received the following staff presentations:

Ø  Design and Development Division Report from Design and Development Division Chief Jacob Careaga.

Ø  Fishers & Farmers Partnership from Fisheries Division Chief Chris Vitello.

Ø  Forest and Woodland Management on Lands Held in Public Trust from Forestry Division Chief Lisa Allen.

• Presented service awards to the following employees:

35 years

Paul Schulte, Jefferson City

30 years

Kathy Cooper, Windsor; Dale Cornelius, Lebanon; Timothy Grace, Columbia; Thomas Leifield, St. Charles; Timothy Pratt, Hermitage; Patti Redel, Eureka; Timothy Stanton, Nixa; Kevin Sullivan, Clinton; David Whitener, Ellington;.

25 years

Jerome Austin, Marshfield; Noella Biram, Licking; Francisco Campa, Poplar Bluff; Michael Christensen, Bowling Green; Kevin DeBrecht, Sullivan,James Kuenzle, Warrenton; Clinton Medlock, Salem; Sandy Payne, Russellville; Robert Scott, Sullivan; Thomas Skinner, Jacksonville; Michael Smith, Jefferson City; Thomas Strother, Columbia; Bryan Wollard, Hartville.

• Presented special awards to:

Ø  Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore, Owensville, who received the Missouri State Employee Award of Distinction for Public Service.

Ø  Conservation Agent Kevin Eulinger, Hawk Point, who was named 2009/2010 Mississippi Flyway Waterfowl Enforcement Officer of the Year.

• Authorized staff to seek:

1)      executive operating lump sum spending authority of $145,534,841 for fiscal year 2012;

2)      capital improvement biennial spending authority of $44,000,000 for fiscal years 2012 and 2013;

3)      reauthorization of the fiscal year 2011 federal stimulus and capital improvement appropriations; and

4)      appropriations to other state agencies from the Conservation Commission Fund for fiscal year 2012 for related operational expenditures.

• Approved changing the employee retirement contribution rate to Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System (MOSERS) for employees hired after Jan. 1, 2011.
• Approved entering into a contract with Lappe Cement Finishing, Inc., Perryville, for the construction of Eminence City Park Access Development Project in Shannon County at a total estimated cost of $353,846.51.
• Approved the purchase of 171 acres in Jefferson County as an addition to LaBarque Creek Conservation Area.
• Approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 846,000 board feet of timber on 241 acres of Compartment 4, Fourche Creek Conservation Area in Ripley County.
• Suspended hunting and/or fishing privileges of 11 people for Wildlife Code violations and affirmed actions taken by Missouri courts suspending privileges of three Missouri residents. Those whose privileges were suspended are:

Jared J. Bachman, Warrensburg, hunting privileges, until 6/1/11

Jeremy L. Broomhall, Memphis, all sport privileges, 7 years

Joshua S. Cook, Warrensburg  , hunting privileges, until 6/1/11

Jonathan R. Hudson, Hannibal, all sport privileges, 1 year

Pascual F. Jaramillo, St. Joseph, all sport privileges, 1 year

Justin T. McDonald, Milan, all sport privileges, 1 year

Harold E. Miller, II, Quincy, Ill., commercial fishing, 1 year

Johnny R. Moore, Crane, all sport privileges, 1 year

James R. Ross, Warrensburg, hunting privileges, until 6/1/11

Sarah J. Sandusky, Dexter, all sport privileges, 1 year

Jonathan R. Sawyer, Walnut Grove, all sport privileges, 1 year

John M. Sweeny, Warsaw, all sport privileges, 2 years

Dustin R. Winder, Springfield, all sport privileges, 1 additional year

Ezekiel Young  , Summit, Miss., all sport privileges, 1 year

• Approved the suspension or revocation of all hunting and fishing privileges of 209 people who are not in compliance with applicable child support laws.
• Suspended privileges of 57 people under the provisions of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

·        Imposed hunting privilege suspensions of six months to five years for four Missouri residents who injured or killed other persons in hunting incidents. The hunters must complete a hunter-education training course before restoration of privileges.

• Director Bob Ziehmer announced the Conservation Commission’s decision, in closed session, to appeal the recent Ripley County Circuit Court decision regarding the illegal activities of deer dogging and hunting from a motor vehicle.

·        The Commission confirmed its next meeting for Oct. 14 and 15 in Kirksville.

- end –

This document is provided for public information only and is not an official record of the Missouri Department of Conservation or Missouri Conservation Commission.

