Texas Dove Hunting and The Heat!
Texas dove hunting is almost a national sport in the state of Texas. We start looking forward to it about mid July. Yeah, it’s still hot out there but we don’t mind. It’s always amazing to see how many people get out for opening day – especially the kids who can look forward to a day out of school if their parents are hunters. Texas dove hunting is not something that you’d want to miss if you’re a hunter!
Texas Dove Hunting in the Early Morning
Cool green fields are very inviting for early morning bird hunting in Texas.
Almost all of the fields look great early in the morning – cool, green and inviting for the migrating whitewing and mourning doves in the area. We are blessed in Central Texas for Texas dove hunting to have a year-round population of white wing doves to watch and monitor during the off season. Mojo spinning wing decoys continue to work well for us. Sometimes, if your patient, the doves will actually land right at the decoy!
Staying Cool While Texas Dove Hunting
Little Dog cools off in her own doggy bath during a hot Texas dove hunt.
The summer heat still persists in Texas during September and keeping a dog cool while Texas bird hunting can be a challenge. The easy approach is hunt near water where the birds come to drink. I prefer to have more options and hunt longer so I tend to hunt fields without water and bring my own water. I’ve repurposed a discount doggy bath as a portable water trough for my dog and I keep it filled next to the truck for drinking and cooling off. I also make sure that she is in very good condition when the season starts. I’ve sen too many fat, out of shape dogs get heat stroke during Texas dove hunting season.
Hot Dry Fields = Texas Bird Hunting
Hot, dry short grass fields are sometimes good locations for Texas bird hunting.
It’s not uncommon to find yourself Texas dove hunting in parched, brown, dry fields. Don’t be fooled. There are many many seeds laying on the ground and white wing and mourning doves are very opportunistic feeders. Some scouting late in the evening or early morning will give you your best clues as to where the birds are to hunt in Texas.
Texas Bird Hunting Buddy
Little Dog finds retrieving dove hot, thirsty work in September!
No matter what, Texas dove hunting with your best friend is always the best. My best friend for hunting is my dog – and she works like crazy to make sure that we collect every bird we hunt – no matter how hot it is. Doves have a ton of feathers and getting a mouthful of air around all those feathers can be a challenge.
Summary of Texas Dove Hunting
Texas dove hunting is an eagerly awaited sport for many thousands of Texas hunters. Mornings bring cool, green inviting fields and the mid morning and afternoon heat can be parching! It’s important to stay hydrated during the heat – especially your dog!
Texas Dove Hunt | Duck Hunting in Texas | Goose Hunting in Texas | Texas Pheasant Hunt | Quail Hunting in Texas | Texas Sporting Clays
Texas Waterfowl Hunting Preparation
Late Summer is a favorite time because I start my preparations for Texas waterfowl hunting. It’s time to clean and freshen the decoys, check my safety gear and do a little scouting for likely places to hunt. My decoys take a beating every year so I like to weed out the most damaged ones and add a few new duck decoys to my mix. I also like to do a detailed review of all of my safety gear – flashlights, knives, PFD and backpack – just to make sure that I’m prepared in case I get into a mess. Lastly, it’s time to put the duck boat on the river and see what we can see. I’m not a fisherman so I don’t boat much during the off-season and putting the boat back in the water for Texas waterfowl hunting always makes my heart beat a little faster.
Texas Waterfowl Hunting Decoys
New Duck Decoys for Texas Waterfowl Hunting Preparation
There is nothing like a couple boxes of fresh decoys waiting for me on the porch to get me excited about Texas waterfowl hunting. I prefer Greenhead Gear decoys, and in particular, their blue winged teal and puddler packs. They seem to be perfectly suited to the duck hunting in Central Texas. I also love the Mojo Texas Rigs for lines and weights. Sure, it might be a bit cheaper to make them myself but buying them ready made sure is easy.
