What happened to all the doves?

[tularetom]

First half of the CA split dove season is history and it sucked. We've lived here in the foothills since 88 and I've never experienced such a scarcity of birds.

No limits, got skunked twice, total of 24 birds for the 2 weeks. It was a cold wet spring and a cool summer and I didn't see very many doves all summer.

The DFG has declared open season on the Eurasian collared doves that are displacing the mourning and white wing doves throughout the state and they are no longer included in the bag limit. They're actually a bit larger and taste just as good.

It's fun to be out shooting but hopefully things will pick up for the second part of the season which opens in mid November.

[SteveM]

1. In Texas, dove numbers are improving over '08 season...

which, counter-intuitively, was marked by heavy spring and early summer rains. Texas P&W claimed that at least one and probably two nestings were wiped out (nests being on or near ground-level). That season was pitiful, the next (after a 68-day 100+ summer drought) was only fair, this year's first season (9/1 through Oct.) is somewhat better. Got 9 opening day, but trailed off to a skunker last week end. They get shot out in public fields, esp. since where I go is surrounded by thousands of acres of commodity farms -- a squat 'n' gobble in every direction! Private fields within 25 miles are doing well, however. I'll have to wait for the first "cold" front and hope it drives some mid-western birds down.

I've gotten a couple of Eurasian dove at the Granger WMA north of Austin. You're right -- bigger and just as tasty. Also, not too hunter savvy.