Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report
October 29, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Duck hunting was generally good in the Panhandle region as the High Plains Mallard Management Unit (HPMMU) opened for a short stint Oct.25-26. Wigeons, teal, gadwalls and a few mallards were taken over playa lakes. Dumas, Spearman and ponds near Amarillo are holding adequate amounts of water from recent rains. Hunts near Knox City enjoyed limit hunts, though outfitters say they could use more rain. More geese are showing daily, especially with the recent front that dropped nighttime lows in the 30s. Canadas and sandhill crane numbers are looking good. The HPMMU season reopens and runs Oct.31. The West Zone goose season runs Nov.8. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: Duck numbers are fair at best for the Nov.1 opener. Fair amount of ducks, including gadwalls and wigeons were reported on Caddo Lake and Lake Wright-Patman. The region has received little rain since summer, which has many sloughs and backwaters devoid of moisture. Wood ducks look good in the timber, but another shot of water would help. The best region in the North Zone looks to be the agricultural fields near the coast just north of IH-10. Since rice production is up due to better prices, many fields have water to grow second-crop rice. Fields near Sealy, Brookshire, China, Devers, Nome and Winnie have a fair amount of teal, shovelers, pintails and mottled ducks. Prospects are fair.
South Zone Duck: Duck numbers are improving since the front passed early this week. The coastal prairie remains dry, except for second-cropped rice fields and ponds that have been pumped. Gadwalls, wigeons, teal, shovelers and pintails are building on leveed ponds and rice. Marsh ducks are building near Seadrift, Port O’Connor and Rockport. Scaup and redheads are showing on the bay near Port O, Rockport and Port Mansfield. Specklebelly numbers are building, though the brunt of the population has not arrived yet. A few snow geese are showing, but not enough to hunt. The marsh near High Island and Anahuac is devoid of food from saltwater intrusion which should affect the duck flight. As a whole, duck numbers are fair in the South Zone. The season opens Nov.1. Prospects are fair.
South Zone Dove: Dove hunting improved during the past week with the recent cool front. New birds showed in El Campo, Bay City, Collegeport and Blessing, though many hunters have lost interest due to upcoming deer and duck openers. Good shoots were posted in Laredo, McAllen, Port Mansfield and Brownsville, though most birds moved better in the afternoon. The first split of the season runs through Nov. 9. Prospects are fair to good.
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Weekly Texas Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 9/17/2008
September 17, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
North Zone Dove: Best hunts have come around sunflowers and milo. Good hunts were posted near Sweetwater and Abilene. Soybeans in the northeast corner of the state have held birds. Amarillo and Dumas have had good hunts over milo, corn and watering holes. Knox City hunters have enjoyed strong afternoon shoots. The recent cool front pushed a few northern birds to the region. Prospects are good.
Central Zone Dove: The San Antonio corridor was spared from the rains of Hurricane Ike. Hunting continues to be steady around corn, milo and sunflowers. Hondo, Uvalde and Castroville have been steady in the afternoon around water. A new group of birds showed up with the recent cool front. Harrison County fields remain steady around plowed ground and goatweed. Marion County fields have been fair, but new birds have arrived on the winds of the front. Fields along the coast on the east side of Houston have seen few hunters since Hurricane Ike. The region was inundated with water and several agricultural fields were overrun with saltwater from the storm surge. Sealy, Katy and Brookshire have been fair to good. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Dove Prospects: The Sept. 20 opener should be a good one in South Texas, especially around the border of the South and Central zones. Fields around Uvalde, Del Rio and San Antonio are loading up with birds moved by hunting pressure in the Central Zone. Laredo, McAllen, Harlingen and fields around Port Mansfield are holding strong concentrations of birds. El Campo and Bay City fields look good for both whitewings and mourners. Large storm surges along the middle coast moved some birds farther inland from agricultural fields near the marsh and along the bayfront. Prospects are good.
Teal Season: Steady shoots have been posted across the coastal prairie on the west side of Houston. Eagle Lake, El Campo, Garwood, East Bernard, Chesterville and Egypt have seen good concentrations of teal. Some areas of Wharton County received as much as 12 inches of rain over the weekend. Good hunts were had around Nome on the east side of Houston. Few hunters have ventured in the marsh near Anahuac and High Island since Hurricane Ike’s catastrophic storm surge. Best shoots near Port O’Connor have come around freshwater impoundments. Prospects are good.
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