Personal Flotation Device
Camo Life Vest for Texas Waterfowl Hunting Safety
I mainly hunt the river near my house and it isn’t deep in many places. That said, there are areas where it is easy to get in trouble and having your waders full of water can send you to the bottom or down stream very quickly. I dislike full size PFDs but found that I can easily tolerate the quick inflate PFDs. I don’t use the one’s with automatic inflation because I frequently take a dip in the river and don’t want it going off accidentally. These PFDs aren’t cheap but if you read enough stories about waterfowl hunters getting into trouble on the water, I think you’ll agree that it’s a worthwhile investment.
UV Paint for Decoys
UV Painted Texas Waterfowl Decoy Prep
I have some older, crappy decoys that don’t float very well and are mallards. We don’t have (m)any mallards in Central Texas waterfowl hunting so these were prime candidates for an experiment. I’ve read advertisements about special UV paint that birds can see. I ordered the paint kit and used the UV paints on my mallard decoys. I’m planning on running several experiments this year to see if these UV painted decoys work any differently. Now, the chips will be stacked against these decoys because they are not only mallards but also because my decoy painting skills are horrible. Add to that, that it will be embarrassing as all get out if I am seen by my hunting buddies doing this, especially given my atrocious decoy painting skills!
Scouting
Dog and Daughter Help me with Texas Waterfowl Scouting
Nothing beats a late summer scouting trip with my duck boat, dog and daughter! The duck boat doesn’t care. The dog is HIGHLY interested and the daughter just does it to humor her Dad. Nonetheless, I’m always excited about the scouting trips and the endless possibilities we discover. There aren’t any ducks here yet but finding likely spots and then access points to those spots puts me a little bit ahead of the lazier people for Texas waterfowl hunting.
Summary of Texas Waterfowl Hunting Preparation
Late summer preparation for Texas waterfowl hunting is an exciting time for me. I enjoy getting new decoys and cleaning up the ones that served me so well last year. It’s also an opportunity to check and repair my safety gear. I’m attempting an experiment this year with UV paints on some of my older decoys. It’s a bit embarrassing but if it works, I’ll be very pleased. Lastly, a late summer river scouting trip with my favorite hunting buddies is always a treat – even if there aren’t any ducks here yet.
Texas Dove Hunt | Duck Hunting in Texas | Goose Hunting in Texas | Texas Pheasant Hunt | Quail Hunting in Texas | Texas Sporting Clays
Texas Waterfowl Hunting – Early Teal Season
Texas waterfowl season is approaching rapidly. It’s time to start scouting general locations and getting the gear cleaned up and repaired. While the USFWS hasn’t set the final dates for late season waterfowl, the Early Teal Season dates have been set. Time to get ready for some hot mornings, mosquitoes and another season to Texas waterfowl hunting!
Scouting Texas Waterfowl with the Duck Dog
Time to Start Scouting for Texas Waterfowl
In my opinion, it’s never too early to take the dog on the duck boat and scout likely locations for Texas waterfowl hunting- especially in parts of the river that I haven’t hunted before. I like my “known locations” and “honey holes” but I also enjoy finding new places and giving them a try. If I can find at least one new waterfowl hunting location each year then the chances of successful hunts increases. ANd who would even consider scouting for new duck hunting locations without taking their duck dog?
Two Adjacent Areas for Salt Water Texas Waterfowl Hunting
The Ideal Spot for Texas Waterfowl Hunting
Early teal like salt water estuaries and I like to hunt them there. My experience tells me they tend to like open areas more in the morning and closer, more protected areas for late afternoon hunts. I found a nice little spot that accomplishes both – open areas for the morning and some closed ponds for late afternoon. We’re fortunate with Texas waterfowl hunting to have so many choices.
Ready for the Teal!
Storm Approaching While Texas Waterfowl Hunting
I also like that early teal season doesn’t require a ton of decoys. In Texas waterfowl hunting on the salt water, it seems that about a dozen decoys works just fine to bring in small flocks of tasty birds. I also like that teal decoys are smaller and lighter. That salt water sure eats up a decoy though.
Redneck Texas Waterfowl Hunting Blind
Texas Waterfowl Hunting Blind – Redneck Style!
