August 2004

Antler restrictions affect archers as well as firearms deer hunters

Bowhunters will have to count points before taking aim at bucks in some counties.

JEFFERSON CITY--Missouri archers will have more days to hunt deer than ever before this year. In all but 14 southeastern counties, they will be able to fill any number of antlerless deer tags. But like gun hunters, archers will have to count antler points before shooting at bucks in 29 counties.

This year's archery deer season is Sept. 15 through Nov. 12 and Nov. 24 through Jan. 15 statewide. The opening date is 15 days earlier than in the past.

This year, the Conservation Department is testing a new strategy for harvesting more female deer and fewer antlered deer. Hunters in selected counties will not be allowed to take bucks with antlers longer than 3 inches unless they have at least four points on one side. The restriction will apply to all archery and firearms deer hunters except during the youth portion of the firearms deer hunting season.

Counties where the antler restrictions apply are Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Boone, Chariton, Cole, Daviess, DeKalb, Franklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Howard, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries, Mercer, Miller, Nodaway, Osage, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Schuyler, Sullivan, and Worth.

By shifting the deer harvest in these counties toward antlerless deer, the Conservation Department hopes to accomplish two things. One is to harvest more female deer. That makes it easier to control deer numbers, reduce the number of deer-vehicle accidents and decrease crop and other property damage due to deer browsing.

The other goal is to allow antlered deer to survive longer. This is expected to increase the number of mature male deer, which have larger antlers and are prized by many hunters.

Only antler points at least an inch long count toward the four-point minimum. As long as a deer has four qualifying points on one side of its antlers, the number on the other side does not matter.

The Conservation Department held 26 public meetings statewide to learn citizens' preferences for achieving deer management goals. The agency also sought citizen ideas through a survey, asking their opinion of five strategies for harvesting more female deer. Harvest restrictions based on antlers were most popular by a large margin.

Please see pages 4 and 5 of the 2004 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Information guide for illustrated instructions on Antler-point Restrictions (1.2 MB PDF document) link it to the following: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/documents/hunt/deer/deertuk/deerturk.pdf

- Jim Low -

Hunting method exemption application available online

Whether you want permission to hunt with a crossbow, breed opossums or open a taxidermy shop, you can start the process on the Internet.

JEFFERSON CITY–Do you need an exemption from normal hunting regulations due to a handicap? How about a permit to breed wildlife? Or maybe you just need to buy a hunting or fishing permit. For any of these needs, you can go to the Missouri Department of Conservation's Web site.

People with temporary or permanent disabilities sometimes need a helping hand to enjoy hunting. For example, a hunter who has shoulder surgery just before archery deer season might want permission to use a crossbow for one hunting season. A hunter with a serious heart condition might need permanent permission to hunt from a stationary vehicle parked off of a public roadway.

Hunters must get a physician's certification for these or other special needs, but there is no need to visit a Conservation Department office first. Hunting Method Exemption request forms are available online.

Likewise, applications are available online for the following permits:

•Licensed Big-Game Hunting Preserve
•Licensed Game Bird Hunting Preserve
•Hound Running Area
•Dog Training Area
•Field and Retriever Trial
•Wildlife Breeder
•Taxidermy-Tanning
•Commercial Deer Processing
•Fur Buyer/Dealer
•Commercial Fishing
•Licensed Trout Fishing Area
•Lifetime Hunting and Fishing

For any of these permits, visit www.conservation.state.mo.us/ and click on the "About MDC" icon near the top of the page. Then click on "Permits" on the left side of the page.

Regular permits for hunting, fishing and trapping also are available at www.conservation.state.mo.us/ by clicking on "Buy your permits online" or by calling 800/392-4115.

Electronic permit purchases are subject to a $2 surcharge.

Permit delivery can take up to 10 days. This is not a problem for most permits, since the purchaser gets a verification number at the time of purchase to prove they bought the permit. However, delivery time is an important consideration for deer and turkey hunters. You can't hunt deer and turkey legally without the transportation tag that comes with each permit.

- Jim Low -

Waterfowl reservation applications open Sept. 2

You can apply by phone or via the Internet.

JEFFERSON CITY--Waterfowl hunters can apply for reservations at Missouri's 16 managed wetland areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week from Sept. 2 through Sept. 19.

