26 Nov 2008 - Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report
November 26, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Colder weather helped decoying action for geese near Dumas, Etter and Spearmon. Some outfitters said the stiff north wind kept many geese on the deck. The weather quickly warmed after the front, which hurt bird movement. Outfitters say Canadas have been cooperating but snow geese have been their usual wary self. Lots of ducks are roosting on playas and feed lot ponds. More mallards moved in with the last front and expect more with the forecasted front Thanksgiving weekend. Wigeons and gadwalls have taken up the slack when mallard have been absent. Sandhill crane hunters have been taking limits over corn and plowed ground. Outfitters say the abundance of water has all the birds scattered throughout the region, instead of roosting in traditional spots. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: Cold weather exited and mild weather set in over the region during the weekend. However, a forecasted front mid-week and into the weekend should help prompt birds to move. Many hunters in Northeast Texas say they are not seeing the number of mallards they normally see this time of year. Most of the mallards have been harvested in ponds and sloughs near the Red River. Lake Wright-Patman has been good for gadwalls, teal and wood ducks. Lake Palestine has been good for gadwalls and wood ducks. Caddo Lake has been steady for gadwall, teal and ringed-necks. More divers have shown on Sam Rayburn, Lake Fork and Toledo Bend. Along the coast near IH-10, mottled ducks, pintails and green-winged teal have made up the brunt of the bag. Many hunters set up on rice fields say they are seeing more birds this year, probably due to poor conditions in the nearby marsh. The first split end at sunset Nov. 30. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Duck: Duck hunting has been average across the coast during the first split. Lack of water and significant cold front to push ducks south may be the culprit. Best shoots have come from Wharton County fields near East Bernard and Wharton. Eagle Lake, Garwood and El Campo fields have been fair at best. The one noticeable absentee has been the northern shovelers. Many outfitters have said few spoonbills have been harvested. More green-winged teal moved along the coast during the past 10 days. Bay hunters in Port O’Connor, Rockport and Port Mansfield have seen fair hunting at best. Redheads were late finding the coast, but stronger concentrations have begun to raft on shoalgrass shorelines of late. Many hunters reported seeing more wigeons than normal during the first split. Goose hunting picked up during the week. Many spreads are getting their limit of specklebellies due to a large batch of young, bare-chested birds. Snow geese have readily decoyed in hot feeding fields due to large gaggle of juveniles. Some estimates support upwards of 30 percent young in the flock. Hunters have not enjoyed optimal goose hunting weather, with calm, clear days dominating since the opener. The first split of duck season ends at sunset Nov. 30. Prospects are fair to good.
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Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 11/19/2008
November 19, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: The front brought new birds to the region but mild temperatures quickly returned. Outfitters have said temperatures in the 70s have not prompted geese to feed heavily, which has hurt decoying action. Many outfitters have said there are plenty of Canadas and snows to hunt; but, weather has been the ingredient to harvest them. Duck numbers look good on playas and feed lots. More mallards showed with the front. Knox City and Haskell County hunters have taken limits of wigeons, teal, gadwalls and a few mallards. Water conditions look better in the northern region of the Panhandle compared to the southern. Sandhill cranes numbers are strong and a few good hunts have been posted. Again, mild conditions and high skies have limited hunters. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: More ducks showed with the front. Gadwalls, teal and woodies continue to be most consistent in bags, but more mallards showed this week. Lots of woodies have been seen early in the river bottoms. Locales say they are seeing many more wood ducks than a year ago, probably due to better water conditions. Area lakes and reservoirs are holding more divers than normal. Divers like scaup and redheads are late getting to the coastal bayfronts, but many have begun their migration since the front. Lake Wright-Patman has been fair for gadwalls, teal and a few divers. Lots of ringed-necks on Caddo Lake. Power plant lakes, where hunting is prohibited, are holding large concentrations of birds. The river bottoms have water but could use another doze of soaking rains. Fields in Brookshire, Winnie, Nome, Sealy and Katy received rain that recharged duck ponds. Second-cropped rice fields have been best for teal, gadwalls, shovelers and mottled ducks. Many hunters have reported seeing more mottled ducks on inland fields on the east side of Houston, probably due to deteriorating marsh conditions brought about by Hurricane Ike. The first split of duck season runs through Nov. 30. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Duck: Duck hunters have seen consistent action on prairie ponds, especially since three to seven inches of rain fell last week. The recent front deposited new birds to the region, including more green-winged teal. Lots of bluewings still hanging around, especially in the marsh near Collegeport. Wharton, Garwood, Eagle Lake, East Bernard and El Campo ponds have been steady, with the odd specklebelly being taken out of duck blinds. Action on local wildlife management areas had been slim, but action picked up with the front and new water to fill freshwater compartments. Port O’Connor and Rockport hunters saw an influx of redheads, scaup and pintails. The hard north wind associated with the front blew some of the pintails from the prairie to the marsh. A stiff southerly wind should send them back, quickly. Goose numbers continue to build. The front pushed many more snow geese to the coast which hit fresh cut second-cropped rice fields. Good hunts were posted with a little fog and south winds that blew before the front. A good ration of young to old birds has helped decoying action—the same can be said for specklebellies. No reports of Canada geese, yet. The first split of duck season runs through Nov. 30. Prospects are good.
