White-winged doves are flocking to Texas in record-breaking numbers ahead of the 2024-25 hunting season.
As the sun sets on another Texas summer, hunters across the state are gearing up for what promises to be a record-breaking dove season in 2024-25.
Recent surveys by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reveal that the mourning dove population is up by a healthy 21 percent, while white-winged dove numbers reached an astounding 12.8 million, the highest on record in the state. With this unprecedented count, Texas is poised to solidify its reputation as the premier dove-hunting destination.
HIGHLAND LAKES HUNTING
Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, and Llano counties are all in the Central Zone, where dove season runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 27, 2024, and again from Dec. 13 through Jan. 14, 2025 (see other zone information here). The daily bag limit is 15 birds, which may include mourning doves, white-winged doves, and no more than two white-tipped doves. The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.
Legal shooting hours for dove hunting in the Central Zone start a half-hour before sunrise and extend until sunset.
LICENSES AND REGULATIONS
Before heading out to the fields, hunters should have the proper state licenses and endorsements. A valid Texas hunting license is required for all migratory game bird hunters. Additionally, a Texas Migratory Game Bird Stamp Endorsement must be obtained. It covers the hunting of a variety of migratory birds, including doves, waterfowl, and sandhill cranes. Hunters also need to be certified through the Harvest Information Program when purchasing their license, which involves answering a few simple questions about their migratory bird hunting activities.
With Texas being home to eight species of dove, three of which are protected and cannot be hunted, the TPWD recommends plumage be left on the birds for identification. Hunters who harvest a banded dove are encouraged to report it at reportband.gov.
PREPARING FOR SUCCESSFUL HUNT
With the record-breaking dove populations anticipated this year, Texas hunters should get ready for what could be one of the most prolific seasons in recent memory. The TPWD recommends scouting locations near water sources or with proper feeding sites, where doves are likely to gather, particularly in the early morning and late evening when temperatures are cooler.
ALSO READ
- Dove hunting in the Highland Lakes: Outdoors and hunting experts offer tips to bagging birds.
- The poop on doves: A guide to doves vs. pigeons, complete with a chicken-fried dove nugget recipe and links to the calls of a variety of doves and pigeons.
