Southeast Missouri dove hunters definitely should give Ten Mile Pond serious consideration. Be advised, however, that dove hunting during the first two weeks of the season is conducted as what the area brochure calls a “managed hunt.” Contact the area manager for the latest information.

J.A. REED MEMORIAL CA
J.A. Reed Memorial CA took its perennial place among Missouri’s best last year, its 1,425 hunters firing 39,599 shots for a more-than-respectable 27.8 shots per hunter. The total dove harvest at Reed for September 2006 was 7,426, approximately 6,000 of which were killed on opening day.

In recent years -- check to make sure that 2007 is no different -- dove hunting at Reed CA has been a Monday-through-Friday noon-to-sunset affair with no dove hunting allowed on the weekend. Both the total number of hunters and the total number of hunters per field are limited, so veterans arrive several hours early to make sure they’ll get their favorite spots. For these hunters, beating the crowd is part of the fun, but super-early arrivals aren’t necessary, since the area seldom fills out. In fact, the area could use more dove hunters from about Sept. 10 on.

COLUMBIA BOTTOM CA
This CA almost undoubtedly held more doves in 2006 than it did when Lewis and Clark visited the area. The area’s 1,338 hunters fired 31,998 shots for a shots-per-hunter average of 23.9; killed were 7,179 doves.

Waterfowl have been, and still are, the No. 1 priority at Columbia Bottom -- and that’s as it should be. The area does, after all, adjoin the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Even so, as the just-noted figures indicate, doves are anything but a byproduct here.

Unfortunately, this magazine will arrive too late to help hunters unfamiliar with Columbia Bottom’s unique approach to dove hunter allocation. Hunters apply for a permit to hunt during the first 10 days of the season in July, and the lucky applicants (only 50 permits per day are issued) are drawn in August. Permittees enjoy a high-quality hunt, to be sure, but hunting later in the season can be nearly as good. Besides, beginning on or about Sept. 11, no reservations are needed, and no limits placed on the number of hunters.

BOIS D’ARC CA
Here, 729 hunters fired 15,197 shots -- an average of 20.8 shots per hunter -- to rack up a total kill of 2,521 doves.

Bois D’Arc is the place to be for Springfield-area hunters looking for rewarding dove action close to home. This CA offers one of the few morning hunts (from a half-hour before sunrise through to noon) among the state’s best dove CAs. Hunters must check in and select a specific hunting area during the first week of the season. After Labor Day, hunting pressure drops dramatically. Dove numbers often decline as well, but the birds will be back in a few weeks.