The rains that fell across much of Texas last week were right on cue. It always seems to rain just before the opener of dove season. The dove we have been watching coming to water each day suddenly have water to drink everywhere. That pond or stock tank we planned to hunt is probably void of birds coming in for their afternoon drink. But we live in Texas and will take our rain when we get it and be thankful, right?
On the bright side, the recent cool front likely pushed some of those grain-fed northern dove from Kansas and Nebraska into the state. Dove are migratory birds and many take wing with the first fronts. The dove hunting report for much of Texas is a banner one this year with biologists reporting multiple hatches in many areas.
Granted, the front that swept across several states to our north might have moved some of our resident birds farther south but it also surely brought more birds into the state.
To those of us from Texas, the annual dove hunt is a tradition that ranks up there with the opener of deer season...well, almost. There is just something special about a meal of freshly harvested dove breast wrapped in bacon with a bit of jalapeno grilled over a hot fire of mesquite or oak coals. Looking back through my many years in the outdoors and openers of dove seasons, some special times come to mind.
The first real dove hunt I remember took place back in the mid-sixties when I was about 13 years old on a cornfield down near Hockley in southeast Texas. Prior to this first hunt, I had shot a few dove when the opportunity presented itself with a little .410 gauge shotgun around our home at Dimple in northern Red River County but this was my first ‘sure nuff’ dove hunt.
I had my ‘new’ Stevens 12 gauge single-shot, full-choke shotgun, probably not the ideal gun for dove but I did manage to down a few birds. I remember my uncle bragging on a high-flying dove I folded with that full choke. It was definitely a lucky shot at extreme yardage, one that I would not waste the ammo on when I became more experienced in what a shotgun will and won’t do in a dove field. But at the time I was extremely proud, especially after the praise my wingshooting skills gleaned from my uncle and aunt.
Every serious dove hunter owes it to himself or herself to hunt white wings down in Mexico. Up until things got so bad on the border, I looked forward each year to hunting at Rancho Caracole, located near Lake Guerrero. One of the largest populations of white wings anywhere nest in the region and the large grain fields keep them well fed.
The late outdoors writer Bob Hood was a great friend and Bob and I used to travel down for some of the best wingshooting I have yet to experience. Rather than go through the hassle of taking our shotguns across the border, we chose to use the fine over-and-under and semi-autos at the lodge. Shooters had the choice of either style shotgun and the first year, I assumed we would be shooting the semi-autos.
Bob gave me some good advice when he said my shoulder would thank me after a couple days of steady shooting if I chose the over/under 20 gauge. He was not wrong. There was no limit on birds -- dove populations were so thick that the farmers lost a lot of grain the hordes of dove that nested in the region.
I remember vividly that first morning shoot. Eight of us harvested 550 doves, all of which were breasted out and grilled and served as midday snacks at the lodge.
Through the years, the white wings have moved farther and farther north into Texas. It’s now common to shoot an occasional white wing along with mourning doves as far north as the Red River. Some of the ranches in South Texas now offer white wing shooting that rivals the barrel-burning action we used to have to travel to Mexico to enjoy.
Hunting dove has become much more sophisticated through the years. Oh, some of us still set up around water holes during late afternoon and shoot birds coming in to water and grit ,but when shooting grain fields, decoys and ‘dove trees’ are often used.
Dove trees are simply bare tree branches with a brace to keep them upright on the ground with stationary dove decoys clipped to the branches. Passing dove think the birds have found a good spot to roost and often dip down for a closer look. My friend Tony Pennebaker who is one of the most serious dove hunters I know makes his own dove trees from dead branches and swears by them, especially when a motion dove decoy or two is set nearby.
Scouting the day before the dove shoot pays big dividends; doves are here today gone tomorrow game birds. I have a spot a half mile from my home with a very healthy population of native birds that have been feeding on a sixty-acre patch of native sunflowers and flying a couple hundred yards to water and grit. I plan to be setting up in a treeline on a flight patch directly from the feed to water. Well, that was my plan before the rains. Guess I’d better take a walk with my shotgun and see if the cool front and all the standing water from the rain caused them to move.
You just never know with doves, my resident birds might still be there in good numbers or they might have moved farther south. If they did pack up and vacate the premises, hopefully there will be in influx of northern birds to take their place and provide the tasty meat that I need to go with the jalapeno and bacon!
Here’s hoping your dove opener was fun and successful but regardless if you shot a limit or not, celebrating the opener is a big Texas hunting tradition, one that has been going on a long time and one I hope continues for my great grandchildren to enjoy!
Dove season is the first of many upcoming hunting seasons we have to look forward to. We have finally beat the heat of another Texas summer. It’s “our” time of the year! Life is good!
Email outdoors writer Luke Clayton through his website www.catfishradio.org Listen to his weekly podcast “Catfish Radio with Luke Clayton and Friends” wherever you find your podcasts.
