The Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie areas of Central Texas offer some of the best remaining dove habitat in Texas, though coastal fields have made considerable inroads even there. Additionally, urbanization has taken many fields out of production, and some farmers have abandoned grain sorghum production in favor of cotton. Still, some pastures with native grasses and weeds remain, and stock ponds and clumps of trees for roosts hold on in many areas, all furnishing typical dove habitat.

The South Zone takes in most of the state south of San Antonio, and it's probably your best bet, year in and year out. George West, Three Rivers, Tilden, Laredo, Harlingen and Freer tend to offer hunting that improves as the season wears on and birds move south from farther north. Afternoon hunts around stock tanks can be particularly productive on the warm afternoons common to that part of our state.

LOCATION, LOCATION AND, YES -- LOCATION!
Most hunters won't pass up an opportunity to brag on their shooting, but dove hunting is the great equalizer. Even the most expert shooter knows -- and is unashamed to admit -- that it can be difficult to hit a target the size of a soda can flying at 60 miles per hour. Estimates of the number of shots fired for each dove downed range between five and eight.

While I've killed doves at a measured 50 yards, the odds of a clean kill are considerably higher when the maximum range is 35 yards. Choose a spot to hunt that puts you within close range of where doves want to fly. Doves will often follow a fenceline or treeline or fly over some landmark that may not be obvious to us humans. If doves consistently fly past out of range, observe what feature they seem to be keying on and station yourself closer to it. This will benefit you in two ways: Your shot pattern will have fewer dove-sized holes in it as you move closer, and shot will get to the target quicker, reducing the amount of lead or forward allowance you need to use.

Most doves are missed when hunters shoot behind them -- you may see a few tailfeathers fly, but the dove will keep on going. The simplest and most effective way I know of to decrease your number of missed doves is to shoot at closer range and double your lead. If you're knocking a lot of tailfeathers off birds, increasing your lead by a couple of feet will put the center of the pattern right on target. If you're not getting any feathers, doubling the lead should work. The sight picture won't look right at first, but you'll get used to it.

DON'T CHOKE UP
When deciding what choke to use for dove hunting, bear this in mind: Less is more. Some hunters use a full choke, thinking that it'll allow them to shoot doves at greater range. Actually, a tighter choke doesn't make a gun shoot farther -- it just holds the shot pattern together for a greater distance. If you've followed the advice offered and positioned yourself so that most shots are within 35 yards, using a full choke will result in misses on close shots unless you happen to do everything just right. The pattern from a full choke simply won't open up enough on close-in shots.

Modified is probably the best compromise choke to use for dove hunting -- but who wants to compromise? I much prefer to use improved-cylinder and pick my shots. Someone who shoots skeet regularly and can break 80 to 90 percent of clay targets consistently should be able to bag a limit of doves with less than a box of shells using a gun choked improved-cylinder.

Even when birds are scarce, hunters welcome dove season as the beginning of the fall hunting season. A dove hunt sure beats sitting at home.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
See the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Web site at www.tpwd.state.tx.us or check the Outdoor Annual -- available where hunting licenses are sold -- for exact zones, season dates and bag limits on doves this year.