To apply, call 800/829-2956 or visit www.conservation.state.mo.us. Reservation holders must be present the day of the hunt for the reservation to be valid.

Results of the drawing will be available at the same phone number and Web site beginning Oct. 1. To make reservations or check results you will need your nine-digit conservation ID number, which is found on the top of your hunting permit or on the back of your Heritage Card next to the bar code.

Anticipated low flows out of large reservoirs on the upper Missouri River this fall might limit the amount of water available to flood wetlands at Bob Brown, Grand Pass and Eagle Bluffs conservation areas. This could translate into fewer available reservations. On the other hand, continued above-average rainfall in the lower Missouri River basin could reduce the effect of low upper-basin flows.

To see how many people applied for reservations at the 17 state-managed wetland areas last year and how many actually got reservations, visit www.conservation.state.mo.us/hunt/wtrfowl/reserve/.

- Jim Low -

Empty shotgun shells are litter, too

Picking up empty shotgun shells and carrying them out of the field is more than just good dove-hunting etiquette, it's the law. Hunters who deliberately leave behind litter are subject to fines of up to $1,000. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Dove season is a good time for hunters to renew litter consciousness.

JEFFERSON CITY--For a wingshooting challenge, nothing beats mourning doves. Perched on a telephone line, the somber gray birds seem almost tame. But these same birds top 50 mph on the wing, and are capable of aerial maneuvers an F-18 pilot would envy.

That's why the mourning dove is North America's most popular game bird, and, indirectly, why the Missouri Department of Conservation is launching a crusade to reduce litter in fields managed especially for doves.

In recent years, the Conservation Department has worked to increase dove hunting opportunities on public land. That has meant planting sunflowers, wheat and other grain crops on conservation areas statewide. By disking, harvesting or mowing fields just prior to the Sept. 1 opening of dove season, the agency creates prime dove habitat and excellent hunting. Thousands of hunters now flock to conservation areas each September to enjoy fast dove-hunting action.

Doves are such difficult targets that even talented shotgunners often fire two or three shots for every dove they bag. The average at conservation areas where records are kept is five shells per dove.

Last year, Missouri hunters killed more than 800,000 mourning doves. It doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that dove hunting generates a lot of potential litter.

"We are talking about something like 4 million empty shotgun shells and 160,000 cardboard boxes that the shells came in," said Wildlife Division Administrator Dave Erickson. "When the action is fast, it's easy to lose track of empty shells and boxes. Even if hunters only left every fourth shell and box on the ground, that would be a huge amount of trash. Dove hunters do a pretty good job of cleaning up after themselves, but there's still room for improvement."

Keeping track of empty shells is most difficult with guns that eject hulls. One way to make this manageable is to shoot from only one location at a time and pick up all hulls before relocating. Another solution is to retrieve shells after each shot.

The fact that spent shells are slightly longer than unused ones makes it impossible to get empties back in their boxes. The game pouch of a hunting vest or a plastic grocery bag helps keep litter organized.

Erickson noted that shotgun shells are small, and finding empties in thick vegetation can be nearly impossible.

"There is no need to feel guilty if you can't locate every shell you fire. You can make up for it by picking up every shell you see, even those that were left by others."

Deliberately leaving empty shells and boxes behind after hunting meets the legal definition of littering. It carries a fine of up to $1,000 in Missouri.
"Having a bunch of trash left in dove fields reflects poorly on hunters," said Erickson. "We don't need that kind of image."

"I look at litter in dove fields as more an ethical problem than a legal one," said Erickson. "But intentionally walking away from 30 or 40 empty shotgun shells is pretty darned irresponsible, and I don't feel sorry for someone who gets a ticket for trashing a dove field."

Maps showing the locations of Conservation Department dove fields are available through Conservation Department regional offices statewide. A list of areas with dove fields is available at http://www.conservation.state.mo.us.Click on "Hunting and Trapping," then "Game Birds" and then "MDC areas actively managed for doves."

- Jim Low -

Bowhunting safety begins with equipment check

This year's earlier-than-ever archery deer season opener could catch some bowhunters off guard.

JEFFERSON CITY--September begins a familiar round of opening dates for hunters. Dove season starts Sept. 1, followed by teal Sept. 11 and then archery deer season commences Sept. 15.

Sept. 15?!

