Dove numbers get mixed reviews
By Kathy Thomson
The 2019 dove season started on Sunday, Sept. 1 with mixed reviews expressed by those in Shackelford County.
Some hunters saw a lot of dove, and others only a few, according to local game warden Jacob Mort.
“It was an average start to a season,” Mort said. “The hunters I’ve seen have had eight to 10 birds per hunter. There were a lot more birds in the east and northeast parts of the county.”
The game warden said that most hunters have been abiding by the rules, though he’s seen a few unplugged shotguns.
“And of course, some hunters were out without completing hunter safety training, and some forgot to get a Texas Migratory Bird Stamp Endorsement,” he said.
Mort expects more birds to be on the way.
“I’ve talked to wardens in states north of us, in Kansas and Nebraska, and they still have some birds,” said Mort. “I expect them to be here in mid-September, depending on the weather.”
Retired NRCS wildlife biologist Alan Heirman is hoping that weather cooperates.
“The dove season has been pretty spotty,” Heirman said. “On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best, I’d rate it a four. We hope that a little cold front will bring dove in from further north.”
Paul Hamilton also said that he is hoping that cold fronts bring in more doves.
“It’s been kind of a slow start,” Hamilton said. “People are getting some birds, but we’re hoping that we’ll get some northern birds moving down.”
However, even if many of the hunters haven’t been bagging their limit, they still enjoy the chance to get out, according to Prairie Star owner Treca Edington.
“We had a phenomenal weekend with lots of hunters, lake goers, and Labor Day weekend travelers,” said Edington. “Hunters that I’ve talked to said that the birds were pretty sparse this year, but most of them didn’t mind a whole lot. They just want to be out in God’s country.”
The Prairie Star owner saw lots of hunters on Sunday, but not as many on Labor Day.
“With the way the season fell this year, it wasn’t as convenient for our Metroplex hunters,” she said. “But we have more hunters coming in this week than normal, so maybe this coming weekend will be good also.”
