In the old days, buying a fishing or hunting license in Texas often meant standing in line for hours on opening day of dove season. But today, it’s easier than ever to get a license — you don’t even have to leave home if you purchase online or over the phone.

Texas hunting and fishing licenses go on sale today, and with more than 2,300 places to purchase a permit and two weeks before opening day, there’s no reason to go back in time and wait in line. Current licenses expire at midnight Aug. 31.

There are a number of different license options designed to meet the needs of people wanting to enjoy the Lone Star State’s rich outdoor opportunities. Whether you plan to fish or hunt only once in a while, or you plan to spend the year loading the freezer with wild game and fish, a license package is available.

If you want to leave your options open, the Super Combo package is the way to go. It includes resident fishing and hunting licenses, along with all five state stamp endorsements. The cost is $68.

When you buy your license, be sure to pick up the TPWD Outdoor Annual — a magazine that’s the handbook of outdoor recreation in Texas.

The Outdoor Annual features general information about hunting and fishing, fish and game laws, fishing and hunting seasons, fish identification, game handling information, a county-by-county breakdown of hunting information, safety tips and helpful articles designed to improve the knowledge and skills of outdoorsmen.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to contribute to this year’s magazine, and wrote an article on choosing lures for largemouth bass under different conditions and times of year. I covered the basics and rounded out the article with some tips on lure selection from pro anglers Kevin VanDam, Clark Wendlandt and Waco’s own Alton Jones.

The first event of the outdoor calendar is the opening of dove season, and this year, the North and Central Dove Zone season runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 24 and reopens Dec. 25 through Jan. 9.

Texas boasts fall dove populations in excess of 40 million birds and its 300,000 dove hunters kill about 6 million birds annually or roughly 30 percent of all doves taken in the United States. Dove hunting also has a major economic impact, contributing more than $300 million to the state’s economy.

If you’re new to the area or don’t otherwise have access to dove hunting land, TPWD’s public hunting program offers affordable access to quality hunting with the purchase of a $48 annual public hunting permit.

The state leases roughly a million acres from private landowners, nearly 50,000 acres of which are dove hunting areas — and a good number of those fields are within an easy drive from Waco.

Fishing on Lake Whitney

If you’re thinking it’s too hot to fish, then spending a little time with Clay Yadon will change your mind.

Yadon, 817-219-3707, who guides striper trips on Lake Whitney, says he keeps waiting for the fishing to slow down, but it hasn’t yet.

“Fishing is excellent. We’re still catching limits every day,” he said, adding that he couldn’t remember the last day that his customers hadn’t caught a limit.

“Most of the fish we’re catching are solid — in the 6- to 8-pound range,” Yadon said, “but once in a while we’ll catch a big one. The biggest this week was a 19-pounder.”

He recommends fishing live shad on underwater humps and along channel edges in 35 feet of water.

Roadside assistance

On a personal note, I’d like to thank Marcy Pauling for helping a shaggy-looking, sweaty, stranded motorist last week at the Hewitt Post Office. My truck’s battery was low on juice, and Mrs. Pauling kindly offered a jump-start that got me back on the road to reporting the outdoors.

www.centexoutdoors.com

717-8907