Texas’ dove season opens Sunday

AUSTIN (KXAN) — With hunting season on doves starting Sunday, Texas Parks and Wildlife Division wants hunters to be ready to hunt the “near record high populations” safely.

There are some rules set by TPWD, as well as by state and federal laws, for hunters:

• Have a valid hunting license and migratory game bird stamp
• Have the Harvest Information Program and Hunter Education certifications;
• Have an annual public hunting permit, if hunting on public lands;
• Don’t go over your daily limit;
• It is illegal to hunt over a baited field; and
• Only use a shotgun, smaller than 10 gauge and with a maximum capacity of three shells.

“I highly recommend everyone stepping out into the field to hunt, whether they are exempt or not, obtain their Hunter Education Certification,” said Roel Cantu Jr., a TPWD game warden, in a press release. “Many of the safety issues and violations we run into are topics covered in the course that could have been easily prevented if the hunter had received that prior education.”

Those safety issues are primarily firearms-related, TPWD said.

“Accidents can happen quickly and can result in very unfortunate outcomes,” said TPWD game warden Kevin Frazier in the release. “I’ve seen things as simple as not being aware your shotgun is loaded while packing the ATV or falling while walking through the field carrying a gun with the safety off end in injuries to others or the hunters themselves.”

Some safe practices recommended by TPWD include:

• Treat every gun as though it is loaded;
• Know what you’re aiming at and what’s behind it;
• Do not drink alcohol while handling a firearm;
• Only use the correct ammunition for the gun;
• Wear bright orange to make yourself visible to others;
• Don’t shoot a target on the other side of a road; and
• Don’t trespass — including shots that land on someone’s property.

Game wardens may approach hunters in the field to check documents, firearms, bagged birds and safety. Hunters should have documents easily accessible and firearms unloaded for inspection.

“I always appreciate when everyone in the group stops hunting while I’m doing a compliance check,” TPWD game warden Calvin Atkinson said. “It can make things difficult and even unsafe if you continue hunting while a warden is checking your hunting partner’s information. Pausing to get your stuff together will make the entire contact go quicker so you can get back to hunting and I can hit the road to the next field.”

According to TPWD, it estimates the Texas mourning doves population at 34.3 million and the white-winged dove population at 12.8 million.

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