Dove hunting spots may be tough to find this year, writes Bill Cooper, but lean on relatives, call old high school buddies and keep your eyes peeled and you may find a place. Coop found a Bootheel melon field last year, and showed his wife and step-son that despite his advanced years, they could not match his shot-to-bird ratio. However, 12-year-old Riley Colsen of East Prairie put them all to shame, killing 11 birds with just 13 shots.

Also in our Fall Hunting Preview:

•Hunting coyotes in southern Missouri in late summer didn't sound like much fun to Heath Wood until he tried it. A coyote's acute sense of smell rivals that of a deer. Hunting coyotes is a great way to sharpen your skills, writes Heath.

•Use of non-toxic shot is required in more and more places as regulatory agencies try to protect wildlife from lead poisioning. Traditional hunters have not always adapted easily to the change. Steve Felgenberg attended a CONSEP (Cooperative North American Shotgunning Education Program) seminar and found that it was far more than an education in use of non-toxic shot. CONSEP made him a better outdoors man, he writes.

•No hunting seasons open or close in August, but openings and closings are just around the corner, writes Bob Todd in his seasons column. Coming up are seasons for snipe, rail, dove, archery deer and teal. Gun deer season is in sight as well.

•Aug. 15 is the deadline to apply for Missouri Conservation Department's managed deer hunts in various parks where hunting is not normally allowed.

•Aug. 15 is also the date for the annual duck blind registration at Wappapello Lake.

•Applications are being accepted through Sept. 1 for a mobility impaired hunt at Wappapello Lake.

As usual, Traveler covers a broad array of topic. Here are other stories in the August issue:

If you're not experiencing fishing success, maybe you should adjust your goals, says Bob Todd. Once, when he and Jerry Conley couldn't buy a decent fish on the St. Francis River, they startede counting the number of species they brought in — 13 in all. That made them feel better. Bob goes on to recount a Clearwater Lake trip, a farm pond adventure and perch jerkin'.

The National Park Service got plenty of input at meetings around the region to gather input on the proposed alternatives for the new General Management Plan. The document will guide the development and management of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways for the next 15-20 years. Traveler attended three of the five meetings and reports on the wide range of viewpoints.

Brad and Amy Herzog and sons are living the green dream, according to Jo Schaper. Jo interviewed the family that is touring the U.S. this year in a diesel-hybird RV.

Ozarks author and colorful character Mitch Jayne has a new, old book out, Forest in the Wind. It's the first book Mitch wrote, and it's been tweaked, illustrated by his wife, Diana, and republished this year by Wildstone Media of St. Louis. Mitch shares thoughts on writing and his adopted hometown of Eminence in a Q&A with Jo Schaper. Jo also reviews the book, which has talking animals but is not a sugary kids' story. Nature in Mitch's world is still red in tooth and claw.

Ed. & Pub. Emery Styron doesn't get much space this month due to all the Riverways coverage, but he takes a corner to explain that higher postage, printing and other costs have forced Traveler to raise subscription rates a whopping $1 per year — about 9 cents an issue. Readers can beat the increase by sending or calling in renewals before Aug. 31.

Styron also got on the water again last month. He and a buddy floated from Brawley's Hollow to Hwy. K Bridge on the Black River, caught a few fish and lived to tell about it. The Black's reputation for clarity is well-deserved, he writes.

In other fishing coverage, Howard Helgenberg explains trotlining for catfish, Jim and Donna Featherston bring us an entertaining episode from the Buck and Hootie saga and Becky Tinsley profiles Madison County bass tournament angler Dean Danback. Becky's story is part of a spread focusing on the outdoor and historical treasures of Madison County. There are many.

Also from Madison County comes Jo Schaper's Rock Talk feature on the Marquand's artesian wells. Artesian wells form when a drilled well hits a layer of water under pressure. The water spurts on its own. July can be hot, humid and miserable,

Pat Todd shares ideas for using your summer garden bounty. Kathleen Brotherton looks into a lesser-known facet of southeast Missouri history, the practice of Indian slavery around Ste. Genevieve. Lawyer Harry Styron begins a three-part series on the historical foundations and basics of Missouri riparian law.

Charlie Slovensky contributes a crossword puzzle titled Rivers and Reptiles.