Over the spring and summer I’ve seen more birds than normal. My buddy says that is not a good indicator of how good the season will be because most of the birds you kill aren’t local birds but rather are migrating. My questions:

> Do you think most of the birds you kill (esp. early in the season) have lived in the area for the past 6+ months?
> How do you “predict” how good of a dove season you will have?
> What are your predictions for this year?

The only question I can really answer is your third one.

My prediction unfortunately is a lack of dove hunting period. Having 8 home games this year is definitely a blessing and a curse for me...

I think a lot of it has to do with the amount of rain your area is receiving. You know where they will be if it continues to stay dry; at your water tanks. If you get some rain; the birds may be on your property, you just aren't seeing them as much because they can drink from puddles. What kind of a grain crop is around you?

I can tell you my volunteers are doing a little better on the banding this year than last year. Throughout the first couple weeks of the season, most of my banded birds that get shot are hatching year birds. Most of my recovered banded birds are recovered within about 35 miles of where they were banded. Once the migration really kicks in you start mixing the birds, and they start popping up further to the south.

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I think a lot of it has to do with the amount of rain your area is receiving. You know where they will be if it continues to stay dry; at your water tanks. If you get some rain; the birds may be on your property, you just aren't seeing them as much because they can drink from puddles.

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This is the biggie here in Texas especially. Find water, you find birds. Seems like every year it's dry as a bone before the season and then we get a big rain and they are gone. Also, if you have milo next to you, the dove love it.

My biggest problem has almost always been my shooting and not the number of birds I see.

When I hunt the family land south of Lubbock, we hunt the water trough next to the fields... sometimes they have sun flower, sometimes cotton.

When I hunt the family land near Brownwood, we hunt the tanks.

When I hunt the family land south of Waco, we walk the fields and the tree lines.

I am lucky to have the options I do, I just wish I could take more advantage of it. A&M football and 4 kids keep me from hunting.

Down south we hunt the tanks until that inevitable first drenching as mentioned above. Then it becomes pot luck catching them heading from feeding back to the trees.

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My biggest problem has almost always been my shooting and not the number of birds I see.

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I have the same problem

We hunt somewhat near College Station and pretty much every year we have swarms of birds and can limit out as many people as we bring out there if they can shoot, until the first front comes through. Never fails. I can't remember seeing as many doves as early as we did this year, but I know the last time at the property there were already a few groups in so maybe there will just be more birds around once the season opens up.

There are literally swarms of whitewings between Katy and Cypress. I've not seen anything like it before out here, just hope they stick around for a few more weeks.

Have never seen as many white wings as I've seen this summer down Grand Parkway and around Katy in general.

Flight after flight after flight of birds.