Steve Knight

As Jay Roberson said, it is not going to take a lot to beat last year's dove season.

About this time each year dove hunters view September with optimism, but it doesn't take long on that first day of the season to determine if it is going to be a hit or a miss.

This year, Roberson, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's dove program leader, believes that optimism might be well-placed. Might be.

"I am cautiously optimistic," Roberson said, looking toward the Sept. 1 openers in the North and Central zones and a Sept. 20 start in South Texas.

"The hunt always depends on the hatch. The majority of birds that are taken are hatching year birds, so we need a replacement of the population. We need 1.2 to 1.5 juveniles to above-hatch year birds to have a good year. If it is below 1.1 or 1.2 it is not going to be a good year," Roberson said.

Conditions were perfect early in the breeding season in much of the traditional range through the Rolling Plains. Rain was limited, something that is good for nesting, but there was still abundant seed and water available for the young as they left the nest. In contrast, the Panhandle, which is usually a step down in dove hunting quality, was wet. Until Hurricane Dolly, most of South Texas was too dry and the food and water didn't exist.

Of course after the hatch there has to be something to hold the birds in the area throughout the summer and into September. Otherwise the birds will move from region to region before eventually migrating out of Texas into Mexico and Central America. For some parts of the Rolling Plains and much of South Texas, the conditions flip-flopped as the summer went along.

"The information I got is that doves are in the areas they are not normally found. There is a lot in South Texas. Some are associated with fires and some with the recent rainfall from the hurricane that went through there. Dove are very mobile and they are responsive to feed location. The croton seems to be in good shape. The hunting down there could be better than normal," Roberson said.

In contrast, after getting good reports early from Throckmorton, Stephenson and Shackleford counties, bird numbers there began to decline as their food and water disappeared under the hot summer conditions. Roberson added, however, late rains spawned by the hurricane could have put hunting back on track in the area.

As for last week's rain, Roberson said he doesn't think it was enough to do more than move the birds around a little.

It will take cooler temperatures and colder rain to start the doves' southern migration. More rain this week, he explained, could have a completely different impact.

"We are still way above the daily minimum temperatures, which are thought to trigger dove movement out of the state," Roberson said.

He explained that when the migration begins juvenile birds go first, followed by non-breeders then breeding females and males.

During the first two weeks of the season, about 75 percent of the birds taken are Texas-bred. By the end of the year that number dips to about two-thirds.

For doves to start moving into Texas from other states, Roberson said temperatures in those other states are going to have to dip into the 60s and below. Surprisingly, the out-of-state birds that get here first usually come from the longest distance.

"The northern birds move farther faster. We get more from North and South Dakota than Kansas and Nebraska early," the biologist said. He added that hunters should start seeing a major influx of northern birds beginning in mid-September.

Texas dove hunters take about five to six million mourning doves each fall. Because of their expansion across much of the state, hunters also take between one and two million white-winged doves.

"It has started to stabilize the last couple of years," Roberson said of the whitewing harvest. "But we are still getting increased numbers in urban areas and they continue to expand their range and increase their density to the north."

Because of the changing conditions, Roberson recommends hunters do some scouting or talk to their outfitters or landowners before heading out. Areas that held birds a week ago can suddenly be empty this time of year.

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Contact Outdoor Editor Steve Knight at 903-596-6277 or by e-mail at outdoor@tylerpaper.com

A NEW SEASON: With dove season opening in the North and Central zones, prospects look to be at least better than last season. With good nesting conditions, some areas could be excellent.
(Staff Photo By Steve Knight)