A rainy spring and early summer led to a good nesting season through most of the state and near record high populations of mourning and white-wing doves across large portions of Texas.
This year’s season opened Sept. 1.
Spring population surveys conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff found an estimated 34.3 million mourning doves in Texas, the third highest estimated population in survey history. White-winged dove populations have increased four percent, becoming the new record high with an estimated 12.8 million this year.
With food and water still plentiful on the landscape, birds may be scattered in some areas, though as the August heat creates dryer conditions, hunters may still find larger concentrations of birds at watering holes. Doves typically feed and water twice a day, so patterning where doves are going throughout the day is the best recipe for success.
Texas is home to seven species of native doves and pigeons, including the three legal game speciesmourning, white-winged and white-tipped doves. Texas accounts for 30 percent of the total mourning doves and 85 percent of the total white-winged doves harvested in the U.S. each year, far more than any other state.
The regular dove seasons: North Zone: Sept. 1-Nov. 10, resuming Dec. 20, 2024 – Jan. 7, 2025 Central Zone: Sept. 1-Oct. 27, resuming Dec. 13, 2024 – Jan. 14, 2025 South Zone: Sept. 14-Oct. 27, resuming Dec. 13, 2024 – Jan. 21, 2025
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