Another cool aspect of hunting early season teal on the Texas Gulf Coast is red neck blinds. Teal don’t always cooperate real well and come to the nice dry wooden blinds. No problem! A couple of palm fronds and some lawn chairs is usually plenty of cover for the fast moving little guys. It also makes it much easier to scout and locate birds in new areas.
Mostly Male Texas Waterfowl Harvested
Early Season Teal Harvest of Texas Waterfowl
I just noticed this last year and found some online information that seemed to back it up. Most of the birds harvested during early teal season in Texas waterfowl hunting are males. While their plumage isn’t the best, I do find it very itneresting that most of them are males – very seldom a hen harvested.
Summary of Texas Waterfowl Hunting – Early Teal Season
Texas waterfowl hunting season is almost upon us. Early Teal season starts in less than a month and it’s time to start getting ready – stock up on mosquito spray! I love scouting new likely locations with my duck dog – even though there aren’t any birds yet I can always identify likely locations to give a try. Texas Gulf Cost water fowl hunting is also a blast as it provides a variety of open and closed areas for different waterfowl preferences. Building new blinds or using last year’s blinds isn’t necessary with early teal season – just use a redneck blind! Most birds harvested in early teal season are males – seldom a hen to be seen – which is fine. It’s really tough to tell drakes from hens on teal when they swoop in early in the morning and I really dislike harvesting hens.
Texas Dove Hunt | Duck Hunting in Texas | Goose Hunting in Texas | Texas Pheasant Hunt | Quail Hunting in Texas | Texas Sporting Clays
Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
Summer doldrums – time for some practice for quail hunting in Texas. My dog is a naturally bred pointer but those pointing dogs can also develop some nasty and unsafe habits if they aren’t trained on a regular basis. Particularly, breaking from steady to wing and steady to shot…read more
A Bird Launcher to Practice Quail Hunting in Texas
- Bird Launcher for Training Quail Hunting in Texas
A bird launcher looked to be a very good tool for training the dog to be steady to wing and shot. My dog trainer used it very successfully…read more
Pigeons are Not a Texas Pheasant Hunt
- Pigeons for Practicing Texas Pheasant Hunting
I don’t have a ready source of quail in the Spring and Summer so I had to go find some pigeons. I don’t have any access to pheasants either and I do enjoy a Texas pheasant hunt…read more
Practice for Texas Bird Hunting
- Pigeon Training for Texas Bird Hunting
Pigeons are big birds and my dog really got excited about the idea. It was actually great training…read more
Launching Practice Birds for Quail Hunting in Texas
- Launching Pigeons for Practice Quail Hunting in Texas
I loaded a single pigeon in the trap and set it. I then hunted the dog around the area until she went on point. Once she went on point, I released the bird and corrected her if she broke from point when the bird launched. It only took once to remind the dog what the program was. Following that, I used a starter pistol with blanks to mimic shooting at the bird. Again, she only broke once with a reminder before she remembered that part of the game as well. On all subsequent birds, she did her job when it was evident to her that I had missed again – she stayed on point and then looked back at me with a disgusted look on her face as I missed yet again. Nevertheless, it was good training as an occasional reminder during the Summer to keep her memory fresh about the rules of the game of quail hunting in Texas.
Summary of Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
There is a long dry stretch between the seasons for quail hunting in Texas and a dog’s memory regarding the rules of the game – steady to wing and steady to shot – can get a little rusty since our last time Texas bird hunting. I purchased a bird launcher and a few pigeons to give a try at some backyard training for a Texas pheasant hunt. The training went well – although I wouldn’t do it often as it was labor intensive – and the dog’s memory was successfully refreshed and she’s ready again for another season of quail hunting in Texas.
