Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

North Zone Dove: Best hunts have been in milo, corn and sunflowers around Abilene, Lubbock and Amarillo, though afternoon rains have limited the flight somewhat. The front forecasted for this week should deposit a new crop of mourning doves to Texas. Hunters around the Red River endured 10-12 inches of rain last week and the forecast calls for more this week. Lots of rain and muddy fields have limited hunter participation. Prospects are fair to good.

Central Zone Dove: Another shot of cool air this week should bring new migrants to the region. Fields close in proximity to the South Zone caught fire this week after days of rest. Whitewings near San Antonio, Castroville and Uvalde have been steady. Brownwood and Stephenville hunters have done well in the afternoon around grain fields and watering holes. Harrison and Panola county hunters have dodged afternoon storms but found best shoots around goatweed. Sealy and Columbus hunters saw better shoots this week since nearby South Zone fields were hunted. Prospects are fair to good.

South Zone Dove: The season opened with a bang, literally, across most of South Texas. Good shoots were posted in sunflowers around El Campo for whitewings. Wharton County rice fields held birds, but better flights were found in the afternoon around water. Limit hunts were registered for both mourners and whitewings around Port Lavaca. Galveston hunters saw steady flight over the weekend for mostly whitewings. Bay City hunters took limits around water and rice. Rio Grande Valley hunters enjoyed steady flights around milo and sunflowers. Hunts around Laredo and Freer were solid as well. Lytle was good over cut corn and sunflowers. The season runs through Nov.8. Prospects are good.

Teal Season: Coastal prairie and marsh hunters reported seeing more birds this week compared to the opener. Still mostly drake bluewings in the bag, giving rise to the notion there remains more birds to the north, specifically hens and their first-year-flying broods. Lights-out limits continue in Wharton County fields. Strong shoots were had near Chesterville, Eagle Lake, Lissie, El Campo and Port Lavaca. Marsh hunters near Collegeport and Palacios scored limits. Trinity Bay hunters took near limits in the marsh. TPWD wildlife management areas saw fair to good results. The Justin Hurst WMA near Freeport has averaged almost 3 birds per man. Mad Island WMA near Bay City has seen few hunters, but those hunters have averaged around 3.5 birds per man, excellent by any standard. Guadalupe Delta WMA near Port Lavaca has seen steady shoots for 2.5 birds per man. Panhandle hunters say teal have been steady on playas. The season ends at sunset Sept. 27. The forecasted front this week should push more birds to Texas, and push more to Mexico. Prospects are good.

The shoot was also good south of San Antonio.

• Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report North Zone Dove: Dove hunters saw fair to good shoots around the Panhandle over cut corn and milo. The region has received rain during the summer so there are plenty of watering holes and playa lakes. Lubbock and fields north of Abilene were good for morning shoots of mourning doves.......
• TPWD Sets Hearings on Lastest Proposals In a news release from Steve Lightfoot with Texas Parks and Wildlife, he announced the the department would conduct 21 public hearings. The hearing would cover the topics of increasing fees and yhe new dove season propsals. Changes proposed for the 2009-10 Texas dove season include a 70 day season......
• TPWD Scoping Migratory Bird Issues at Public Hearings News Release Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us April 28, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas — In addition to public comment on proposed fee increases and dove hunting seasons, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is inviting input on a series of scoping issues related to migratory game birds during public hearings......

• Celebration Residents Scramble for Boil Water Alert Celebration, Florida and other area residents recently scrambled to cope with a water main break nearly ten miles east of Celebration near U.S. 192.   Although water pressure was reportedly quickly restored, the local water authority warned residents to boil water as a precaution for several days, setting off a......
• Going Hunting for Mourning Doves Dove hunting is actually a really exciting sport. You can gather together a couple of hunters in a single field that happens to be an active ground for feeding and you are likely to have a really eventful hunt with lots of good results. In some states, you should recognize......
• Housing Update Interesting update on some markets from the Real Estate Journal. Utah homes worth their salt Utah apparently has missed the news about the end of the housing boom, with median selling prices on the way up. For example, Utah County's Alpine area saw median selling prices rise 57.2% to $529,000......