We’ve got an inkling that we’re in for a pretty good dove season this year here in south Texas and the guys over at the Star-Telegram out in Fort Wort,TX seem to agree with us. We might be living through one of the worst droughts that’s ever hit Texas, but our land is a birder’s delight at the moment, teeming with all kinds of birds chirping away in the trees and swooping gracefully through the skies. Take a close look at the photo above of the recent gathering of doves and quails we managed to sneak up on. Right now you can’t go anywhere without spooking at least a dozen doves in every direction… Turns out most birds, doves included, prefer open land with scattered trees and shrubs – and we have plenty of that out here at Rancho Las Norias. Most birds also like to be close to watering ponds and we have four well-fed watering holes throughout our land. To top it off, we’re pretty confident our fields are rich in seeds courtesy of the drought tolerant native wildflowers and grasses that flourish in our brushlands. These guys at Texas Hunters also seem to agree that dove season this fall should be good despite the drought. Read what Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologists have to say about the fall dove season here. Dove season in south Texas opens Friday Sept. 23 and runs all the way through Oct. 30, 2011. If you’re interested in dove hunting with us this fall please contact us for more information.

Note to birders – with an estimated 350 million doves in North America, dove hunting is one of those necessary evils for wildlife management and population control. Please note that we would love to have you guys come out too to enjoy the sights and sounds during non-hunting weekends. Please contact us for more information.