Local Dove Appreciation Day Set
The Texas Agricultural Extension Service has scheduled a Dove Appreciation Day in Garden City to help hunters, land managers and owners get ready for the coming season, which begins Sept. 1. The event will be at the community center Aug. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is $15 by Aug. 17 and $25 at the door. Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered. Contact Rebel Royall, 432-354-2381.
Two other two Dove Appreciation Days will also be held: in Stephens County Aug. 20 (contact Leslie Neve at 254-559-2313) and in Runnels County Aug. 21 (contact Marty Gibbs at 325-365-2219).
The three events share similar programming. The morning sessions deal with habitat management practices and the afternoon sessions will be devoted to field tours.
Widespread rainfall across Texas should mean excellent dove hunting for much of the state, according to Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension wildlife specialist at San Angelo.
Sunflowers Abundant
“There’s such an abundance of sunflowers, that the hunter’s problem may be a dilution of doves across the landscape. Having a back-up plan that might include a stock pond or evening flyway may be good insurance for a successful hunt," he said.
"The backbone of the dove season in Texas still rests on the mourning dove, but in recent years both the white-winged dove and the introduced Eurasian collared dove have increased dramatically," Rollins said. "The latter two doves tend to concentrate in urban settings, but usually travel to nearby fields to forage. We’ll also discuss these birds during the seminars," he said.
Dove hunting in Texas has changed in recent years, he said. "Good dove hunting is something most of us in Texas have pretty much taken for granted, but what used to be a sure bet has been more erratic in recent years," Rollins said. "Whether one is managing purely for personal recreation or for profit, the information presented at these dove seminars should improve one’s hunting opportunities."
For more information, contact Rollins at 325-653-4576 or by e-mail at d-rollins@tamu.edu. Program updates will be posted at http://teamquail.tamu.edu.