Today marks the opening of dove season for much of Texas and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department expects hunters to see an ample number of dove after rains earlier in the year set the stage for a good season.
Dove season opens to day in the North and Central Zones. The South Zone opens Sept. 17.
The Katy area straddles two of the hunting zones, with areas north of IH-10 lying in the Central Zone and areas south of the interstate highway being part of the south zone.
Timely rainfall usually translates into above average dove production, and by all field accounts from TPWD wildlife biologists, this year is shaping up to produce a boom crop of birds.
Texas boasts fall dove populations in excess of 40 million birds and state’s 300,000 dove hunters harvest about 6 million birds annually, or roughly 30 percent of all doves taken in the United States. Dove hunting also has a major economic impact, annually contributing more than $300 million to the state economy.
State game wardens will be out in force for the season opener checking hunters to ensure compliance with game laws, including possession of a valid hunting license and applicable permits, hunter education certification requirements and adherence to bag limits.
This year, TPWD will be providing reports from the field via Twitter and on Facebook. Beginning this week, hunters can also get the latest information on dove migration and hunter success in the department’s Weekly Bird Hunting Report.
