Reports from Central Texas dove hunters have been overwhelmingly positive since the season opened Wednesday, especially for those who adjusted their tactics to the inevitable cold front that always passes through the area during the first couple days of the season.

In fact, hunters within a 200-mile radius of Waco have been inundated with birds, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife officials. Areas that didn’t get rain are still good bets for hunting stock tanks and other reliable water sources, and steady flights of white-winged and mourning dove have been keeping hunters blasting into the late-morning hours from Hillsboro to Austin, from Lampasas to College Station, since the front pushed through.

In the old days, it would take days to gather enough information to put a regional hunting report together, but times have changed — even since I started writing this column nine years ago.

Communication technology has had a major impact on people’s lives in recent years, and hunters are no exception. Of course, hunters and anglers have always depended on communication for success, and whether through word of mouth, walkie-talkie, telephone, e-mail or cell phone, outdoorsmen have historically been near the front lines of technology.

Most outdoorsmen don’t want anything to do with their cell phones during a fishing or hunting trip, but at the same time, you can’t deny that it’s smart to have a phone handy in case of emergency. Plus, if I’m catching big fish or enjoying a hunt, it’s tempting to send along a photo to friends and family.

Texas Parks & Wildlife is hoping to tap into the latest technologies by encouraging communication among hunters through Facebook and Twitter. TPWD plans to share hunting reports, host Q&A sessions, and more through the social media services.

Improving Waco water

If you’ve spent any time along the Lake Waco dam lately, you may have noticed the new activity in the water that a friend recently described as looking like five flying saucers ready to launch skyward from beneath the water’s surface.

City of Waco Water Department manager Tom Conry says there are five new aerators pumping in Lake Waco near the dam’s lake intake structure, designed to increase aeration in shallower water than the original aerator, which has been in the lake since the 1960s.

The aeration strategy is part of a comprehensive plan by the city, Corps of Engineers, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Baylor and ENSR environmental engineers to improve the quality of Waco’s water.

Cole’s 1st dove

Check out the Centex Outdoors website for a photo of 9-year-old hunter Cole Whitford of Hewitt with his first dove. Send your outdoor photos to mail@centexoutdoors.com.

www.centexoutdoors.com

717-8907