That's right. Archery deer season opens 15 days earlier this year than in the past. That is good news for most bowhunters, who are likely to relish the extra two weeks of pursuing deer as the Indians did. But it also is likely to throw a kink into some hunters' familiar autumn routine.

"Our archery season opener has fallen on Oct. 1 for as long as many hunters can remember," said Lonnie Hansen, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "They have an annual rhythm for scouting, hanging tree stands, buying permits and checking out equipment. The change could catch some of them by surprise."

Hansen said one preparation that could suffer from the surprise factor is equipment maintenance. The first step is to check for potential safety problems. Items to look for include:

--Cracked bow limbs.
--Frayed bowstrings.
--Damaged cables on compound bows.
--Loose pulleys or other mechanical parts.
--Twigs or other debris in pulleys.
--Split or bent arrows.
--Malfunctioning hand-held release mechanisms.

Bowhunting safety includes tree stand maintenance. Every part of permanent stands should be examined for wear and decay. Check moving parts of portable stands for wear. Loose steps, slick platforms, rusty bolts or worn anchor ropes can cause life-threatening falls.

This is a good time to make sure sights, stabilizers, quivers and other bow-mounted accessories are securely fastened to avoid noise. Fire a few test arrows through paper at 10 feet to ensure they are not fishtailing as they leave the bow. This can reduce accuracy and increase problems shooting through brush.

Test broadheads (the sharp business ends of arrows) for razor sharpness.
Hansen also emphasized the importance of pre-season physical conditioning. "You can be in good condition, but still not be in top form for bowhunting," he said. "You use different muscles for drawing a bow than you do for other activities."

Not having your full strength for drawing and holding a bow at full draw affects accuracy and your ability to make a clean kill. Hansen recommended that bowhunters begin practicing immediately in order to get in at least minimal shape if they intend to hunt early in the season.

Archers should remember that antler-based harvest restrictions being tested in 29 counties affect them as well as firearms hunters. In those counties, only bucks that have at least four antler points on one side may be taken.
Archery Deer and Turkey Season runs from Sept. 15 through Nov. 12 and from Nov. 24 through Jan. 15 statewide. Bowhunters must wear hunter orange clothing during the Urban (Oct. 8-11), Youth (Nov. 6-7) and Antlerless-only (Dec. 11-19) portions of firearms deer season, when they share the woods with firearms hunters.

Hunters may buy and fill any number of Archery Antlerless Deer Hunting Permits in all but 14 southeast Missouri Counties. Those who enjoy hunting but have all the meat they need can donate any additional deer they kill to needy Missourians through the Share the Harvest program.

Details of hunting regulations and Share the Harvest are found in the 2004 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet. The publication is available wherever hunting permits are sold.

-Jim Low-

Special events planned for handicapped deer hunters

Nine hunts with more than 150 openings are available.

JEFFERSON CITY--Hunters who might ordinarily have trouble taking part in deer season will have access to special deer hunting opportunities on public land this year.

Hunters who use wheelchairs, crutches, braces or canes to get around sometimes have trouble reaching good hunting spots. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) offers special hunts on land around several reservoirs to help such hunters overcome those barriers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) offers a handicapped hunt at one of its Missouri wildlife refuges, and the Missouri Department of Conservation has two handicapped hunts on conservation areas (CAs).

Hunt locations and dates include:

