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>> I HAVE, UH, BEEN HUNTING
ALL OF MY LIFE.
IT'S JUST BEEN SORT OF A
FAMILY TRADITION.
I LOVE IT AND I TAUGHT
MY SON THAT AND NOW I'M
GETTING MY GRANDSON INTO IT.
>> EVERY SEPTEMBER, JAMES ALLEN
AND HIS FAMILY HEAD FOR THE
FIELDS TO TRY THEIR LUCK
AT A FEW DOVES.
>> GA DOG, MISSED 'EM.
>> DROUGHT HAS IMPACTED
THE ENTIRE STATE.
WE VIRTUALLY HAD NO SPRING
OR SUMMER RAIN WHICH IS REALLY
ESSENTIAL FOR MOST WILDLIFE
FOODS TO GROW ESPECIALLY
RELATED TO DOVE.
WE DO EXPECT SOME DECREASE
REPRODUCTION OF DOVE JUVENILES.
BUT REALLY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
DOVE IN TEXAS, BEING A MOURNING
DOVE POPULATION IN EXCESS OF
40 MILLION, WILL REALLY HELP
NEGATE OR REDUCE THAT SO I
DOUBT THAT HUNTERS WILL SEE A
DECREASE IN THE SKY WHEN THEY
GO HUNTING THIS SEPTEMBER.
WHEN HUNTERS DO FIND BIRDS,
THEY'LL LIKELY BE CONCENTRATED
ON WHAT FOOD SOURCES ARE
AVAILABLE AND CERTAINLY
AROUND WATER.
IT MEANS GOOD HUNTER SUCCESS
LIKELY FOR HUNTERS.
>> STILL, BIOLOGISTS ARE BANDING
MOURNING DOVES IN AN ATTEMPT
TO FIND ANSWERS.
>> MOST STATES THAT DO HUNT
DOVE ACROSS THE NATION
ARE BANDING DOVE.
WE BAND APPROXIMATELY 2,300
MOURNING DOVE AND ABOUT 3,000
WHITE WINGS ACROSS THE STATE
AND THAT IS A STATEWIDE SAMPLING
FROM EAST TO WEST AND NORTH
TO SOUTH AND THAT INFORMATION
IS USED TO GAIN INFORMATION
ON HARVEST AND ALSO MOVEMENT
OF THOSE BIRDS, AGE RATIOS
AND ALSO USED TO ESTIMATE
POPULATION SIZE.
>> THE MOURNING DOVE IS AN
IMPORTANT SPECIES ECONOMICALLY,
GENERATING AS MUCH AS
200 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR
AND CREATING OVER 3,700
JOBS IN TEXAS.
THAT'S ONE REASON WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR HUNTERS TO REPORT
THE NUMBER ON THE BANDED DOVES
BACK TO THE US BIRD
BANDING LABORATORY.
>> TEXAS HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST
REPORTING RATES OF CALLING
THOSE BANDS IN AND REPORTING
THEM VIA E-MAIL THAN ALL
THE OTHER STATES.
>> THE BAND HAS A TOLL FREE
NUMBER.
1-800-327-BAND.
(dove calls)
ON THE UP-SIDE, WHITE-WING
DOVES ARE STILL ON THE RISE
BOOMING IN URBAN AREAS
AND FEEDING PRIMARILY
AT BACKYARD FEEDERS
AND WATERED LAWNS.
THERE'S ALSO A HUGE INFLUX OF
EURASIAN COLLARD DOVES,
AN EXOTIC SPECIES THAT ENTERED
TEXAS IN 1996.
IT IS SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN A
WHITE-WING DOVE WITHOUT THE
WHITE PATCH ON THE WINGS
AND HAS NO BAG LIMITS,
BUT STILL REQUIRES A
HUNTING LICENSE.
FOR TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE,
THIS IS LYDIA SALDAĆA.