If the February freeze affected our dove population, those losses have been balanced out by reproductive success due to the rainy year. The season forecast ranges from stellar in the South Zone, to average/good in the North/Central Zones. For details, see the dove forecast.

NEW this year, the South Zone gets 2 extra Special White-Winged Dove Days. For all regulation information, including season dates, refer to the Outdoor Annual. Look over the dove ID guide so you’ll know which birds are protected, and don't forget to buy your license and migratory game bird endorsement before you head out.

If you can't make it out at the start of the season, Webless Migratory Game Bird Program Leader Owen Fitzsimmons has encouraging news, "The cool, wet summer means habitat conditions are still really good. So late season hunting may be better than usual this year."

Hunter Education has been teaching us how to be safe, ethical hunters in Texas for 50 years. The first Hunter Ed student in Texas was Michael Fain, who went on to become a Texas game warden.

As of 2021, 1.7 million students have taken Hunter Ed. This has sent hunting-related accident rates tumbling, making it a much safer activity for us all. Find out more about its impact in the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine story, Hunting FAQ.

Anyone born after Sept. 1, 1971, must carry proof of Hunter Ed certification in the field. If you've misplaced your certification card, get a free copy online or watch our 20-second video, Hunter Education Certification on Your Outdoor Annual App, for instructions to find it in the app.

For a fun glimpse at how it used to be, watch the vintage video, Hunter Ed Volunteers PSA. 

Ready to harvest the bounty that this rainy year has brought us? Plan your hunts on the 1 million+ acres of walk-in hunting lands. This is land we lease from federal and state agencies and private landowners. All you need to access it is a $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit. You can easily plan your hunts by doing a search by area or type of game. 

Paperless check-in is an option at many public hunting sites. Look for "eOSR" at the information station, then use the My Texas Hunt Harvest app on your smart phone to complete Electronic On-Site Registration. If you download the app in advance, you won't need a cell signal to check in.

Hunter Education Coordinator Steve Hall came up with this slow-cooker recipe for pulled pork made with wild hog  – it has an unexpected secret ingredient that seals the delicious deal.

Feral hog season never closes in Texas, so next time you do some hog hunting, try out this recipe. 

Does a  premium, guided hunt for some of the most sought-after game in Texas sound like your kind of adventure? If so, enter Big Time Texas Hunts, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Today there are 10 different hunt packages from which to choose. But the original, the granddaddy of them all, is the Texas Grand Slam – it sends one lucky winner on 4 hunts: bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn and desert mule deer. Be sure to check out our photo album saluting 25 years of Texas Grand Slam winners.

Since 1996, Big Time Texas Hunts has provided more than $17 million to Texas wildlife conservation and management. Each online entry is only $9, so enter as many times as you'd like. Entries close on Oct. 15. Good luck!