Hunters planning to hunt doves at Shawnee Trail Conservation Area in Barton County and Capps Creek Conservation Area in Newton County are reminded, beginning with this year’s dove season, nontoxic shot is required at these two public use areas managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Missouri’s dove season starts Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 29.
Shawnee Trail and Capps Creek are the newest areas on a list that now consists of 26 MDC public use areas that require nontoxic shot for dove hunting only. At these areas, the use or possession of lead shot for hunting doves is prohibited. It should be pointed out that the non-toxic shot requirement at these areas pertain only to dove hunting.
In addition to the 26 MDC areas that have nontoxic shot regulations specific to dove hunting, 46 additional MDC areas have nontoxic shot requirements for all hunting activities with shotguns. A complete list of the 26 MDC areas that require nontoxic shot for dove hunting and the 46 MDC areas that require nontoxic shot for all types of hunting with shotguns can be found in MDC’s “Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest 2023-2024” booklet. This publication is available at most MDC offices and places that sell hunting permits and also can be found at:
https://mdc.mo.gov/about-us/about-regulations/migratory-bird-waterfowl-hunting-digest
The reason nontoxic shot is required at these areas is because of the effect that lead shotgun pellets can have on birds. Since birds lack teeth, they need to consume small pieces of gravel and other hard items – collectively known as “grit.” This grit is stored in the bird’s gizzard and is used to help a bird digest its food. In their search for suitable grit items, spent shotgun pellets are often consumed. The ingestion of lead shotgun pellets can result in a number of physiological problems for birds. The nontoxic shot requirement has been placed at certain MDC areas that are heavily used by shotgun hunters and, as a result, an abundance of spent shotgun pellets are deposited on the landscape.
