LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER Dove season is upon us! Hopefully you have been practicing on clays, cleaning your guns, checking your gear, warming up your dogs and treating your spouse with unparalleled love so you can get a kitchen pass to go hunting. But have you secured your place to hunt? Outfitters book up very quickly, especially after the season dates are announced in the spring. The question on everyone’s mind right now is will we have any dove this year? The weather has been so hot and dry that many farmers have not been able to plant in some regions of the state and grain maturity is behind. Some outfitters are only booking part of their normal customer counts and using half of their land. The birds could be scarce in many parts of the state. But, they may surprise us. One thing that is guaranteed is that there will be 800 more Eurasian collared dove that will be banded and released across the state this month for the Texas Banded Bird Challenge (TBBC). Note that the entry deadline has changed this year. Entries for the 2022 TBBC close at midnight on August 31. I want to take a moment to pay our respects and to give our utmost and heartfelt sympathies to the people of Uvalde, a community very near and dear to many of our hearts. The town of Uvalde is a special little place. It has and always will be a hunting mecca. People come from all over to hunt in the Uvalde area and the sorrow from the event on May 24, 2022, was felt around the world. But the community itself has been shaken to the core. Please pray for the children, teachers, families, and everyone else who was affected by this horrendous tragedy. We were privileged to have outdoor writer Larry Weishuhn write an article for this issue on Uvalde and just what a special place it is. I know you’ll enjoy reading it. And if you’ve never had the privilege of hunting in this area, you’ve missed out! Every hotel and motel for miles is a sea of camoflauge on opening day. It’s a sight to be seen! Take a kid hunting,
Bobby Thornton
MISSION STATEMENT Texas Dove Hunters Association promotes strong family unity through hunting and outdoor programs. We are committed to research, education and habitat conservation. 8 | FALL 2022