--Charles W. Green CA in Boone County, Nov. 13-14, five openings. Contact Jim Loveless, 573/445-3882. Application deadline Sept. 30.
--Bois D' Arc CA in Greene County, Nov. 13-14, five openings. Call 417/895-6880. Deadline Sept. 30.
--Clearwater Lake in Reynolds County, Oct. 30-31, two openings. Contact Jason Wilson, USACE, RR3, Box 3559D, Piedmont, MO 63957. Phone 573/223-7777, ext. 35. Deadline Sept. 10.
--Truman Lake in Benton and St. Clair counties, Nov. 6-7, 22 openings. Contact Larry Smith, USACE, Rt. 2, Box. 29A, Warsaw, MO 65355. Phone 660/438-7317, ext. 1212. Deadline Sept. 30.
--Stockton Lake in Cedar, Dade and Polk counties, Nov. 6-7, 20 openings. Call 417/276-3113. Deadline Sept. 30.
--Wappapello Lake in Wayne County, Nov. 20-21, five openings. Call James Gracey, 573/222-8562. Deadline Sept. 30.
--Mark Twain Lake in Ralls and Monroe counties, Nov. 20-21, 30 openings. Contact Allen Mehrer, at 573/735-4097. E-mail allen.mehrer@mvs02.usace.army.mil. Deadline Sept. 13.
--Smithville Lake in Clay and Clinton counties, Nov. 20-21, 60 openings. Contact Bruce Clark, USACE, P.O. Box 428, Smithville, MO 64089. Phone 816/532-0174, ext. 10. E-mail bruce.k.clark@usace.army.mil. Applications can be requested starting Sept. 15 and must be received by Oct. 20.
--Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Chariton County, Dec. 18-19, eight openings. For reservations, contact John Guthrie, Rt. 1, Box 29A, Sumner, MO 64681. Phone 660/856-3323. E-mail swanlake@fws.gov. Application deadline Nov. 15.

Local organizations help out with some of the hunts. At Truman Lake, the Sunrise Optimists and the Warsaw municipal golf course help with meals, guides and other needs. The event starts with rifle sighting-in the afternoon of Nov. 7. Hunters have access to several blinds on 500 acres. They are responsible for providing managed deer hunt permit, rifle, ammunition and other equipment. They can take up to two deer, including one antlered buck.
At Mark Twain Lake, the Paris Lion's Club and volunteers from Monroe City provide guides and lunch and supper meals for hunters. Hunters provide their own firearms (shotguns with slugs only) and firearms deer tags valid in Unit 15. All participants, regardless of age, must have a valid hunter education certificate card. They have exclusive hunting access to the 1,200-acre Indian Creek Recreation Area and can take up to two deer.

At Smithville, the Kiwanis Club and Boy Scout Troop 394 of Kearney provide breakfasts and lunches. This hunt offers all-weather blinds, and guides are available on request to help hunters. You might need help, as this hunt allows participants to take up to three deer, including one antlered buck. All firearm and archery gear are allowed when hunting this 4,000-acre combination of waterfowl refuge and undeveloped park land.

At Swan Lake, the Mendon Lion's Club provides lunch for hunters both days. FWS employees, staff from the Missouri Department of Conservation and local hunters serve as guides, helping hunters get to and from heated blinds made of large, round hay bales. They also help hunters transport any deer killed. Hunters will have exclusive use of 3,000 acres for the weekend. They can take up to two deer, including one antlered buck, during the hunt. Only muzzle-loading rifles are allowed. Hunters can bring their rifles or use ones provided. All they must provide are managed deer hunting permit and lodging during their stay

The first-ever COE hunt at Clearwater Lake has room for two mobility-impaired hunters on a 335-acre wildlife area. The land is oak-hickory forest with seven food plots. Participants will be allowed to take up to two deer, one antlered. Hunters must bring a managed hunt permit and a helper if needed. The hunt is for muzzle-loading rifles only.

In past years, participants in the hunt at Lake Wappapello were drawn to hunt for one day. This year, successful applicants will be able to hunt both days.
Besides increasing access to hunting opportunities for people with mobility impairments, several of these hunts also are important tools to control deer populations.

- Jim Low -

Permit bonanza awaits landowners

Landowner permits will be more plentiful and easier to obtain this year. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Landowner permits are easier to obtain and more plentiful.

JEFFERSON CITY--Resident landowners are getting a big--and pleasant--surprise when they visit permit vendors to pick up 2004 deer and turkey hunting permits. The surprise is a result of changes in this year's Missouri hunting regulations.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has long allowed people to hunt deer and turkey on their own land at no cost. The policy recognizes the critical role that private land plays in sustaining Missouri's abundant game.

In the past, those who owned at least five but fewer than 75 continuous acres could hunt on their land without a permit. They could take turkeys and deer and "farm tag" them with a piece of paper bearing the hunter's name and address.

Those who owned at least 75 continuous acres could farm-tag deer, too. In addition, these larger landowners could apply by mail months in advance to receive free antlerless deer permits.

That system had several disadvantages. For one thing, some landowners had to go through an application process to get all the permits available to them. Postal delays sometimes kept hunters wondering right up to opening day whether they would get their permits.

