Migratory bird hunting starts in September with dove opener Sept. 1

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News from the region
Statewide
Published Date
08/18/2017
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds hunters that migratory bird season starts Sept. 1 with the opening day for dove, snipe, and rail, followed by teal hunting starting Sept. 9, and woodcock Oct. 15.

Mourning doves, Eurasian collared doves, and white-winged doves may be taken from Sept. 1 through Nov. 29 from one half hour before sunrise to sunset with a combined daily limit of 15 and a combined possession limit of 45 for all species.

MDC provides numerous conservation areas around the state for dove hunting, including many planted with crops of sunflower, corn, millet, wheat, and buckwheat to attract the popular game birds. Find conservation areas for dove hunting and dove-field maps online at nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/dove-hunting-areas.

Wilson’s snipe (common snipe) may be taken from Sept. 1 through Dec. 16 from one half hour before sunrise to sunset with a daily limit of 8 and a possession limit of 24.

Sora and Virginia rail may be taken from Sept. 1 through Nov. 9 from one half hour before sunrise to sunset with a combined daily limit of 25 and a combined possession limit of 75 for both species.

Hunting season for blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon teal runs Sept. 9 - 24 from sunrise to sunset with a combined daily limit of 6 and a combined possession limit of 18 for all species.

Hunting season for American woodcock runs Oct. 15 through Nov. 28 from one half hour before sunrise to sunset with a daily limit of 3 and a possession limit of 9.

Get More Info

Get more information on migratory bird hunting from MDC’s “Migratory Bird Hunting Digest 2017,” available where hunting permits are sold and online at short.mdc.mo.gov/Z54. It includes details on permit and stamp requirements, teal status, species identification, reporting birds with bands, federal regulations, non-toxic shot requirements, and more.

Get hunting details by species from the MDC website at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/.

Buy Permits

Buy hunting (and fishing) permits from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.