I totally agree, actually 1 day early season would be plenty or 2 days at most. I used to hunt doves later, I remember great shoots in mid January years ago. Back then I knew where 100 coveys of quail were within 15 miles of Lafayette, now there are very few left thanks to fire ants, coyotes, and new farming practices.

Couldn't agree more, it should go to at least the middle of the month, i would even concede the 15 bird limit for a 12 bird limit if we could get the change. We need a lawer among us to send a simple proposal to the Wildlife commission.

Absolutely needs to be later....the doves dont really get thick till the end of the second split. I say just do like they do with the first split, open second split for nine days and then december open the 3rd split for about 45 days.

90 % of doves are not shot, they die of natural causes, hunting does not change their lifespan. The average lifespan of a mourning dove is approximately a year and a half. According to the Wild Bird Watching website, mourning doves in their first year of life have a mortality rate of up to 75 percent, while adult mourning doves have a mortality rate of up to 60 percent. Following the survival of the first year, which is the hardest, mourning doves can live up to five years. The All About Birds website states that the oldest known mourning dove lived to be more than 31 years old.

Agree 100%. They can do away with the September season for the south zone. It's way too hot to hunt then. It would be much better to have a late January closing date. The two best hunts I made this year were the last 2 days of the last split. It was tough to watch the doves come in by the dozens on Jan 3 and not be able to hunt them. It seems like the migratory doves get here later and later each year. I would be all for changing the limit back to 12 and giving us the extra 10 days.

Didn't see any birds till around dec.28. I live on a farm and the last 3 years we haven't had dove till around the 1st of January. Don't know what changed through the years but don't see the numbers like we use to in Oct.-Nov. Been hunting doves for 30 years and it seems to me the migration is later every year.

Fully agree that the main push of birds has been mid December through January the past few years. Would like to see more days in the third split.