Opening day is upon us!

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Well this weekend is that glorious time of year the opening of Texas hunting season! How many of y'all are going to participate?? I've noticed more doves arround here than in the previous few years anyone have any dove reports?

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Well, I'm in east tx, and my public hunting area has grown up with pines up to about 6ft. Not very conducive to dove hunting anymore. My daughter has invited me to hunt on my ex-wifes property in Stephen's county and she says there are a lot of doves. Unfortunately I will be at work until the 11th so I will miss the best days. By then they will be pretty shy and flying about 150 mph. Should be a pretty good challenge.

 

[FrankT]

Jealous of you guys, ours starts sept 27

 

[EGarza04]

Well I have one more weekend to wait. The special white wing zone opens at noon on the 6th. I will be working at the Las Palomas Toarmina unit that weekend registering public hunters and helping keep everyone safe. I have heard from the guys down there that there are dove everywhere right now. If the birds hold down there it should make for a good opener in south Texas...

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

That is the reports I'm getting also E birds everywhere. I sure hope so its been pretty slim for the last 3-4 years. Ill hunt opening day then again on the 4th hopefully they wont be to shot up by the second weekend since the 1st falls on a monday.

 

[theblakester]

When I drive through hondo and castroville to go to the ranch in late summer/fall (just west of SA) I usually see a bazillion dove flying and lining the power lines. I drove out here earlier today and saw some birds but definitely not as many as normal.

 

[FrankT]

E, that of course is where my first dove hunts were, then McAllen area

Blake I used to hunt your area too, always good hunting

Since 2000 the most birds I shot were 5 a day in FL, certainly nOT TX!

I love the social aspects of dove hunting, great times I remember!

 

[EGarza04]

Didn't have too much time to expand on dove reports last night.

As part of work duties, we've (TPWD biologists) been setting up some of the areas that TPWD leases for public hunting in South Texas. While setting up, I saw dove in almost all our leases in the Pearsall and Cotulla area. I have gotten reports from co-workers that the leases around kingsville and Falfurrias also have quite a few dove. The reports I have heard from the valley are from the guys shedding lanes in the fields we plant for dove habitat. They are kicking up dove every day at most of the WMA units down there.

Like some of y'all said already, it has been a few years since I've seen it heard reports like this, so it's kinda hard to not get a little excited. I just really hope the dove don't move between now and opening weekend, and I hope we have weather conducive to dove hunting. I really would like to see some rain, but a good dove opener is pretty important for lots of areas in the state too.

For a list of TPWD public hunting areas, look here: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/annual_public_hunting/

 

[rgilbert]

I've been seing a fair amount in Burleson County. I plan on trying my luck Monday.

 

[Chopperdrvr]

E...I hunted the Chapparel area a couple years ago with very poor results. I didn't do my research and didn't know that there had been a really bad drought that year and the birds were few and very scattered. Needless to say, about 500 mi one way pulling a camper and diesel at $4/gal made for a disappointing trip. Should be a lot better this year. Maybe I'll try again.

 

[EGarza04]

E...I hunted the Chapparel area a couple years ago with very poor results. I didn't do my research and didn't know that there had been a really bad drought that year and the birds were few and very scattered. Needless to say, about 500 mi one way pulling a camper and diesel at $4/gal made for a disappointing trip. Should be a lot better this year. Maybe I'll try again.

You could do that. If you don't have any luck at the Chap then go to one of the other areas on the I-35 corridor. Make sure to get the APH permit. It costs $45 and you can hunt any of the public areas that TPWD offers, including all the WMAs that have walk in hunting, for the entire year and we mail you a book with all the public land available to hunt with that permit. Otherwise it's $20 a day at any WMA that is doing walk in hunts.

Many of the places we lease in that area are CRP fields and some are actual working farms that lease us some of their fields. If I remember correctly a few years back when we first got the farm leased the average was 5 birds per person per day for the first 2 weekends.

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Yea, I always buy the APH because I live about 5 minutes from Bannister WMA. It used to be good dove hunting, but it has grown up and not so good now.

 

[BigRedDog]

just another day of office season

 

[EGarza04]

Info from TPWD on dove population estimates, average annual take, and season dates in Texas...

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20140825b

 

[BigRedDog]

THANKS!

 

[FrankT]

Wow Texas kills 25% of all the Dove Nationwide, no wonder it is such poor hunting here, they fly the other way! Dove season in Texas is like a right of passage, I sure do miss it!

 

[rob072770]

Lots of dove in back yard till this last Monday when season opened. Will see if they come back. No reports from my friends yet.

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

We all limited out in white wings tonight.

 

[FrankT]

Good going!!

 

[Chopperdrvr]

We all limited out in white wings tonight.

You're not supposed to shoot them at night!!

 

[BigRedDog]

SHHHHHH

 

[Aspp]

Shot 8 opening day, may try for some more tonight. Limit was upped here to 15 from 10!!