Texas Dove Hunt | Duck Hunting in Texas | Goose Hunting in Texas | Texas Pheasant Hunt | Quail Hunting in Texas | Texas Sporting Clays
Practice for Texas Bird Hunting
Pigeon Training for Texas Bird Hunting
Pigeons are big birds and my dog really got excited about the idea. It was actually great training just to have the dog sit and watch me while I handled the birds. They are also bigger than quail and very visible so they make good practice targets for quail hunting in Texas. This turned out to be more effort than I originally expected but probably worth it to be ready for Texas bird hunting.
Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
Summer doldrums – time for some practice for quail hunting in Texas. My dog is a naturally bred pointer but those pointing dogs can also develop some nasty and unsafe habits if they aren’t trained on a regular basis. Particularly, breaking from steady to wing and steady to shot…read more
A Bird Launcher to Practice Quail Hunting in Texas
- Bird Launcher for Training Quail Hunting in Texas
A bird launcher looked to be a very good tool for training the dog to be steady to wing and shot. My dog trainer used it very successfully…read more
Pigeons are Not a Texas Pheasant Hunt
- Pigeons for Practicing Texas Pheasant Hunting
I don’t have a ready source of quail in the Spring and Summer so I had to go find some pigeons. I don’t have any access to pheasants either and I do enjoy a Texas pheasant hunt…read more
Practice for Texas Bird Hunting
- Pigeon Training for Texas Bird Hunting
Pigeons are big birds and my dog really got excited about the idea. It was actually great training…read more
Launching Practice Birds for Quail Hunting in Texas
- Launching Pigeons for Practice Quail Hunting in Texas
I loaded a single pigeon in the trap and set it. I then hunted the dog around the area until she went on point. Once she went on point, I released the bird and corrected her if she broke from point when the bird launched. It only took once to remind the dog what the program was. Following that, I used a starter pistol with blanks to mimic shooting at the bird. Again, she only broke once with a reminder before she remembered that part of the game as well. On all subsequent birds, she did her job when it was evident to her that I had missed again – she stayed on point and then looked back at me with a disgusted look on her face as I missed yet again. Nevertheless, it was good training as an occasional reminder during the Summer to keep her memory fresh about the rules of the game of quail hunting in Texas.
Summary of Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
There is a long dry stretch between the seasons for quail hunting in Texas and a dog’s memory regarding the rules of the game – steady to wing and steady to shot – can get a little rusty since our last time Texas bird hunting. I purchased a bird launcher and a few pigeons to give a try at some backyard training for a Texas pheasant hunt. The training went well – although I wouldn’t do it often as it was labor intensive – and the dog’s memory was successfully refreshed and she’s ready again for another season of quail hunting in Texas.
Texas Dove Hunt | Duck Hunting in Texas | Goose Hunting in Texas | Texas Pheasant Hunt | Quail Hunting in Texas | Texas Sporting Clays
Pigeons are Not a Texas Pheasant Hunt
Pigeons for Practicing Texas Pheasant Hunting
I don’t have a ready source of quail in the Spring and Summer so I had to go find some pigeons. I don’t have any access to pheasants either and I do enjoy a Texas pheasant hunt. It was harder than I expected to find someone who raised pigeons – especially since they seem to be almost everywhere in the city. Pigeons are a poor substitute for quail but sufficient for training for quail hunting in Texas. I finally found a guy, down about 4 different dirt roads, who had a pen full of pigeons and would sell me the 6 that I needed to give it a try. One of the drawbacks with using pigeons is that they can carry some diseases so I was advised to be cautious in how much I used pigeons for training.
A Bird Launcher to Practice Quail Hunting in Texas
A Bird Launcher to Practice Quail Hunting in Texas
- Bird Launcher for Training Quail Hunting in Texas
A bird launcher looked to be a very good tool for training the dog to be steady to wing and shot. My dog trainer used it very successfully during the early training sessions. So, I bought one myself to see if it would work for me to maintain my dog’s training for quail hunting in Texas. It is simply a spring loaded trap that is triggered mechanically to launch the bird a few feet into the air at the pull of a string.
Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
Summer doldrums – time for some practice for quail hunting in Texas. My dog is a naturally bred pointer but those pointing dogs can also develop some nasty and unsafe habits if they aren’t trained on a regular basis. Particularly, breaking from steady to wing and steady to shot or failing to retrieve well. They are natural bird finders and chasers and that’s what makes them great pointing dogs. That also makes them unsafe dogs because breaking from a point can either flush birds too early or have them jump up in front of shooters. Likewise, failing to retrieve completely – and taking the downed bird for themselves – can lead to all sorts of problems and frustrations. This sort of practice is also useful for Texas pheasant hunts. Since the real season for quail hunting in Texas is so short, I find it very worthwhile to train a little bit all year long.
More about quail hunting in Texas
Practice for Texas Bird Hunting
Launching Practice Birds for Quail Hunting in Texas
Summary of Summer Practice for Quail Hunting in Texas
There is a long dry stretch between the seasons for quail hunting in Texas and a dog’s memory regarding the rules of the game – steady to wing and steady to shot – can get a little rusty since our last time Texas bird hunting. I purchased a bird launcher and a few pigeons to give a try at some backyard training for a Texas pheasant hunt. The training went well – although I wouldn’t do it often as it was labor intensive – and the dog’s memory was successfully refreshed and she’s ready again for another season of quail hunting in Texas.
Summer Preparation for Duck Hunting in Texas
Duck hunting in Texas is right around the corner. Early Teal Season in September is the start of duck hunting in Texas each year. OK, it’s a ways around the corner, but still around the corner. Actually, we’re still waiting for the season dates to be set for duck hunting in Texas. Summer is a great time to get everything prepared and tested prior to starting the season. Texas duck hunting early Teal season starts in about 90 days which should be plenty of time to get my equipment repaired, replaced and checked. My list or things to do to prepare for duck hunting is Texas is pretty long so I have my work cut out for me.
The Work Begins for a New Season of Texas Duck Hunting
Summer Preparation for a Texas Duck Hunt
I lost quite a few decoys last year when I was duck hunting in Texas. I hunted mainly in the rivers on the shallow, swift places and the current dragged some of my decoys downstream too far to retrieve. I can’t help but imagine that there is a place where the river dumps into the Gulf that has huge rafts of lost decoys from other guys losing them while they were duck hunting in Texas. I watched the online sales and coupons and when the time was right, I pounced – sort of like another kind of Texas duck hunting, only decoys this time!
New Decoys for Duck Hunting in Texas
New Decoys for Duck Hunting in Texas
I prefer 2 basic set types when I’m duck hunting in Texas. I like a good sized spread of only teal (blue wings for me) for early teal season. During the full season, I’ve really come to like the mix in the puddler pack of gadwalls, pintails and widgeon – exactly the most popular ducks we see during Texas duck hunting. I also really prefer the Greenhead Gear brand because of their combination of light weight, keel weight distribution, life likeness and price when I can catch them on sale with a coupon.
Texas Rigs for Duck Decoys on a Texas Duck Hunt
Texas Rigs for Texas Duck Hunting
I’m also a big fan of the Texas Rig for my decoys that I use for duck hunting in Texas. The Texas rig makes it very easy to pick and manage a dozen or more decoys. I also like that I can string them with a clip or wrap them for the times I have to backpack into a hole with my decoys in a sack. Yeah, I know I could make the Texas rigs myself but it’s just as easy to buy them ready built from Mojo.
Summary of Summer Preparation for Duck Hunting in Texas
The season for duck hunting in Texas is coming soon and I have a long list of things to do to be prepared. First on my list is repair and replacement of my decoys. I’ve been watching for sales and coupons and that has paid off. Another kind of Texas duck hunting you might say. I’m a big fan of Greenhead Gear and Mojo Texas Rigs. When the boxes arrived in the mail, I just left them boxed in my living room near my chair. It makes me smile every time I walk by as I think about my next adventure duck hunting in Texas.
Texas Dove Hunt | Duck Hunting in Texas | Goose Hunting in Texas | Texas Pheasant Hunt | Quail Hunting in Texas | Texas Sporting Clays