Dove shooting, like deer hunting, can be improved by conducting just a few basic management practices.
Story and Photography by Bob Zaiglin

I would like to say that the month of September ushers in cooler weather, but that is not always the case. For Texans, particularly those residing in the southern portion of the state, elevated temperatures seem to linger on until that first cool front in October arrives.
The same is not true in the northern tier of the U.S. and Canada where big-game hunters scale the rocky slopes in search of the iconic sheep while others below in the black timber attempt to lure in a loquacious, belligerent bull elk. And then there are the lucky few fit enough to pursue mule deer in the windswept moonscape just above the tree line of the Rockies.
Make no mistake about it—September represents the advent of another hunting season across the continent, but for Texans, the pursuit of deer remains on hold for just a little longer, providing sportsmen additional time to prepare for that much anticipated season opener.
One of the first things sportsmen notice upon returning to their favorite piece of deer turf in September is the brush regrowth that developed over the summer months. The last three years have provided elevated amounts of rain, and as a result, the vegetative community has responded by progressively expanding across the landscape. This was definitely not the case four years ago when we were experiencing back-to-back habitat debilitating drought conditions. It was not uncommon to see acres of bare soil as a result, but that has changed over the last three wet years. Paralleling the increased amount of rainfall has been the expansion of brush not only laterally, but more importantly, vertically, across the landscape.

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