MDC’s Sedalia Office Earns EPA ENERGY STAR® award

MDC Sedalia facility joins MDC Kirksville office and 27 other office buildings in Missouri recognized for environmental stewardship through energy efficiency.

SEDALIA Mo -- The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Sedalia office at 2000 S. Limit Ave. recently earned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) prestigious ENERGY STAR award. It joins the Department’s Northeast Regional Office at 3500 S. Baltimore in Kirksville, which received ENERGY STAR recognition earlier this year.

The Sedalia office received the ENERGY STAR award for incorporating energy-efficient technologies and practices into its construction, operation and maintenance. These include geothermal heating, maximizing the use of natural daylight, efficient fluorescent lighting, an outside air recovery unit, window tinting, good insulation and a commitment by staff to practice energy conservation.

ENERGY-STAR certification is the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. To qualify, buildings must perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. The MDC facility joins only 28 other office buildings in Missouri to receive ENERGY-STAR designation.

The Sedalia facility received a rating of 76 on the ENERGY-STAR performance scale. The Kirksville facility received a rating of 79. This measurement helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale is eligible for the ENERGY-STAR certification.

“The Conservation Department is pleased to accept the EPA’s ENERGY STAR award in recognition of our energy-efficiency efforts,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. "This achievement highlights our continued commitment to conservation stewardship and wise use of funds through lowering energy costs.”

MDC Design and Development Division Chief Jacob Careaga added that the state agency is broadening its efforts to improve energy efficiency at other MDC offices and nature centers throughout Missouri by 20% over the next five years.

These energy-reduction efforts include simple actions, such as reminding employees to turn off lights, computers and other equipment when not in use. Other efforts include improved energy efficiency of heating-ventilation-air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and installing more energy-efficient lighting. Larger-scale efforts include maximizing energy efficiency for new MDC facilities and for renovations of existing facilities.

“We use energy-conservation measures as much as possible in new construction and in renovations,” said Careaga. “These measures range from making sure that existing systems are operating as efficiently as possible to drilling wells for geothermal heating, utilizing natural daylight as much as possible, installing motion-sensor lighting and selecting more energy- efficient equipment for replacement.”

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is critical to protecting the environment, explained Jean Lupinacci, chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial and Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR.”

Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR award use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings. 

Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship and warehouses.

The EPA introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved nearly $17 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles.

For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov/buildings.

For more information about the MDC, visit www.missouriconservation.org.

 - Joe Jerek -

MDC’s Kyle Lairmore receives State Employee Award of Distinction

Governor recognizes MDC Private Land Conservationist for outstanding public service. 

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon recognized Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore with the 2010 Missouri State Employee Award of Distinction for Public Service at an Aug. 18 ceremony at the Capitol.

The award recognized Lairmore for his “outstanding dedication to the advancement of state service, which enhances the quality of life to citizens and is above and beyond the employee’s normal job requirements.”

The annual awards are coordinated through the Office of Administration, Division of Personnel, and recognize outstanding state employees in the categories of Public Service, Human Relations, Safety and Heroism and Innovative Suggestion of the Year.

“Missouri’s outdoor resources are some of our greatest treasures, and preserving them for the use and enjoyment of future generations depends on our wise stewardship today,” said Gov. Nixon. “I commend Kyle Lairmore for his dedication to both his profession and to conserving those natural resources we are blessed with.” 

A five-year employee with the MDC, Lairmore works with private landowners and others in Maries and Gasconade counties to help them achieve their land-use objectives in ways that enhance the conservation of Missouri's fish, forest, wildlife and natural communities. He is also active in numerous MDC committees and working groups from feral-hog eradication efforts to driver’s training to customer service.

His public-service activities include staffing fishing events for kids, assisting conservation agents on patrols, working with the Missouri Seed Program, coordinating local stream-bank stabilization projects for the Soil and Water Conservation District, teaching hunter education courses, serving as an instructor for Missouri’s National Archery in the Schools Program, serving as a guide and mentor for the annual Governor’s Youth Turkey Hunt and assisting with the MDC’s Prairie Chicken Recovery Project. 

“Kyle exemplifies what it means to be conservation professional, and we value him, his talents and his energy,” said MDC Private Lands Division Chief Mike Hubbard. “He conducts hundreds of on-site visits with landowners and provides dozens of workshops and presentations that teach thousands of people about conservation. Kyle’s passion and enthusiasm for Missouri’s natural resources also carry over into his personal life.”

