A cool and rainy spring means that despite above-average summer temperatures, Texas hunters could encounter significantly increased dove populations for the 2023 season that opened Sept. 1.
Spring surveys conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ( TPWD) staff found an estimated 28.3 million mourning doves in Texas, a 44 percent increase from 2022. White- wing dove populations have increased 20 percent, tying the record high with an estimated 11.7 million this year.
“ This spring was about as perfect as it could be, with steady rains and cool weather,” said Owen Fitzsimmons, TPWD Dove Program Leader. “Given the population increases this year and the excellent breeding season conditions that persisted through the first half of the summer, hunters should expect to see a lot more birds on the landscape this September.”
