Teal hunting season opens Sept. 19 with a nine-day early season for the second consecutive year.

For a third year in a row, Texas received significant rain in the spring across most of the state, bolstering the previous year’s healthy dove populations. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologist’s estimate both mourning and white-winged doves are near record highs again. These new population reports are good news for hunters hitting the field on Sept. 1, a historic early opening date approved earlier this year.