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Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 11/12/2008
November 12, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Outfitters say playa lakes look good and are holding lots of ducks and geese. Most of the birds are scattered throughout the region with the abundance of water. Colder weather should congregate the flocks. Pintails, teal, gadwalls, wigeons and a few mallards have been taken. The brunt of the population has not arrived, yet. Hunting has been fair at best recently with the milder than normal temperatures. Calm days coupled with blue skies have not helped decoying action. Sandhill crane hunting was fair during opening weekend. Those with a little wind saw better results. Goose numbers are building daily with the bright moon and a forecasted cold front that is expected to move through the region. Prospects are good.
North Zone: Duck hunting was fair at best on Northeast Texas lakes and reservoirs. Ponds near Dallas and north of the city saw mixed bags of gadwalls, teal and mallards. Mild temperatures have been the culprit in so few birds seen. Lake Wright-Patman was good for half-limits at best. Toledo Bend, Caddo Lake and Lake O’the Pines held divers and gadwalls. Water levels on lakes and reservoirs remain adequate for hunting. The southern portion of the north zone was fair at best as well. Fields near Brookshire, China, Devers, Nome, Sealy and Winnie held scattered flocks of specklebellies to go with a smattering of ducks. Conditions remain dry on rice and prairie ponds north of IH-10. Expect new birds to show with the full moon, despite no significant cold front forecasted. Prospects are fair.
South Zone: Duck hunting has been fair at best throughout the region, though prairie ponds holding adequate water has seen steady hunting. Best hunts have been in Wharton County, where blue-winged teal, gadwalls, pintails, wigeons and shovelers have filled straps. Fields near Garwood have been steady as well, with most ducks hunters taking the odd specklebelly, too. The Justin Hurst WMA near Freeport, Mad Island WMA near Bay City and Guadalupe Delta WMA near Port Lavaca has seen poor to fair hunting. Most of the freshwater compartments and moist soil units are dry. Duck hunting near Port O’Connor has been fair to good for those willing to put in the time to scout. The brunt of the diver population has not arrived, and the same goes for pintails, gadwalls and wigeons. Rockport has seen fair hunting at best. Large rafts of ducks have not arrived, yet. Goose hunting has been fair to good, with most hunters taking their limit of specklebellies. Snow geese have cooperated when the wind blows. A good hatch of young birds has aided in decoying action. Expect new geese to arrive with the forthcoming full moon. The region received needed rainfall early this week, as much as five inches in some parts, which should recharge parched ponds. Prospects are fair to good.