Through check station data, the Conservation Department could count successful farm tag hunters, but it had no way of knowing how many small landowners hunted unsuccessfully. This made it impossible to tell exactly how many deer hunters there were in the state. Not knowing about possibly thousands of hunters made it impossible to include them in surveys to learn their attitudes and preferences and measure hunting pressure.

This year, farm tags no longer are valid. Instead, landowners are getting no-charge permits directly from permit vendors. Missourians who own between five and 74 continuous acres now qualify for:

• One firearms any-deer tag
• Two fall firearms turkey tags
• Two archery deer tags
• Two archery antlerless-deer tags
• Two archery turkey tags.

Those who own 75 or more acres no longer have to apply for hunting permits ahead of time. They pick up their tags at permit vendors, too.

An exception is people who own more than one qualifying tract of land in different counties. An example would be someone who owned 6 acres in Boone County and 100 acres in Ozark County. To receive landowner permits valid on both tracts, the landowner would have to apply in writing. For more information on this, call 573/751-4115.

In addition to the permits available to owners of smaller tracts, those with 75 acres or more can get one or two (depending on county) extra firearms antlerless deer tags.

Not only can landowners get all these tags, so can anyone who lives in the home with the landowner.

People who live on at least five acres owned by others can get the same permits as resident landowners. People from other states who own at least 75 continuous acres in Missouri must purchase permits to hunt deer and turkey, but do so at reduced rates.

"Obviously all those permits make it possible to take more game than most families can eat in a year," said Conservation Department Resource Scientist Lonnie Hansen. "Offering such a wealth of tags to landowners accomplishes two things. It ensures that they can control deer numbers on their property, and it gives them a chance to donate venison to needy Missourians through the Share the Harvest program."

Last year, Missouri hunters donated more than 88 tons of venison through Share the Harvest. The program is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM). For more information, visit www.conservation.state.mo.us/hunt/deer/share/ or contact the CFM at 573/634-2322, mofed@socket.net.

Another change this year is that landowners don't have to leave their property to check their deer and turkeys. Instead, they can check their game electronically with the Conservation Department's "Telecheck" system. They have the choice of checking game either by calling toll-free or going online.

When telechecking game, hunters receive an eight-digit verification number, which they write on the transportation tag to prove their game has been legally checked. Full details are found on the back page of the 2004 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available from permit vendors statewide. The booklet also contains additional details about landowner/lessee permits.

The Telecheck system also will be available to all fall firearms turkey hunters statewide.

Even though lots of permits are available to landowners and lessees, each hunter may take only one antlered deer during the firearms deer season. Also, landowner permits don't exempt hunters from antler-based harvest restrictions in the 29 counties where those regulations are being pilot tested this year.

- Jim Low -

Annual surveys point to good dove season opener

Mourning dove numbers continue to be strong.

JEFFERSON CITY-Show-Me State hunters are in for another good dove season, according to John Schulz, a resource scientist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Dove hunting season begins Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 9. The limit is 12 doves daily and 24 in possession. The limit includes mourning, collared and white-winged doves. Shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to sunset.

Dove hunters ages 16 through 64 must buy a Small Game Hunting Permit to pursue doves. All dove hunters 16 and older must have a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit for dove hunting. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Schulz, whose specialty is upland birds, said the vast majority of doves taken by Missouri hunters are mourning doves. A very small number of collared doves, native to Africa, are taken each year, along with slightly larger numbers of white-winged doves. White-wings are native to the southwestern United States, and are slowly expanding their range eastward.

The Conservation Department tracks mourning dove population trends through two annual surveys. One is a count of doves heard calling along established routes. The other counts doves seen along certain roads.

The number of birds heard in this year's calling dove survey was down slightly. However, the roadside count showed significant increases in dove numbers in some areas from last year and over the past 10 years.

The seven counties of the Mississippi Lowlands in southeast Missouri made the best showing, with 3.22 doves sighted per mile of road. This is a 7.5 percent increase from last year and a 39.6 percent gain in the past 10 years.