A resident of Owensville, Lairmore is active in his community and with other conservation-related organizations.

He helped establish the Mid-Missouri Dream Hunters program for young hunters with disabilities and helps with other hunts for youth with special needs. He is active in the Gasconade River Gobblers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Four Rivers chapter of Quail Forever, the Ozark Border Bobwhites chapter of Quail Unlimited, the Gasconade County Youth Shooting Sports groups and other local organizations. 

He has been recognized for his conservation-related leadership and public service by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) and is active in the CFM’s Conservation Leadership Corps where he helps students and young professionals as they begin careers in natural- resources fields. Lairmore was recognized recently by the CFM as its Conservation Educator of The Year. 

Lairmore also received the National Rifle Association’s award for the Best NRA Youth Club for 2008-2009 and a Partnership Award from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for his work.

Lairmore was also named Owensville “Man of the Year” for 2010. 

 Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Private Land Conservationist Kyle Lairmore recently received the 2010 Missouri State Employee Award of Distinction for Public Service from Governor Jay Nixon during a ceremony at the Capitol. Pictured are (l-r): MDC Private Land Services (PLS) Unit Chief Bob DeWitt, MDC PLS Agricultural Program Coordinator John Knudsen; Fisheries Unit Chief and Lairmore’s former supervisor Brian Canaday, Conservation Commissioner Don Johnson, MDC PLS Division Chief Mike Hubbard, Lairmore, Gov. Nixon, MDC Director Bob Ziehmer, MDC Deputy Director Tom Draper, Lairmore’s mother Chris Lairmore, Lairmore’s father Jerry Lairmore and Lairmore’s grandfather

Maurice Landwehr.

Writer gets northern exposure on Missouri’s Grand River

A new reel and an old filet knife get a workout on the trip

Bud Howsman, Chillicothe, has no trouble minding three fishing poles at once while fishing familiar haunts on Missouri’s Grand River.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

GALLATIN, Mo.— “How long you been fishing Howsman?” asked David Gray.

            “Oh, since I was six I'd guess,” replied Bud Howsman.

For Howsman, of Chillicothe, that meant 80 years. Gray could not match the older man’s depth of experience. However, as the founder of a high-end fishing reel manufacturing company, he had every reason to call himself an ardent angler.

The three of us, all newly acquainted, had one thing in common when we met to fish the Grand River last August: We were eager to catch catfish. Until that day, I had never tossed a lure in northern Missouri. I am not the only one. Many anglers turn south to Missouri’s big lakes and rivers to catch their limits. A day on the Grand River with Howsman and Gray convinced me that northern Missouri has a lot to offer an angler.

            We slipped Howsman’s 14-foot johnboat onto the smooth water of the Grand just after 7 a.m. After Howsman got the aging outboard motor running with a carefully placed tap from some old pliers, cool air whipped around the hair poking out under my new ball cap, which bore the name “Ardent Outdoors.” That is the name of Gray’s company, based in Macon. With Howsman's years of experience and Gray's high-quality bass fishing reels, I was smelling a fish fry in my future.

Long-time Grand River angler Bud Howsman, left, and Ardent Outdoors founder David Gray spent a day fishing for catfish with writer Sara DeBold last August. The outing was a revelation for DeBold, who had never cast a line in northern Missouri before that day.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

             By 7:15, Howsman had his boat wedged among some logs, and we were getting rigged up. Sunshine finally hit the river, striking sparks from every ripple. Howsman grabbed a fistful of plastic worms, which glowed red in the morning sun. I caught a familiar, pungent aroma.

Looking for the source, I spied a plain white bucket filled with a peanut butter-like substance. I knew better than to have a taste. It was Sonny's Dip Bait. Howsman has been using it for years. We took turns dunking our red worms in the goo with a stick until a sizable glob stuck.

            While we waited for the first bite, Gray showed off his new reel, which already had logged quite a few miles since leaving the Ardent factory in Macon. He had taken the reel to a trade show in Florida. I would have expected the owner of a company that makes bass reels to test his product with a professional bass angler at the Lake of the Ozarks. Instead, he was testing new waters.

            “Bass fishers like catfishing too,” he explained.

.           Fishing northern Missouri is not exactly new to Gray. He may not have Howsman’s tenure, but he knows the benefits of Missouri’s northern waters. His Macon-made reels get tested on local waters. Gray said anglers overlook many great fishing spots on conservation areas.

