White-winged vs White tipped dove?

Couple years ago I was hunting Ft Hood and came across another dove hunter who warned me that he was cited for killing 4 white-tipped dove. Thing is I haven't seen any white tipped dove here but have seen lots of white-winged. Is it possible the GW was wrong and was confused about the regulations for WW and WT? Or did he not know the difference? Couldn't find the answer on TPWD but is there a limit on WW dove? This is for the central zone.

The limit is two white-tipped doves. See page 74 of the Outdoor Annual. It's all there...

I understand the 2 white tipped but this guy was finned for having 4 white winged dove.

This is what you told us, are you saying that is wrong?

Central zone, you can kill up to 15, any combination of mourning and white-winged.


And yes, its very possible the GW was mistaken. I have had to argue ducks with them many times.

Im saying I believe he killed 4 white wings but was cited for them being white tipped. I think the GW thought they were white tipped. The reason I think this is because I haven't seen any white tipped dove in the area. Sorry for the confusion.

They look like morning dove minus the black wing spots

Also interesting you couldn't find anything on TPWD

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_lf_w7000_0047.pdf

There should be no confusion, the white tipped actually are white on breast down to the legs. Never seen em in field only in pics

Actually i just learned something:
White tipped have cinnamon under the wing, no spots, and a yellow circle around the eye
http://birds.audubon.org/birds/white-tipped-dove

Mournings have the blue around the eye, tipped tail, and spots
http://birds.audubon.org/birds/mourning-dove

Honestly I've never shot one. I guess the bag is limited to get the number up.

Looks like they are mainly in the very south part of Texas. That would be why I dont see them.

I have looked at that page plenty of times and I know the difference between the doves I'm just saying I haven't personally seen any white tipped around here and have a hard time believing this guy had killed 4 in a morning hunt. I think the GW had the two birds mistaken and fined the guy for having 4 white wings bc he thought they were white tipped. All I want to make sure of is that I can shoot 15 white wings if I see and have a chance at that many without getting in trouble and I want to be able to back it up if a GW tries to write me up for a white tipped when I got white winged in my possession.

Yes 15 white winged. Or inaggregate like the guide says.

I find it funny that the people with the cocky know it all answers provided me with an answer that had nothing to do with my question. I didn't ask what a white tipped dove looked like and didn't ask anything about the limit on white tipped dove bc I know its 2. But thanks for your replies. This only applies to 2 of the replies the rest of you thanks for your replies.

Guess ill keep the guide and the pics of different dove in my back pocket incase the same GW comes by to check me.

I was just saying the GW shouldnt of been confused, its his damn job to know. No cockyness from me if thats how you saw it.

Wasn't talking about you. I appreciated your answer.

You would think they would post those in color, that looks like a high school art class "thing"

Looking at the 1st link, especially the distribution of WT, I would find it hard to believe he kied a WT at Hood?

My exact point and why I think the GW was mistaken but I guess you can blame the hunter for not knowing the regulations as well bc if he dd he would have argued that he was not in the wrong and prob could have asked the GW to get a second opinion or taken it to court.

Did you see his birds? Reason I ask, he may have been lying to get you out of the area IDK, pretty fierce there for turf though.

I didn't see his birds. It was an afternoon hunt and he said he was cited that morning in the same area. It has crossed my mind that he may have been trying to scare me out of the area.

Maybe, just maybe, the GW was VERY RIGHT, and you're not seeing any WT because 'another hunter(s)' keep shooting them all (over limits) . . .

I thought they took your gun and license away for poaching

Could be but very unlikely I would think. Like stated before I think the edge of their range is South Texas. Im starting to think more and more the guy was trying to scare me out of his area or what he thought was his area.

i would doubt that the game warden was mistaken. there was a time in the not too distant past where regular white-winged dove were not as common as they are now and you were restricted on being able to shoot those.

now it doesn't matter, you can shoot 15 birds...all white-win, all mourning, mixed, whatever. its only the white-tipped/fronted dove that you are limited to 2. (I've personally never seen one). I forget exactly how long ago...10yrs ago maybe....you couldn't shoot white-wing in the central zone. or if you could it was only like 1-2 or something like that.

Wow. Good luck with your local GW. Never met one that was anything other than polite and professional. Sorry if I misunderstood your original question, but there is pretty much no way that we could tell you whether or not the GW was wrong. I've seen random birds that really shouldn't be where they are more times than I can recall.

I'd do just what you're planning - be ready to cite the markings of the various dove. I would just do it respectfully because the GW has to deal with dicks every day and I bet their tolerance is pretty short...

Erich thanks for the reply. I am really starting to think this guy was pulling my chain and maybe trying to push me off his public honey hole on Ft Hood. I just want to make sure I am well educated on this subject just incase I am approached by a game warden. Sometimes its easier to ask a question on here and get responses from knowledgeable people than to read through the regulation and possibly miss something. Thanks again for the reply.

No problem and no hard feelings. Thats exactly what I am trying to do. Make sure I know everything and possibly have pictures to prove my point just incase a GW gives me a hard time. Personally I have been stopped and checked 4 times by 3 different GWs on Ft Hood and they have all been polite and just spot checked me and even gave me a few clues to where I might see more birds.

Sap, have any left over Mine field signs? Just throw'n that out there LOL

Haha could put up a fratricide fence with mine field signs on it just surround a couple acres and sit in the middle all by myself LOL. Good idea western.

Just make sure you follow your ROE and fill out your DA Form 1355

Sapper was the game warden state/fed or an MP detailed to game warden duties? I could believe mistakes being made by a MP but not full time game warden. I think the story is likely to be BS. It's been many years since I was on Ft Hood but it's a long way south of there to the normal white tip range.

I have no idea I didn't see the GW just going off what the guy told me. Im starting to think more and more his story was BS

one day while hunting in the lake belton area

I brought a high flyer down, and there was a very definite difference from what I had already brought down

when in the hand they do look different, but flying they look very similar

and after some research it was a white tipped

so to answer your original question, there are and or were white tipped in the area,
this was actually the year before

game warden was probably right, they are a migratory bird.

Can someone please explain to me how you're suppose to tell the birds eye color and a few color differences when shooting at birds 100ft above you hauling butt? I've never quite understood this.

WW and Mourning to me are easy but thats because mourning fly so erratic and white wings are huge we also don't have many white tipped here. If I was in south texas id think id have to me way more cautious on what I shoot at.

Things on Ft Hood have really changed, but then I was there pre hogs, white wings at that time were unheard of north of San Antonio and rare there.

There are no White-tipped doves at Fort Hood.

Either the GW made an identification mistake, most likely with a Eurasion Collared Dove, or else the OP's friend made a mistake in telling the story and was cited for shooting White-winged Doves, which have been reported there. The latter is the more likely story.

White-tipped Dove are found in South Texas in the brush, mostly staying on the ground in the brush. Their call sounds like blowing across the top of a Coke bottle.

nsmike, White-wings are abundant in the urban areas along the I-35 corridor, and they frequent out to wild lands looking for food sometimes. They have been reported at Fort Hood.

Ive seen huge flocks of White wings on Ft Hood and all throughout the city. I didn't know the guy who told me the story about being cited I just ran into him while dove hunting well actually he parked next to me and got out and told me what happened.