Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge will be open to Dove hunting during the Missouri Dove season starting September 1st. Refuge Manager Steve Whitson says the dove hunting area is located on the north end of the Refuge near the Hunting Headquarters site. He says the May/June flood took out most of the crops on the unit so habitat conditions are not in good shape, but the decision was made to keep the hunt open this year.
Hunters must check-in at the Hunting Headquarters prior to entering the dove hunting area. A Missouri Small Game Hunting Permit and a Migratory Bird Hunting Permit along with a check-in stub are required to hunt dove on Swan Lake NWR. Hunters may check-in 2 hours prior to official sunrise. Whitson says there is no overnight camping allowed on the refuge. Nontoxic shot is required while dove hunting on Swan Lake NWR, lead shot is prohibited. All Missouri Dove hunting regulations will apply.
The dove hunting regulations flyer along with an area map can be found on the Swan Lake website under the hunting section. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Swan_Lake/.
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