            “People tend to think they need a huge reservoir like Mark Twain for good fishing,” he said. “You can have these bodies of water to yourself during the week.” 

The one boat we saw all day proved his point.  

            We made our second stop abruptly at 8:45 a.m., when Howsman slammed his boat against some flood debris. It was a bit disconcerting getting rammed into logs in a 14' boat, but I was more concerned with catching a fish. Just then, Gray got the first bite. His new reel got its first fish.

            “Your reel works,” Howsman said as he landed his first catfish of the day. “That's a nice smooth reel,” he said, cranking in his catch.

            I picked Gray's brain about his company. Anything made in the USA is worth talking about these days, but bass reels manufactured in Missouri, now that's cause for conversation. Ardent Outdoors employs 35 people, mostly in Macon. Gray explained that when he started Ardent Outdoors, there was no manufacturing of general bass reels going on in the United States. He set out to make high-performance fishing reels for American anglers.

David Gray brings in a catfish.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

             “Most anglers feel our reels work the best. It's certainly rewarding for all the work I've put in,” Gray said, not noticing a little bend in the tip in his rod. He said more than 30 professional anglers use Ardent reels.

            “We have the work ethic that made America great. Everyone in the plant is concerned with making the best fishing reels in the world.”

He discussed his company with such enthusiasm he missed at least two more bites. This didn't seem to bother him. He was happy just to be out fishing with a first-rate guide.

            “I take a lot of people fishing but I don't consider myself a guide,” Howsman said modestly.

I felt a tug and instinctively gave my rod a yank. The fight began. Gray quickly adjusted the drag on my Ardent reel and then, smoother than butter, I reeled in my first catfish of the day.

            “We’re going to catch us a mess of fish,” said Howsman.

He was right. We fished that honey hole for a good hour. The three of us rocked the boat to the rhythm of catfish landing in a plastic bucket, which soon was jumping with catfish.

            When the bucket was full, we stopped fishing so Howsman could dress the fish for us. He performed the operation right there in the boat, using a board and a knife whose blade was almost worn through from cleaning countless fish. Age apparently is no obstacle to efficient fish cleaning. The mess of fish was ready for the skillet in astonishingly little time.

“I can clean 30 crappie in 30 minutes,” Howsman said matter-of-factly.

            Howsman’s fishing knowledge extends well beyond the Grand River. He let us in on a few of his crappie-fishing secrets and followed them up with some good fishing stories from the area. This further whetted my appetite to check out northern waters.

“What’s the most important thing to know when fishing?” asked Gray. “Where to fish,” said Howsman. And Howsman knows where to fish.

After only one trip with Howsman, I didn't really know much about where to fish. To learn more, I contacted Conservation Department Fisheries Management Biologist Greg Pitchford. He said the Grand River owes its productivity to Northwest Missouri’s fertile soils. Despite the good habitat, channel catfish grow slowly in the Grand River. A channel catfish takes about 5 years to grow to 11 inches there.

Flathead and blue catfish are most common in the lower river, where the water is deeper. Channel cats are found consistently throughout the Grand.

According to Pitchford, all of Missouri’s stretch of the Grand River has good catfish numbers. He says that while you might not see many people, plenty of fishing goes on there. The farther you go upstream, the more difficult it becomes to maneuver a boat.

Bud Howsman.

 (Photo by Sara DeBold)

There are no dams on the Grand, and plenty of places to reach the river on conservation areas and boating accesses. Besides the 13 formal public access points, there are bridges where anglers can slip a canoe or kayak in the water. Pitchford suggests concentrating fishing efforts around deep holes with little current and around woody debris.

You can find fishing spots on the Grand River using the searchable Conservation Atlas Database at http://bit.ly/1h2XwO.

-Sara DeBold-

Doves, places to hunt them plentiful in Missouri

The Conservation Department manages fields especially for

doves and hunters. The birds get credit for their own abundance.

JEFFERSON CITY–For many Missourians, the opening of dove season on Sept. 1 marks the start of hunting season, and the state’s top mourning dove expert says this year’s season is full of promise.

Approximately 33,000 people hunt doves in the Show-Me State. Resource Scientist John Schulz says the mourning dove not only is the state’s most popular game bird, it is the most democratic, attracting hunters from every walk of life.

