It’s almost August so that means the Texas dove season is just around the corner! September always means good times, warm temps and usually some decent dove hunting action. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Service Regulations Committee (SRC) has approved the 2012-2013 Texas early migratory game bird seasons, including a 70-day season and 15-bird daily bag statewide for mourning, white-winged and white-tipped doves.
This year, the Texas dove season in the North and Central Dove Zones will run from Saturday, September 1 through Wednesday, October 24 and reopen Saturday, December 22 through Sunday, January 6, with a 15-bird daily bag and not more than two white-tipped doves. Sounds like it’s time to grab my shotgun and break a little clay until September rolls around.
The South Zone dove season will run Friday, September 21 through Sunday, October 28, reopening Saturday, December 22 through Tuesday, January 22 with a 15-bird daily bag and not more than two white-tipped doves. Good dove hunting can typically be found across Texas on any year, but the rains received this year should have dove production at a multi-year high. Expect good shoots over dove fields and around stock tanks.
The Special White-winged Dove Area will be restricted to afternoon-only (noon to sunset) hunting the first two full weekends in September running from September 1-2 and 8-9 and reopen when the regular South Zone season begins on Friday, September 21 through Sunday, October 28 and again from Saturday, December 22 through Friday, January 18. The Special White-winged Dove Area season takes four of the allowable 70 days, so when the regular season opens, this area must close four days earlier than the rest of the South Zone. Make sure to look for banded doves, as well as know your dove species before heading into the field.
During the early two weekends, the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than four mourning doves and 2 white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15 with no more than 2 white-tipped doves. The Texas dove season usually starts off the fall hunting seasons with a bang, and I expect this year will be no exception. Looking forward to it already!