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Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 11/5/2008
November 5, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Conditions look good in the Panhandle region near Amarillo, Dumas, Etter and Spearman. Outfitters say playa lakes are full of water and lots of waterfowl are roosting on them. Good duck hunts were posted for gadwalls, wigeons, teal and a few mallards. Lots of bluewings hanging around. Goose numbers look promising. Snow geese hanging around Lake Etter have lots of juveniles in the flock. Canada numbers look good as well. The West Zone goose season opens Nov. 8. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: The duck opener saw mixed results across the North Zone; however, compared to the 2007 opener, hunters saw better hunting. Decent hunts were posted on Lake Wright-Patman for gadwalls, wigeons and teal. Few mallards were reported. Caddo Lake hunters enjoyed the results, but most of the ducks were concentrated on big water. The same held true on Lake Fork, Toledo Bend and Lake Tawakoni. Bluebills, teal and a few redheads were taken on Lake O’the Pines. Good hunts were posted in rice and crawfish ponds near the coast on the southern border of the zone. Lots of hunters took their mottled duck along with greenwings and bluewings. Fog and calm winds along the coast this weekend hurt the flight somewhat. A pacific front is expected to drop temperatures later in the week. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Duck: Good hunts were posted on the prairie near Wharton and East Bernard. Lots of blue-winged teal were harvested along with gadwalls, shovelers, pintails and wigeons. Eagle Lake and Garwood enjoyed good shoots as well. Divers were taken on the prairie during opening weekend, but don’t expect them to hang around long. The prairie remains abnormally dry with water at a premium. Hunts along the bay were fair to good. The brunt of the duck population has not arrived, yet. Hunting was fair at best in the marsh east of Houston. A tidal surge of saltwater covered the entire marsh during Hurricane Ike and killed much of the duck food. Some of the rice was scorched by saltwater as well as water swelled well inland. Goose numbers look good. Limits of specklebellies were taken over rice, with a smattering of snows. Conditions were not favorable for goose hunting with calm conditions and clear skies. The juvenile population of snow geese looks to be in the 20-30 percent range, which bodes extremely well for decoying action. Prospects are good.
South Zone Dove: New birds showed up around South Texas since the front, but hunter participation has waned with the opening of duck and whitetail deer season. Some ranches that are primarily deer ranches have frowned on dove hunters shooting while deer hunters are on their stands. Sunflowers and watering holes have been the best bet. The season runs through Nov. 9. Prospects are good.
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Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 10/22/2008
October 22, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
North Zone Dove: Dumas and Steadman hunters have seen their best shoots in the afternoon over sunflowers and corn.Good hunts have been posted around Abilene and Knox City over sunflowers and milo. Amarillo has been fair to good over plowed ground. Fields near Paris and Bogota has been fair to good over soybeans and tanks in the afternoon. Fields north of Fort Worth has been fair around goatweed and water. A stronger front packing more ardent north winds this week should deposit a few more mourners across the Red River. The North Zone season ends at sunset Oct. 30. Prospects are fair to good.
Central Zone Dove: Fair to good shoots were posted along the border dividing the Central and South zones. Brownwood, San Saba and Stephenville has been good around roosting trees in the afternoon. Whitewings continue to find corn fields and gravel beds around San Antonio, Del Rio, Uvalde and Castroville. Rice, goatweed and milo have produced half-limit shoots near Hankamer, Winnie, Dayton, Sealy, Hempstead and Brookshire. The Central Zone season ends Oct. 31. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Dove: Plenty of doves have been flying in the Rio Grande Valley, but concentrations have been scattered with the recent rains. Outfitters say there is plenty of food and water everywhere. The same holds true for hunters around Port Mansfield. Three Rivers and George West saw good shoots around corn, milo and trees in the afternoon. Fields in El Campo have slowed for whitewings in sunflowers, but hunters are still taking half-limits. More mourners have showed with the recent fronts. Bay City was fair around gravel and grass farms. Conditions remain dry along the coast. Northerly forecasted mid-week should push new birds to the area. The South Zone season runs through Nov. 9. Prospects are good.
Waterfowl: The High Plains Mallard Management Unit duck season opens Oct. 25-26, and prospects look solid. Recent rains associated with front have recharged playa lakes and made the High Plains much wetter. This bodes well for waterfowl. Pintails, shovelers, teal, gadwalls and a few mallards have begun to show. The youth season for the North and South zones runs Oct. 25-26. Plenty of teal, gadwalls, wigeons and pintails in flooded rice fields and leveed ponds on both the east and west side of Houston. Rice prices encouraged farmers to plant more acreage which should help hunting tremendously. Lots of specklebellies showing on the coastal prairie daily with the recent fronts, and expect more on the heels of the front forecasted this week. Northeast Texas has not seen the numbers of ducks that coastal hunters are seeing. Water availability is adequate, but some sloughs and bayous could use another shot of water to float acorns. The North and South zone duck season opens Nov. 1. Reports from Canada indicate an average hatch of snow geese. No confirmed ratio of adult to juvenile geese, but TPWD biologists said they saw more grey birds in the flock compared to a year ago.
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