This popularity results from the mourning dove’s prolific nature. A pair of doves can easily raise six broods of two chicks each nesting season, starting as early as March and persevering well into September. Population surveys conducted in May and June showed a slight drop in dove numbers, but Schulz said this is nothing for hunters to worry about.

“You have to keep in mind that those surveys are a snapshot in time,” said Schulz. “When they were conducted we were having a lot of heavy rain. That may have caused a decrease in early hatching, but a lot can change between June 1 and Sept. 1.”

Schulz said reports he gets from around the state indicate an abundance of doves, and he sees plenty of doves wherever he goes.

“I’m seeing birds everywhere, and I’m hearing the same thing from people all around the state. If things stay like they are, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very good harvest this year.”

Abundance does not guarantee quality hunting, however. Hunters can spend hours in the field and only see a handful of doves, mostly too far away for a shot, unless something draws the birds into a small area. That “something” usually is an agricultural field. Doves have a strong preference for landing on bare ground, and they love to eat sunflowers, corn, wheat, sorghum and other grain left in crop fields after harvest. The first fields harvested each year attract astonishing numbers of doves.

Knowing this, the Conservation Department arranges to have sunflowers and other crops planted on 150 fields at 90 areas around the state. The fields total approximately 5,000 acres. These fields are managed to offer abundant food for doves and maximum opportunity for hunters.

“When people ask me how to find a dove hunting spot, I ask them how theycouldn’t find one,” said Schulz. “We go out of our way to make sure there’s a managed dove field near almost everybody who wants to go dove hunting.”

He said hunters can call any Conservation Department office to learn the location of managed dove fields or use the interactive locator map athttp://bit.ly/cSBEJn.

He offered one caution about the Conservation Department’s managed dove fields. Repeated heavy rains early in the summer hampered planting and growth of crops on some fields. Hunters should visit fields they want to hunt beforehand or at least call area managers for up-to-date information about field condition. Contact information for area managers is available through the Conservation Atlas database at http://bit.ly/1h2XwO.

Schulz also had advice for hunters who enjoy the challenge of finding their own, private dove-hunting spots. The obvious choice is to get permission from a farmer who has a harvested crop field. Some farmers do still welcome hunters, but the days of easy permission are past.

“It’s not 1965 anymore, and Aunt Bea isn’t in the kitchen baking peach cobbler,” said Schulz. “If you want to hunt farm ground today, you usually have to know the farmers or take time to build relationships with them.”

Other options are available, however. Hunters who understand doves’ habits and preferences sometimes can locate spots as productive as any managed dove field.

Doves like open ground, seeds, perching sites and water. Any spot that combines two or more of these elements can be an excellent hunting spot. An abandoned gravel road, an old airstrip or parking lot is a start. A pond with a wide margin of bare soil or mud is another possibility. Add a telephone line or some dead trees for perching, and you have a dove magnet.

“Say you have an old roadbed with foxtail and other weeds growing beside the pavement. The weeds drop their seeds, and maybe there are some low spots that catch rainfall. Birds can fly down to pick up seeds, flutter over a short distance for a drink, then fly back up to perch and digest their meal. A place like that can be just as good as a managed dove field.”

The Conservation Department bands approximately 2,500 birds annually as part of a nationwide effort to create a dove-management database. Approximately 12 percent of those doves are recovered and reported, mostly by hunters. Schulz said the most important thing dove hunters can do to improve their sport is to check every bird they shoot for a leg band and report any they find atwww.reportband.gov/ or by calling 800-327-BAND (2263).

“Data from band recoveries drive a wide array of analytical processes that directly affect how we establish mourning dove regulations each year,” said Schulz. “By reporting band numbers, hunters are helping manage our dove resource for future generations.”

He said a small number of hunters are asked to take part in the National Mourning Dove Hunter Wing Survey each year. Under this program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) gives hunters pre-paid mailers in which to send wings from doves they shoot to the annual National Mourning Dove Wing Bee in Kansas City. Biologists from around the nation gather there to examine wings for age and other characteristics.

Statistics from conservation areas where the Conservation Department records the number of doves killed and the number of shots fired show that hunters fire an average of five shots per dove. If you kill a limit of 15 doves with fewer than three boxes of shotgun shells, pat yourself on the back for being an above-average wingshot.

Then pick up all the empty hulls littering the ground around you. Leaving them in the field is littering, and could earn you a ticket.

-Jim Low-

For Great Missouri Public Lands Hunting, visit Missouri Public Lands Hunting

Also, see Dove Hunting Tips