A cloud of feathers drifted against the deep blue September sky. I caught the drift because I first heard the report of a 12-gauge shotgun from Dian's direction. She downed her very first dove, and the dance was on as she brought the bird to hand.

Cheers from all the guys surrounding the cut cornfield in Mississippi County gave Dian reason to celebrate. She had shown the guys that she, too, was a bona fide dove hunter.

As my wife found out, dove hunting quickly becomes addictive. There is not a more challenging bird species that flies the Missouri skies. Ask anyone who pursues the little gray rockets and they will honestly tell you that they have eaten their share of humble pie when it comes to gunning for doves.

Almost 40,000 Missourians will join us afield on Labor Day, Sept. 1, for the dove opener. Private and public lands alike will be crawling with hunters looking for that pie-in-the-sky dove hunt. With almost 90 percent of the land in Missouri in private ownership, it goes without saying that the majority of doves harvested will come from private properties. I have been fortunate enough to hunt lands where the dove shooting matches that of south Texas or Mexico, with the exception of the bountiful limits allowed in Mexico.

On the flip side of the coin, I have also enjoyed spectacular dove hunting on some of the Missouri Department of Conservation's managed dove fields. The second-best dove hunt of my life occurred on a 50-acre burned wheat field on an MDC area. Legwork and my inquisitive nature uncovered this unadvertised dove-hunting gem. Perhaps most of the best dove-hunting spots on MDC areas are listed online at www.mdc. mo.gov, but I positively guarantee that not all the areas are listed. If you have an MDC area near you, check with the area manger. Ask the manager directly if he plants wheat, sunflowers or other foods that are attractive to doves. If not, encourage him to do so. Expressed interest sometimes creates opportunity. If there are planted foods on an area near you, happy hunting. Enjoy the fruits of your extra effort.

It is no secret that dove numbers have been in decline for several decades. No one knows for sure what the cause is for the declining populations. Most biologists agree that it is most likely a combination of several factors influencing dove reproduction. Across the Midwest, the dove harvest was down 30 to 40 percent last year.

MDC research scientist John H. Schulz has participated in multi-year and multi-state dove studies. His findings are unusual as far as management of a species goes.

"We know how to specifically manage for turkeys, quail and pheasants," Schulz began. "We know what their habitat needs are. Doves are a different story. They are habitat generalists. In other words, everything is dove habitat. So, there is little we could do to improve dove habitat."

That leaves hunting as the only effective dove management tool, according to Schulz. "Our goal is to limit the dove harvest to a sustainable level, while allocating the best public-land dove hunting in a fair manner."

This fall, dove hunters can expect to find roughly 5,000 acres of planted dove management areas broken up among 150 fields on 90 conservation areas spread across the state.