Birds plentiful for first week of hunting season
By Lynsi Musselman
Opening day of dove season is like a holiday in Albany, especially when it brings cooler temperatures and rain.
Early morning gunshots were heard on Tuesday, Sept. 1 when the 2020 season began.
As the week moved into Labor Day weekend, out of town hunters and locals hit the fields and the town.
Richardson resident Wilson Allen, who came with several hunters from the Metroplex as a group with McCarthy Partners, said not only does Albany sit in a great flight pattern for dove but the town is a lure as well.
“We came in on Friday evening with the football game going on and went to all the stores on Main Street on Saturday,” Allen said. “I love little towns like Albany and fell in love with it as soon as we drove through Friday.”
As for the birds, Allen said his group had a great weekend of hunting, and all hit their limit each day.
“The birds seem to love the mesquite trees, sunflowers, and gravel in this area on their way down to Mexico and Argentina,” Allen added.
Landowner Kurt Russell said even though he now lives in Florida, he has been dove hunting Albany over 40 years.
“When I went to Texas Tech, we would drive down and there were tons of birds,” Russell said. “Now we annually meet up with friends and family in Albany to hunt and play in the golf tournament each Labor Day weekend.”
Russell explained that he and his sister’s place is towards Throckmorton, and there were about eight to 10 hunters that all met their daily limits.
“We have a 25-acre field that is planted each year with sunflowers to attract dove,” Russell added. “This year, we saw a lot more birds than last year, but 2018 was even better.”
For some hunters, the season is not just about the birds but a time to see friends who come to town to hunt and socialize.
George Ray Harvick and cousin Matt Williams took their Saturday hunt back to the 1930s with friends dressing up in hunting gear from the time period.
Harvick explained that a friend from Fort Worth drove his 1930 Model A Ford Tudor sedan to Albany on Friday and decided to take the opportunity to have an old-fashioned hunt.
“I really don’t like camouflage so having a chance to dress in something different is always a plus,” said Harvick. “Also, if the birds are not flying, it makes the day interesting – although there were plenty of birds flying this year.”
Prairie Star owner Treca Edington reported a fantastic weekend, not only because of the bird numbers, but also because of sales.
“I have not seen this many hunters in a number of years,” Edington said. “Our business had a huge increase. It had been so slow lately that we all felt like this past weekend was the first real day of work in awhile.”
Edington added that hunters came in generally pleased with the number of birds, but several who were leaving town on Monday afternoon said it seemed like the birds flew away that morning.
Shackelford County game warden Jake Mort said this first week of the two busiest weeks in dove season started out with a lot of birds in the county.
Mort reported there were numerous birds before opening day, but the rain moved some out. However, birds were still plentiful.
“This has been a phenomenal year so far, and in some parts of the county, mostly the Moran area, there are still a lot of birds,” Mort said. “Most hunters I saw limited out within an hour during their morning hunts.”
He explained that the daily limit per hunter is 15 birds, and each hunter needs a license with a migratory bird endorsement and Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification.
“I have come across very few violations so far,” Mort said. “Landowners are holding their hunters accountable more than ever.”
The game warden reported the only thing he is seeing are failures to get the HIP certification, with some hunters saying that the person at the store did not ask them about this part of the license.
“It is the hunter’s responsibly to make sure they get all the endorsements and certifications,” Mort said.
HIP is used by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to generate reliable estimates of hunting activity and the number of all migratory game birds harvested throughout the country.
Mort explained that TPWD and USFWS also plot flight paths by fitting dove with bands around their ankles.
“If hunters harvest or find a bird with one of these bands, it is important to call the toll free number listed on the band.” he said.
The HIP certification and the information collected from reported banded birds help these organizations collect information about what type of migratory birds are being harvested in an area and their migratory trend.
