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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is reminding hunters to follow regulations – including bag limits, shooting hours, and carrying all necessary permits – along with always hunt safely during migratory bird season.
Dove season in Missouri runs through Nov. 29. Seasons for other migratory birds include:
“Please remember to be safe when hunting migratory birds,” said Russell Duckworth, MDC Southeast Protection Regional Supervisor. “Both dove and teal fly in groups and often are in low proximity to the ground. When swinging on birds, be aware of where other hunters may be and do not shoot at low flying birds.”
“And be sure to always have your permit with you when hunting,” added Duckworth.
The bag limit for doves this year is 15 total. Shooting hours for doves is one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. A small game hunting permit and a migratory bird hunting permit is required to hunt doves unless a person is under 16, over 65, or a resident landowner hunting on property that they own.
Teal season shooting hours are from sunrise to sunset. The bag limit for teal is 6 total for all species. To hunt teal, a hunter is required to have a Small Game Hunting Permit, Migratory Bird Hunting Permit, and a Federal Duck Stamp.
If a hunter is under 16 years of age, they do not need any permits to hunt teal, said Duckworth.
“But they must hunt in the immediate presence of a properly licensed adult who is 18 or older who has valid hunter education, or was born prior to January 1, 1967, or the hunter under the age of 16 must have a valid hunter education card of their own,” he said.
For questions about hunting migratory birds, contact your local MDC office.
MDC reminds hunters to check conditions of fields. For a listing and details on MDC dove management areas, go online to mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/dove-management-areas.
Buy Missouri hunting permits from numerous vendors around the state online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/permits, or through MDC’s free MO Hunting app, available for download through Google Play or the App Store.
MDC’s Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest for 2022 – 2023 is available where permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov/about-us/about-regulations/migratory-bird-waterfowl-hunting-digest.
More information on hunting doves and other game-bird species is available online at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species.
