2023 dove season opens this Friday

By Sam Waller

Despite excessive heat this summer, dove numbers are up across the state as the start of the hunting season approaches.

The downside is the local population is not as robust as other areas.

“We’ve had quite a few birds in the area,” game warden Jacob Mort said. “Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks, a lot of them have pushed out. By far across the state, our dove numbers are way up, but that’s not going to help us here.”

Dove season begins Friday, Sept. 1 in the North Zone, which includes Shackelford County, and runs through Nov. 12. The season then resumes Dec. 15-31.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife department, a cool and rainy spring led to significantly increased dove populations.

Spring surveys conducted by 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.

Mort said the heat wave plaguing the area won’t affect dove, which are migratory birds.

“As far as dove are concerned, sometimes the hotter and drier it is, the better the hunting,” he said. “We’re seeing a drought across the whole state, and our numbers are up.”

Mort said there are still pockets of birds around the county.

“Up towards Lueders was pretty good,” he said. “By far, the most birds I’ve seen were out there. But it can be a deal where one minute they’re here, and the next they’re gone. And vice versa.”

Mort said there has been no change to dove regulations for the 2023 season. Hunters may shoot from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

In addition to a hunting license, anyone born after Sept. 1, 1971, must successfully complete a hunter education training course to hunt legally in Texas.  The TPWD Hunter Education certification is valid for life and is honored in all other states and provinces. Hunters can find more information or print a replacement at no cost online.

A Migratory Game Bird Endorsement and Harvest Information Program certification are also required to hunt dove. HIP certification involves a brief survey of previous year’s migratory bird hunting success and is conducted at the time licenses are purchased. As daily temperatures top 100 degrees with no relief in sight, hunters will likely find larger concentrations of birds at watering holes, and doves may be feeding earlier and later than normal to avoid the mid-day heat.  In areas where agriculture has suffered from the heat, look for stands of common sunflower, croton, and other native annual forbs and grasses.

Texas is home to seven species of native doves and pigeons, including the three legal game species – mourning, 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, more than any other state.