Dove Management

There are seven species of doves and pigeons indigenous to Texas, of which only three (mourning dove, white-winged dove, and white-tipped dove) are currently hunted. Two species (red-billed pigeon and band-tailed pigeon) are currently listed as legal game birds by federal and state regulations but are not hunted in Texas due to limited numbers and distribution. Two other species (Inca dove and common ground-dove) are sparrow-sized birds with no potential for hunting and for which no formal management actions are undertaken.

The mourning dove is the most important game bird in the United States and Texas in terms of numbers of birds harvested and man-days of recreation provided. Each year approximately 250,000 Texas dove hunters harvest 5,000,000 mourning dove. Additionally, Southwick and Associates (2005) estimated that dove hunting has an annual economic impact of $316 million in Texas.

The white-winged dove has long been a favored game bird throughout its range in the southwestern United States, especially in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas where 80% of the Texas population has historically occurred. Currently statewide, approximately 118,000 hunters bag about 1,200,000 white-winged dove annually. Since the early 1980s, there have been remarkable changes in the density and distribution of white-winged dove. More than 50% of the white-winged dove breeding in Texas now occurs outside of the LRGV, with the greatest densities occurring in the San Antonio area. Breeding populations of white-winged dove now occur as far west and north as Midland, Lubbock, and Dallas/Ft. Worth.

The conservation, management, and equitable use of these birds in Texas requires hunting regulations, habitat management, population monitoring, and research. Hunting regulations must be modified periodically due to population and habitat changes to insure the wise use of these resources. The migratory nature of these species as well as international treaty obligations requires coordination of these regulations between states, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and foreign governments. Major land use changes including agricultural, commercial, and urban development have adversely affected some bird species in Texas, primarily through the loss of nesting and feeding habitat. Since the vast majority of land in Texas is in private ownership, private land management is essential in offsetting the detrimental effects of land use changes.