The Northwest Prairie Region was second with 1.8 doves per mile, up 1.1 percent from last year and 12.4 percent over the past decade. Other region's numbers were:

• Western Ozark Border, 1.67 per mile, up 19.3 percent from last year.
• Western Prairie, 1.6 per mile, down 12.4 percent.
• Northern Riverbreaks, 1.54 per mile, up 9.6 percent.
• Northeast Riverbreaks, 1.52 per mile, up 13.3 percent.
• Northern and Eastern Ozark Border, .84 per mile, down 8.7 percent.
• Ozark Plateau, .64 per mile, up 11.4 percent.

"Overall, dove hunting prospects are probably a little better than last year," said Schulz."Mourning doves are prolific nesters. They raise multiple broods, starting as early as March and continuing into September. That's why they are the most popular game bird in North America."

Last year, Missouri's 43,531 licensed dove hunters killed an estimated 806,000 doves. That was 17.7 percent more than in 2002 and 3.7 percent above the 10-year average.

Schulz said dove hunting success varies from year to year, depending on two factors--weather and available food. Dove hunters are most active during the first two or three weeks of the season. Many of the birds nest in Missouri, but a large number of those taken by hunters come from Iowa and other states to the north. A strong cold weather front early in the season can push hundreds of thousands of doves south into Missouri, boosting hunter success.

Migrating doves stay here only if they find abundant food. Because they favor grains, such as corn, sorghum and wheat, the readiness of such crops in early September is an important factor in determining how many birds hunters will find when they go afield.

"If you can find a harvested grain field to hunt over on opening day, you're set," said Schulz. "After they have been shot at a few times, resident birds get wary or move on south. After that, Missouri's hunting depends much more heavily on migrating doves. If we get a succession of cool fronts moving through the state in September, that really helps keep the hunting exciting."

Full details on dove season regulations are available in the 2004 Migratory Bird Hunting Digest. The booklet is available free of charge at Conservation Department offices and wherever permits are sold.

-Jim Low-

Public areas offer good dove hunting opportunities

Conservation areas managed especially to attract doves have some of the best dove hunting in Missouri.

JEFFERSON CITY--No Show-Me State hunter has to travel far to find an excellent spot to hunt on opening day of dove season Sept. 1. The Missouri Department of Conservation has 4,000 acres of acres of specially managed dove plots on 75 areas scattered throughout every part of the state.

Knowing that the mourning dove is North America's most popular game bird, the Conservation Department manages small plots of sunflowers, wheat, milo and other crops on its land especially to attract the fast-flying birds.

A survey of 7,271 hunters at 10 conservation areas showed that most dove hunters traveled about 30 miles to get to state-owned dove fields last year. That is not quite backyard hunting, but it shows that hunters statewide had plenty of dove-hunting options close to home.

Examples of areas with significant dove acreage include:

• Reform Conservation Area (CA) in Callaway county, 72 acres of sunflowers and 53 acres of wheat.
• Lamine CA in Morgan and Cooper counties, 110 acres of sunflowers and 25 acres of wheat.
• Settle's Ford CA in Bates and Cass counties, 53 acres of sunflowers.
• Four Rivers CA in Bates and Vernon counties, 90 acres of sunflowers.
• Platte Falls CA in Platte County, 33 acres of milo and 58 acres of sunflowers.
• Locust Creek CA in Sullivan County, 100 acres of sunflowers and 25 acres of wheat.
• Nodaway Valley CA in Andrew and Holt counties, 70 acres of sunflowers and 50 acres of wheat.
• Pony Express CA in DeKalb County, 100 acres of sunflowers, 25 acres of wheat and 12 acres of other crops.
• Bilby Ranch CA in Nodaway County, 80 acres of sunflowers and 80 acres of wheat.
• White River Trace CA in Dent County, 37 acres of sunflowers, 12 acres of wheat and 2 acres of other crops.
• Otter Slough CA in Butler and Stoddard counties, 100 acres of sunflowers.
• Ten Mile Pond CA in Mississippi County, 150 acres of sunflowers.
• August A. Busch Memorial CA in St. Charles County, 117 acres of wheat, 79 acres of sunflowers and 13 acres of millet.
• Columbia Bottom CA in St. Louis County, 85 acres of sunflowers, 15 acres of millet and 190 acres of wheat, wheat stubble and bare ground.

Growing conditions have been excellent this year, so crops on most areas will be in excellent condition for the dove season opener. Parts of sunflower and milo fields will be disked down before Sept. 1 and at intervals after opening day to provide continuous food supplies for doves. Wheat fields on many areas will be harvested before or during the season, creating open ground with waste grain that doves find irresistible.

