Texas Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report - 9/24/2008
September 24, 2008
Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
North Zone Dove: Good hunts have been posted around Abilene and Knox City over sunflowers and milo. Amarillo has been fair to good over plowed ground and watering holes in the afternoon. Fields near Paris have been fair to good over soybeans and tanks in the afternoon. Fields north of Fort Worth have been fair around goatweed and water. Another round of north winds this week should deposit a few more northern birds across the Red River. Prospects are fair to good.
Central Zone Dove: Fair to good shoots were posted along the border dividing the Central and South zones, once shooters began banging in the South Zone. Areas around Del Rio and Uvalde saw the best action. Whitewings continue to find corn fields around San Antonio and Castroville. Good hunts have been had around Seguin and San Marcos around trees where birds have been coming to roost. Birds have been congregating along the coast under light hunting pressure. Rice and sunflowers produced good shoots near Hankamer and Winnie. Dayton, Sealy and Brookshire were best around goatweed, milo and rice. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Dove: The season opened with a bang in the Rio Grande Valley. Limits of whitewings were posted over wild sunflowers and milo fields. Three Rivers and George West saw good shoots around corn and milo. Plowed ground near water was best in the afternoon. Fields in El Campo were outstanding for whitewings in the afternoon on opening day. The morning flight was interrupted by a thick fog that held through mid-morning. Blessing saw fair to good shoots over rice. Bay City was fair around roosting trees in the afternoon. Northerly winds are forecast for the remainder of the week, which should push new birds to the area. Prospects are good.
Teal Hunting: The second weekend of the season was marred by a thick fog that held through mid-morning along the coast. Many coastal prairie hunters said the flight suffered because of the thick soup. Sunday was much better with clearing skies and a decent flight. Many hunters reported harvesting mostly drakes, Saturday, and more hens and greenwings Sunday, giving rise to the notion more birds moved in overnight. Several hunters reported seeing higher-flying birds Sunday, which also is a good indicator of new birds. Good hunts were posted in rice fields north if IH-10 on the east side of Houston near Nome, China and Winnie. There has been little to no hunting in the marsh near Anahuac and High Island due to the devastation of Hurricane Ike. In the North Zone, hunting has been fair at best. Teal season ends at sunset Sept. 28. Prospects are good along the coast.
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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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