Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- Interested in dove hunting but have not yet given it a try? The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) -- in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation, Conservation Federation of Missouri, Quail Forever, Missouri Prairie Foundation, and private landowners -- will provide mentored dove hunts for first-time hunters starting in September.
The hunts will take place on 10 fields primarily located on private land in or near the communities of Cabool, Chillicothe, Hartsville, Lynchburg, Mokane, Mountain Grove, Joplin, Paris, St. Genevieve, and Washington.
According to event organizers, there will be three hunts offered on each field, including one or two on opening day of dove season (Sept. 1) and then one or two other days. Those dates are yet to be determined.
Each field will be limited to two first-time hunters and their mentors per acre to maximize safety and provide a quality experience. Priority will be given to anyone 11 and older who is hunting for the first time. Second priority will be given to new migratory bird hunters and youths 11-15 who may have previously hunted doves.
Field assignments will be determined on a first-come-first-served basis. First-time hunters can attend multiple hunts as registration space permits.
Each participating new hunter will be assigned a mentor and are encouraged to attend a pre-hunt workshop or a hunter-education course prior to participating in a hunt. Workshops provide basic hunter safety in addition to information about dove biology and management, the importance of hunters and hunting, and the opportunity to practice shooting a shotgun.
Register for the mentored dove hunts at tinyurl.com/nuv6gos. For more information on the hunts, contact John Burk at 573-676-5994 or jburk@nwtf.net, or Elsa Gallagher at 660-277-3647 or EGallagher@quailforever.org.
Get more info on dove hunting in Missouri at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/dove. Get information on MDC dove-hunting workshops at mdc.mo.gov/events. Get information on MDC hunter education at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/huntereducation.