Providing dove fields in dozens of locations gives hunters who don't have connections with private landowners places to pursue doves. It also helps avoid heavy concentrations of hunters in a few spots.

These areas often provide fast and furious action on opening day, and they continue to be excellent dove hunting spots as migratory doves continue to move southward through Missouri into early November. Last year, the harvest ran into the tens of thousands of birds.

Hunters bagged 10,666 doves at Columbia Bottom CA alone last year and posted the state's top average of 3.1 birds taken per hour of hunting. Hunters there tied with those at Ten Mile Pond CA for the best shooting average, using 4.1 shotgun shells for every bird bagged. If that seems like a lot, you probably have never tried to hit a bird capable of executing mind-boggling aerobatic feats at 50 mph.

Other top-producing CAs include Ten Mile Pond CA (2.6 doves per hunter), James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area (2.4 per hunter), Pony Express CA (1.9 per hunter) and Eagle Bluffs CA (1.8 per hunter).

Maps showing the locations of dove fields are available through Conservation Department regional offices statewide. A list of conservation areas with dove fields is available at www.conservation.state.mo.us. Click on "Hunting and Trapping," then "Game Birds" and then "MDC areas actively managed for doves."

Even if your shooting performance is above average, a 12-dove limit means you are likely to fire several shotgun shells when hunting doves on public land. To avoid leaving a mess behind, pick up empty hulls and boxes before you go home.

- Jim Low -

Corps of Engineers making dramatic strides in Missouri River conservation

These miniature islands on the Missouri River at Franklin Island Conservation Area are among dozens of shallow-water habitat restoration projects completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since April. The $13 million effort will benefit wildlife, including the endangered pallid sturgeon while maintaining the river's benefits for navigation, flood control and water supplies. It is the start of a long-term effort to restore 27 acres of shallow-water habitat per mile on the river from Nebraska through Missouri. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Flying over the Missouri River near Boonville provides a glimpse of tomorrow. The future looks bright for fish and wildlife.

JEFFERSON CITY--Brian Canaday spends a lot of time thinking about the future of the Missouri River. Flying over the river in a plane recently, he caught a glimpse of tomorrow, and he liked what he saw.

Some private environmental groups have advocated a rise in river levels during the spring and early summer and reduced river flows in the late summer and fall. This pattern would have mimicked historic seasonal flows that create shallow-water habitat critical to survival for the endangered pallid sturgeon. Other groups, including navigation interests, have advocated a more stable, predictable water level.

Canaday, a policy coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, believes the Missouri River is truly a river of many uses. "It is important that we all work together toward a solution that provides some benefit to all users," he said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for managing the river, listened to advocates of barge commerce, flood control, water supply, recreation and endangered species over the years and looked for ways to balance different public interests on the Missouri River.

As a compromise, the Corps developed a plan that maintains minimum flows for navigation and avoids spring rises and low summer flows. The plan also calls for creating 20,000 acres of shallow-water habitat from Ponca State Park in Nebraska to the mouth of the Osage River to benefit the pallid sturgeon.
To jump-start the process, the Corps poured $13 million into efforts to create 1,200 acres of shallow-water habitat between April 1 and July 1. Looking at the results of the massive effort from his vantage point 1,000 feet above the river, Canaday was encouraged.

At Franklin Island Conservation area near Boonville, he saw mocha-colored water eddying around five new miniature islands. "When the water is a little above normal, like it is now, you can really see what the Corps has accomplished," said Canaday. "That slack water behind the little islands is going to be excellent nursery habitat for sturgeons and other fish."

Farther downriver, the once ruler-straight banks looked as if a river monster had taken 50-yard bites out of them. Again, the effect is to create areas of shallow, slow-moving water for fish and wildlife ranging from raccoons and catfish to the pallid sturgeon.

"During high flows, the river will wash over, around and through these areas," said Canaday. "The idea is to recreate a diverse riverscape of wooded islands, sand bars and water a few feet to a few inches deep. It's has the potential to be amazingly productive for fish and wildlife compared to what was here before."

By working only on public land and only between the river and agricultural levees, the Corps of Engineers is able to increase habitat without endangering farm land. But in areas where past floods have ruined land for agriculture, habitat work also is taking place behind old levees. Overton Bottom, across the river from Rocheport, is an example.

