Lots of fat doves down by the creek behind our house

Season opens 1 September.

We usually have 2 or 3 days of good shooting before they get spooked and disappear.

....we've got something new turning up at the back-yard bird feeder: Eurasian collared doves. Absolutely gorgeous, and huge---twice as big as the mourning doves that we're used to seeing. I bet they're good eating.....

I have taken three over the past two years as they migrate from Florida to Texas. They are not as fast or as savvy as mourning or whitewing dove (the native species), and hence are easier to shoot on the fly. The taste is marvelous without going over to the toughness of a pigeon. No limit, no season on these birds as they are considered invasive. If you see them on the fly, they are the size of small pigeons and have lighter, almost lemon-like colors. I may be wrong about this, but the collar around the base of the neck may not be present in adolescent individuals (I have taken one such -- big as an adult).

When cleaned, the breast resembles that of a quail, only larger and darker. Most excellent!

Preparation tip: After shooting dove, I place in a cooler w/ ice, take home, and put in the fridge for 5-6 days -- no cleaning, no plucking. Then I clean the bird completely. Advantage? The aged meat peals easily away from the breast bone with your thumb, and is even more tender. For some reason, the bird is not at all spoiled by having its innards stay inside for up to a week.

Same philosophy up here---they're considered intrusive and a nuisance, highly damaging to other species.

We've had the worst drought in 60 years, yet dove are predicted to be very good. There is truth to the notion dove fare better in times of drought than in times of heavy rains (low nests are easily flooded), but I didn't expect an uptick in the limit from 12 to 15.
I'll hunt on either a friend's field in Coryell County, or take to the public field at Granger WMA along with half of Central Texas. We got some rain (1/2" woohoo) which may fill some tanks; another couple of rains and things should be grand. Licenses go on sale tomorrow, season starts Labor Day! Good luck!