The doves are back, with many regions of the state seeing record high numbers – mourning doves are up 44% over last year, and white-winged doves are up 20%. This is not the season to sit out! 

Summer's dry heat means you'll find concentrations of doves near water. Bring plenty of water for yourself and take shade breaks to stay cool. Think twice about bringing your dog into early-season heat.

To hunt dove, you'll need a license, and anyone born after 9/1/71 must complete hunter education. A Migratory Game Bird Endorsement and free HIP certification are also required. Look over the dove identifier before you head out, or access it in the field in the Outdoor Annual app. 

Regular season opens 9/1 in the North and Central Zones, and the South Zone's Special White-winged Dove Days start 9/1. Bag limit is 15. While you wait for September, check out our video Dove Hunting Las Palomas. 

You've probably had more than one empanada in your life, they're half-moon shaped hand-pies with a sweet or savory filling.

This tasty empanada recipe was inspired by Argentina, and it uses a 50-50 mix of ground pork and dove. Try it! You'll find the full list of ingredients in the description section of the video recipe Dove Empanadas. 

Looking for a new place to hunt? Check out the 1 million+ acres of walk-in hunting lands available to you with a $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit. 

These are quality TPWD sites or acreage we've leased from private landowners, industry, plus federal and state agencies to give you more hunting access. Find a spot to hunt by doing a search by area or type of game or use the interactive map. Check out one of the newest public hunting areas in our video Acres of Access for Hunters. 

Annual Public Hunting Permit holders are also exclusively eligible to apply for 2 types of Drawn Hunts: E-postcard Hunts and US Forest Service Antlerless Deer Permits. Keep an eye on Drawn Hunts deadlines – better yet, apply today!

Wildfires have been rearing their ugly heads around the country this summer, reminding us to be smart and don't let a wildfire start. Use these safety tips in the field this fall if dry conditions persist:

• Don't idle or park over dry vegetation – a hot catalytic converter can ignite it.
• Don't shoot into rocks that may spark or into tall, dry grass.
• Don't use full metal jacket or tracer ammunition.  

Don't take any action that might start a fire. See our blog post Protect Your Texas Lands from Wildfire for other ways to prevent wildfires while hunting, 

Keeping up your shooting skills is an ongoing process, and practice exercises can help you become a safer, more efficient hunter. Plus, you'll waste less ammunition = saving money.

Get in some training before the season starts using these 3 simple exercises demonstrated by Hunter Education Specialist Heidi Rao in the video Improving Your Shotgun Skills – no ammunition needed. 

Just as practice is a skill of patience, safety is a skill of restraint. Pass up shots which have the slightest chance of being unsafe, and you'll make the field a safer place. 

Imagine you and your buddy on a premium hunt with a guide, lodging and meals included. Enter Big Time Texas Hunts (BTTH) and that dream may become a reality. 

BTTH offers 10 different hunt packages, including the Grand Slam, which is 4 separate hunts for bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn and mule deer. NEW this year, the Exotic Safari winner will also receive a YETI Limited Edition Red Tundra 65 hard cooler.

Enter as often as you'd like, the deadline is Oct. 15 and each entry is $9 if purchased online. All proceeds go directly to support wildlife conservation and public hunting in Texas. Conservation projects funded by BTTH include bighorn sheep restoration, grassland restoration and brush control that benefits quail, pronghorn, mule deer and many other species. Participants like you have helped raise more than $19.5 million in the last 26 years. Thank you!