How far west for dove?

Over the last five or six years, I've had a dove lease for perhaps four years, mostly to the north east of the metroplex, but last year directly north. The best of these leases can most kindly be described as mediocre, even though there was plenty of land, water, and even some crops, though the crops were almost entirely cotton. I've read with considerable envy reports of plentiful dove further west and north, but haven't yet hunted in these locations. What's the collective wisdom of the board? I live in the north east, so heading west adds an hour to any drive, but I'd like to actually hunt dove this year as opposed to simply working on my tan.

Any suggestions?

Id get to atleast the wichita falls area

I think west of fort worth/north of 20 is great over sunflowers, pretty much all I have hunted. But I suspect anywhere in Texas there are dried sunflowers there will be dove, I would look for that first in your area. But I love going west for dove, I like the Haskell area.

My leases have been poor here near Dallas the last few years. But I've seen lots of white wing and good shooting starting in Granbury, and as far west as Stephenville. A lot of the birds I've seen did not appear to have migrated recently. I'm thinking that cold snap a few months ago may restart the migratory process, but I'm not exactly an expert on the issue.

Have you considered reinvesting the $$$ you normally spend on a lease with multiple outfitters who have prime access to the best dove hunting locations?

This way, you are not beholden to one piece of dirt that may go ice cold after opening day...

Gotta do your homework, but this option holds the most promise for back-to-back limit hunts.

Haskell County.

No, no birds in Haskell. No sir. However, I hear Young County is always covered up with them.

I was kinda in your shoes about 10 years ago. I hunted the public areas TP&W has north and east of Dallas...what a circus that can be. I hunted with 2 very well known "outfitters" back to back years. One was in Frisco where the cops were called because some hunters were shooting over a road toward a high school and me and my 3 boys along with about 50 other hunters were actually trespassing where the very well known outfitter put us. What a circus that was. Then I spent $600 just for opening day with the other very well known outfitter for me and my 3 boys. That turned out to be a $600 lunch (it was good food) 75 total hunters in the field and I'd say 50 birds were shot total!! They didn't have birds and knew it but still took our money.

I emailed the late Ray Sasser who wrote for the DMN. He gave me the best advise....stay close to the cities for WW or head west, further west than the old line that runs from Wichita Falls to Laredo as the best areas had shifted more west. I settled in the Throckmortan area and the first 3 years on that lease the birds were unreal...south Tx like. The past 2 years have been slow as the sunflowers and birds have had bad years but it seems to be getting back to "normal". If you draw a line from Vernon and go straight south to I-20 and stay near that line your in the best dove territory west of DFW.

Abilene has some good birds.


I've had some fantastic shoots between Sonora and Juno over water.....i mean red barrel hot.

Good bird hunting is where you find it

You are right, I completely forgot about Young County.

The absolute best shooting I ever had was at Van Horn. Just how far you want to go? I now have a place outside Abilene and it has been hit or miss. Built a nice stock tank and surrounded by wheat and sunflowers. May be goooood this year

Hunting was terrible this year out here in the Permian. Very few birds at all around the stock tanks that we hunted. Good years we would all limit out and this year we were lucky to just see a few birds. Made for great conversation with my son, but he wasn't impressed with not getting to pull the trigger much.

maybe south...Argentina

The farthest west I have hunted dove was Hawaii. Does that count?

we have a place that we are probably going to have the second weekend open for people to hunt for a fee.
our ranch is 500 acres, 2 good small ponds which get good concentrations of birds in the evenings.
20-30 acres of native sunflowers which will be shredded.
Friday night hunt includes dinner before you leave 4-9PM $100 a person minimum 10 people
saturday am and pm hunt only can shoot your one day limit, breakfast and dinner provided, fishing allowed with catch and release.
cant hunt saturday evening if you have been drinking alcohol $150 per person. 10 people minimum 6am-9 pm
sunday 6-11am, breakfast included minimum 10 people $100
dinner is a steak dinner, baked potatoe, with salad
breakfast - pancakes, eggs, bacon, potatoes
located north of abilene 10 miles

How much do you pay for your lease and for how many acres? Do you do your own planting? I've thouht about getting a group toether for years. Is it "only doves" on the lease. Thanks for an help.

Look in to hunting Vernon TX. I pick up. Close to 3 thousand acres for dove only cheap

Definitely have to get two or three hours west of DFW to find consistent birds. I used to hunt in the Collin/Fannin county area but it is hardly worth it anymore.

After attempting to hunt dove around DFW area during the early days of Type 2, started moving west. For the last 25 years we have hunted around Breckinridge, Coleman and Abilene area. Some years are truly fantastic, others just good and occasionally it’s horrible. But no doubt west or south Texas provides better dove hunting than NE Texas.

We got some in Rocksprings and definitely got a lot in Brackettville.

Unfortunately closed for now. Hearing they must reopen for 2022. Country is disaster.

Food and water and good flyway. You can hunt east of Wichita Falls and hammer them if right habitat