The most dangerous game in Texas doesn’t have menacing claws, sweeping tusks or broad headgear.
It isn’t a predator, it isn’t a carnivore, and in fact, it doesn’t even have teeth.
It’s a 5-ounce bird (give or take, based on what species you’re hunting — mourning doves, whitewings or Eurasian collared doves).
Dove hunting again was the most hazardous outdoors pursuit in Texas in 2023, and it’s a good bet it again will keep that title in 2024-25 frameworks as hundreds of thousands of hunters will pursue mourning doves, white-winged doves and Eurasians from the Panhandle to the Mexican border.
Dove hunting offers a number of dangers, chiefly the inherent risk that comes with the proximity of hunters armed with weapons capable of inflicting serious damage — even out to distances that many may consider relatively safe from bird shot.
Doves also provide the first entry back into hunting seasons for hundreds of thousands of hunters annually, which in itself can be hazardous. Many hunters undoubtedly never check their shotguns or shotgun shells before heading out to shoot at birds, which is a major cause for concern simply because of what could happen. You’d be surprised how many accidents are caused by faulty gear — including guns and ammo — or by obstructions that some hunters never knew were there.
It’s always good practice to fully inspect your gear from top to bottom and inside to out for anything that could pose a hazard. In the case of doves, it’s also never a bad idea to take the shotgun you’re planning to use out to dust some clays in advance of a much tougher target. First of all, it’s a safety issue, but perhaps more importantly, you don’t want your buddies to get a hearty laugh at your expense whenever possible if your shotgunning isn’t up to par and you’re missing easy shots.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department data, there were 1,236,677 hunting licenses sold in 2023 and 11 firearm-related hunting accidents (an all-time low), including one fatal incident. That was the fifth time in the past 60 years since TPWD has documented hunting accident data that there has been just one human death involving hunting in the state.
Of that overall total, seven accidents were reported by dove hunters, the most for any species. Hunting for deer and waterfowl contributed to two accidents, the second-most, and all were non-fatal.
This past year, there were no fatal accidents involving dove hunting. However, the numerous incidents involving shotgun-related injuries while dove hunting all center on a common theme: a hunter tracking a bird with their shotgun and swinging the barrel into what is considered outside a safe zone of fire. This is far and away the most frequent danger in any bird hunting scenario, but it’s one that easily is avoidable.
Here are the non-fatal dove-hunting accidents from 2023-24 frameworks as follows, taken directly from TPWD reports:
- Shooter was walking to retrieve a downed bird and fired at another low-flying dove outside of his safe zone and “peppered” his hunting companion who was standing on another side of pond from shooter. Pellets struck victim in his leg, chest, and left arm.
- Shooter illegally fired over adjoining property fence at doves outside of a safe zone of fire. Pellets struck Hondo Police Officer responding to a complaint of pellets striking nearby houses. Pellets struck officer in his lower leg.
- Shooter fired at low-flying doves outside of his safe zone and “peppered” his hunting companion who was standing on another side of pond from shooter. Pellets struck victim in his face, chest, and legs.
- Shooter fired at low-flying doves outside of her safe zone and “peppered” her grandson who was standing on another side of pond. Thirty pellets struck victim in his left arm and side.
- Shooter was retrieving downed dove next to a pond and fired at another low-flying doves outside of his safe zone and “peppered” his son who was sitting on the other side of the pond. Pellets struck victim in eye socket, right hand, and leg.
- Shooter was retrieving a downed dove which flew again to get away. Shooter fired and “peppered” a hunter from another dove hunting group, who was out of sight of shooter over a hill. Pellets struck victim in multiple areas of his body from head to hands to legs.
- Multiple, unknown shooters fired at doves outside of a safe zone of fire. Pellets struck victim in the eye causing blurred vision. The victim was retrieving downed birds in a thicket at the time, out of sight of other shooters hunting nearby.
It’s almost effortless to get caught up in the heat of the moment when a streak of feathers springs up out of nowhere, whether it be doves in September, quail in November or pheasants in December. However, knowing where others are, including dogs, is paramount to safety.
A couple of decades ago in Brown County, a varied group was out quail hunting and a simple twist of fate meant the difference between life and death for a young hunter whose only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After a couple of pointers locked in on a covey in a thick clump of brush and grass, the four-hunter party cautiously approached with their scatterguns at the ready. Within steps of a young pup and a seasoned furry tracker the quail blasted out in all directions, fluttering low and fast as they typically do. An instant later, barrels barked, and a few birds dropped.
But so did a youngster on his first hunt, hit in the chest at about 40 yards with a wad of No. 8 shot. Luckily for him, one of his hunting partners that day was a doctor. Even luckier, the old man was willing to massage his heart to keep it beating.
If he hadn’t been there, the boy wouldn’t have left the field alive.
I think most hunters realize how destructive a shotgun can be, but a quick examination of sheer energy reveals that the killing force can be devastating to more than just birds. The average shotgun spits out dove-size loads at about 1,200 feet per second. When you consider that there are about 350 pellets in an ounce of No. 7½ shot measuring .094 inches in diameter and about 410 in No. 8s measuring .089, there’s a lot of potential for operator error even if you’re firmly on target nine times out of 10. Every veteran dove hunter I know has been peppered by falling shot more times than they care to count and I know quite a few who have been whacked decisively without any large wounds in and around dove fields.
This is the part where I usually knock my knuckles on something wooden.
Unfortunately, in another weird twist, our family ophthalmologist from when I was a youngster went on a Panhandle pheasant hunt with two eyes.
He came back with one.
He was blocking the end of a field when a couple of roosters took flight at least half a football field away from him and the same distance from a line of approaching hunters in the other direction. The vibrant birds also hovered low, and since he had taken his glasses off, a single pellet fired from nearly 100 yards away lodged itself into his face and claimed an object it never was designed to.
Another amazing demonstration of shotgun pellets came on a spring turkey hunt about five years ago in the eastern Panhandle. After spending all day calling and moving, and calling some more, we finally found a wily bird that seemed willing to cooperate along the edge of a field dotted with a large oak motte. However, right at the moment of thinking we had an easy hunt and things were shaping up perfectly, the bird decided to pop its head up and almost get away. The hunter to my right abruptly rolled the Rio Grande turkey at more than 60 paces with a single shot an instant before it would have been gone, folding the longbeard at a distance you shouldn’t be able to with No. 6s, even though they flew from a choked-up barrel.
If there’s one thing I can stress now that fall hunting seasons are upon us, it’s to always control the barrel of your firearm. It sounds straightforward but even in perfect conditions things can and do go wrong. So as you head into the field this weekend and next and further into other wingshooting seasons, don’t forget to watch your background and stay vigilant, no matter where you are.
And always wear eye protection, whatever it may be.
No bird is worth that much should you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
2024-25 Texas Dove Season
North Zone: Sept. 1 – Nov. 10, 2024 & Dec. 20 – Jan. 7, 2025
Central Zone: Sept. 1 – Oct. 27, 2024 & Dec. 23, 2024 – Jan. 14, 2025
Special White-winged Dove Days (entire South Zone): Sept. 1-2, 2024; and Sept. 6-8, 2024, and Sept. 13, 2024 (special regulations apply)
South Zone, Regular Season: Sept. 14 – Oct. 27, 2024; Dec. 13, 2024 – Jan. 21, 2025
The daily bag limit for doves statewide is 15 and the possession limit 45.
During the early days for the Special White-Winged Dove Season in the South Zone, hunting is allowed only from noon to sunset and the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. During the general season in the South Zone, the aggregate bag limit is 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves.
Texas deer hunting forecast good heading through summer 2024
