TPWD wraps up annual dove call count surveys statewide
Dove hunting is fat cash cow in Texas that generates more than $452 million annually for the state’s economy. Mourning doves are the most plentiful dove species in the state with a resident breeding population of about 20 million birds. Texas hunters shot about 6.5 million birds last year. COURTESY PHOTO / MATT WILLIAMS
White-winged doves are the second most abundant with an estimated population of about 10 million. Once isolated to the Rio Grande Valley, white wings are largely urban dwellers that have expanded their range all across the state. COURTESY PHOTO / TPWD
We’re still about two months away from the Sept. 1 opener of another Texas dove season, but Owen Fitzsimmons and his staff have been in a hunting mode since mid-May.
Fitzsimmons is the point man for Texas Parks and Wildlife’s webless migratory bird program. As the title implies, he oversees all migratory birds in Texas that do not have webbed feet. Cranes, rails, gallinules, snipe...
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