Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says the dove hunting season dates and bag limits are finalized for 2014 and that they will provide dove hunters more opportunity later in the season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the 2014-2015 Texas dove season, which includes a 70-day season and 15-bird daily bag statewide. The traditional September 1 dove season opening day in the North and Central Zones remains and in 2014 that will fall on a Monday, Labor Day.
The season will extend longer on the backside, but the first segment in those zones will be shorter than last season, closing on Monday, Oct. 20. The season will reopen Friday, Dec. 19 and run through Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in the North and Central Zones.
In the South Zone and Special White-winged Dove Area, the first segment will be shortened by five days compared to last year, and those days would be added to the end of the second segment. The South Zone opens Friday, Sept. 19 and runs through Monday, Oct. 20. The second segment will run Friday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015.
The daily bag limit for doves across the state of Texas is 15 and the possession limit is 45.
The Special White-winged Dove Area will be restricted to afternoon-only (noon to sunset) hunting the first two full September weekends on Sept. 6-7 and 13-14. Dove hunting in this part of Texas will reopen Friday, Sept. 19 and continue through Monday, Oct. 20, and then reopen Friday, Dec. 19 through Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. During the early two weekends, the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves.
Based on overall habitat conditions this year, it looks like dove season should be hot across much of Texas in early fall. Lots of doves, both mourning and white-winged, have been observed over the past few months and nesting and production should be strong. That bodes well for Texas hunters, so I’m really looking forward to Sept. 1.