Thoughts on lack of doves?

[Johnny Dangerr]

You want good hunting in Central Texas. Hunt on a city limits area. Beat shoots ive had have been in areas that are against some city. Seems birds get everything they want in neighborhoods

It seems ours never leave and nest here also. Wife has numerous feed stations.................

[SoTXAg06]

I’ve seen a bunch around San Pat and Bee county. Not sure if they will be here for the opener or not though.


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[Buckwheat]

The obvious thought is the big freeze in February killed a bunch of them that didn't make it as far south as some..

TPW made a statement on the dove population being drastically affected by the freeze. Around my house/town we found dozens of frozen dove along fence rows. Crazy! I have never been In Weather cold enough to freeze anything alive.


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[Playa]

Been awful here around Lubbock. Fields that I have never NOT shot a limit are producing 2 birds. Normally I get a bonus birds of Eurasian and pigeons, barely seeing any.

Hadn’t really thought about the freeze, and while we were cold here, we have more severe freezes before and I don’t recall them having this impact on local birds.

Cool front pushed through last night, but the sept full moon isn’t until 9/22. May be a better late season year once northern birds start pushing in

[rolylane6]

TPW made a statement on the dove population being drastically affected by the freeze. Around my house/town we found dozens of frozen dove along fence rows. Crazy! I have never been In Weather cold enough to freeze anything alive.


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I think most of our birds opening day in north Texas are resident birds. I think many of those died during the freeze but most migrated south during it and didn't come back leaving fewer birds. The ones in the city may have been able to find shelter/warmth to tough it out. In 45 years of dove hunting I've never seen as few birds as I have this year

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[cantexduck]

We have hunted the same land for dove the last 28 years. This was the worst opening week we have seen. I think the freeze killed a lot of the birds and spring storms wiped out a bunch of nest. We killed very few first year birds this week.

[GarGuy]

Its global warming. Orange man did it.

[rolylane6]

Its global warming. Orange man did it.

Isn't that one of the things puddin' cup said he'd fix though?

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[friscopaint]

Alot of mourning doves stop in Oklahoma now. I think its the eurasians and white wings here have displaced them. We used to hardly have any in NW Oklahoma and now covered.

[wilded]

Saw two birds yesterday no shots, no birds even seen this morning. 12 miles west of Lampasas. Heard a few shots to the south early but don't know what they were shooting at.

[STX_Shooter]

Here in Deep South Texas they’re flying good.

[Deafishunter]

I got the same issue at my place.

I remember growing up, we’d get our limits every hunt in a couple of hours.

But the last 6 years. I’d see ay least 5 or less a hunt maybe get one or 2 if I’m lucky.

My property is surrounded by hundreds of acres of corn, and milo fields.

I think the issue is there’s just too many dove hunters in the area, that we’d get the left overs from what people missed.

[Kolpin10]

Historically our dove numbers are the worst on wet years for early season, but the second splits are usually better with more feed more birds stay over with the migration. On years that we have all the rain/wind storms there nesting success is lower.

[Big Lee]

Take the 12 hour drive (from central TX) to Southern AZ. Awesome public land hunting. Good food. Cheap places to stay. Past 3 yrs I have hunted north of Tucson, from Oracle, Casa Grande and Marana.

[ClayW]

Way too many variables

I’d bet the birds are around, just not utilizing your land for whatever reason.