For hunters across South Texas, the wait is almost over.

The first dove season of the year begins Tuesday, bringing hunters into fields across the region and giving farmers, hunting guides and local businesses another chance to benefit from the annual tradition.

At Katzfey Ranches, Mark Katzfey prepares for dove season months in advance, turning thousands of acres across four counties into sunflower and sesame fields.

But getting the timing right is a gamble.

“If you plant them too early, you really run the risk of the doves eating them completely out by the time season gets here,” Katzfey said. “But you have a risk of waiting too too late too, and if it doesn’t get any rain, then you could have had something. So it’s just like farming; it’s just taking gambles.”

Katzfey grows oilseed sunflowers and sesame because of their high oil content, which makes them especially attractive to doves.

“One of them is crack cocaine, the other one’s crystal meth to a dove,” Katzfey said, comparing the two crops.

The hunting operation has also become another way for Katzfey to generate income from his land.

“It’s a way that you can actually have a positive cash flow on some of these acres instead of just growing hay or cotton or corn or milo, or cattle,” Katzfey said. “We employ nine people, and we think about dove hunting all year long.”

Two of those employees are lifelong friends Bill Groce and Johnnie Arolfo, both retirees who now work as hunting guides.

Their job starts well before hunters arrive.

Groups can range from about a dozen hunters to as many as 40, depending on the size of the field and where guides find the birds during scouting trips.

Groce said he drove about 145 miles scouting fields on Friday.

“We’re looking to see what kind of a timeline, or what time these birds are coming into the field,” Groce said. “Some days the birds are in one field, not so strong. Maybe the next day…”

The impact of dove season can extend beyond the hunting fields and into town.

At Agave Jalisco Taqueria, owner Gilberto “Beto” Martinez said hunters have become a noticeable part of the restaurant’s business during dove season.

“Last year we make around 2,000 tacos during the first dove season,” Martinez said.

And for Martinez and his wife, Elizabeth, a busy lunch crowd can turn an otherwise slow day into a celebration.

“There’s a lot of people that like margaritas, shots, uh, whatever gives you tipsy,” Martinez said with a laugh.

The first dove season begins Tuesday and runs through October 25, bringing hunters back to fields across South Texas and increased business to communities throughout the region.