Flooding in 1993 and 1995 left Overton Bottom's cropland cratered with blue holes and covered with deep layers of sand, ruining it for agriculture. The land now is owned by the Corps of Engineers and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Conservation Department. To make the best use of the land's wildlife potential, the Corps of Engineers has cut openings in the rock-armored banks at the area's upper end so the river can follow a historic side channel across low-lying land during floods.

Besides creating shallow-water habitat for fish and wildlife, reopening the side channel at Overton Bottom gives the river more room to spread out harmlessly during high flows, reducing flood damage downstream.

While such habitat measures are still experimental, there is some evidence they will work. The Great Flood of 1993 punched across two miles of farmland at Lisbon Bottom in Howard County. It reclaimed a historic side channel, creating just the kind of habitat the Corps now is trying to build artificially. A few years later, fisheries workers found tiny pallid sturgeon at the lower end of the chute. It was the first documented case of pallid sturgeon reproduction in Missouri in decades.

The Corps hopes to create approximately 20 to 30 acres of shallow-water habitat per mile of river between Sioux City and St. Louis. However, this goal is conditional. The work must be done without diminishing flood-control and navigation benefits.

"The Corps has done such a good job of engineering the river that they have found they can modify some river structures without affecting navigation," said Canaday. "It's amazing what they are accomplishing. The fact that they can do this while continuing to protect cropland and other property along the river from erosion and flooding is a very hopeful sign."

As examples, Canaday points to dozens of places between Rocheport and Hartsburg where the Corps has notched rock wing dikes. Workers remove rocks from the structures, creating holes a few feet wide and a few feet deep in the middle. Water flowing through the notches prevents mud from accumulating behind the dikes. Instead of eventually becoming new land, the areas remain a mix of shallow water and sandbars.

In other locations, the Corps of Engineers is reversing decades of siltation with bank notching. This involves digging away soil where the structures touch shore and notching the dikes there. The plan is for the resulting flow to scour away accumulated soil behind the dikes, reclaiming fish and wildlife habitat.

Another shallow-water management technique is visible immediately downriver from the I-70 bridge in Cooper County. There, the Corps has excavated several narrow trenches called pilot channels that leave the river and run parallel to it for as much as 1,000 yards before re-entering.
The Corps also is creating chutes, which are similar to pilot channels but can be more than a mile long. A 1.7-mile chute planned for Worthwine Island Conservation Area in Andrew County will be 50 feet wide, but could widen to 200 feet as high river flows scour it out.

These manmade passages mimic the multitude of small, medium and large channels that once made the river look like a frayed rope.

The benefits of all this work go beyond the endangered species. Birdwatchers, hunters, anglers, campers and nature photographers all will find their favorite pursuits enhanced.

Waterfowl hunters are particularly impressed with the new habitat. Some who own land along the river are getting help through the federal Wetland Reserve Program and using similar practices to turn their own land into private hunting paradises.

"Balancing wildlife and human needs is a work in progress," said Canaday. "What's going on right now is really promising. We just have to keep adjusting our approach as we learn what works best and how to do it in ways that benefit everyone."

Canaday noted that some riverside landowners have expressed understandable concerns that changes to existing river-control structures could lead to erosion problems . He said decades of experience in maintaining a stable river channel and protecting levees makes them confident the changes will not harm landowners.

Conservation-minded landowners who want to join this effort can contact Mike Chapman at Michael.d.Chapman@usace.army.mil.

- Jim Low -

Conservation Commission to meet in Kansas City Aug. 26

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-The Missouri Conservation Commission will meet Aug. 26 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, 2345 McGee Street, Kansas City.

The Commission will meet in closed executive session at 8 a.m. in the Van Horn Room. The regular open meeting will begin immediately after the executive session.

Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180; fax 573/751-4467, at least 10 working days before the meeting date. The deadline for the next meeting is Aug. 12.

People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements by writing to the same address, or by phone at 573/751-4115.

Commission officers are: Cynthia Metcalfe, St. Louis, chairman; Anita B. Gorman, Kansas City, vice-chairman; Lowell Mohler, Jefferson City, secretary; and Stephen C. Bradford, Cape Girardeau, member.

- Jim Low -