Migratory bird hunting report for the past week across Texas.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Outfitters said the pre-Thanksgiving cold front pushed more geese to the High Plains. Goose hunters enjoyed better decoying action near Dumas, Spearman and Amarillo. Specklebellies and Canadas continue to work in Knox and Haskell counties. Duck numbers continue to build in the Panhandle, with more mallards showing with the cool front. Lots of water has scattered ducks throughout the region, with the exception of the Knox City area, which could use more rain. Sandhill crane hunters enjoyed great decoying action. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: The first split of duck season ended at sunset Nov. 29 and results across the region ranged from poor to fair. Lack of ducks in Texas was not the problem, rather, too much water and flooding put a kink in efforts. The good news is more mallards have shown with the fronts and receding water should make backwater sloughs and rivers prime when the second split opens Dec. 12. Biologist Jared Laing said most of the mast crop was washed away with the flooding, but sloughs and river bottoms have been attracting good numbers of wood ducks. Gadwalls and wigeons have been taken in shallow coves of lakes and reservoirs. Hunting remained steady around the zone boundaries of IH-10. Freshwater impoundments have held pintails, wigeons, shovelers and wigeons. Hopefully strong concentrations of green-winged teal show by the second opener. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Duck: Duck hunters along the coast enjoyed the best duck hunting in the state during the first split. The coast continued to produce steady duck shoots on the prairies, marshes and bays. Gadwalls, wigeons, shovelers and pintails and pintails were taken on the coastal prairies. Large wads of green-winged teal were absent, but that should change with the strong cold front blowing through the state this week. Bay hunters enjoyed limits to half-limits near Port O’Connor and Rockport. The brunt of the snow goose population finally arrived on the prairie over the weekend, albeit three weeks late. Snow goose hunting has been difficult with mild temperatures and light winds. A small juvenile population has not helped either. Specklebellies have cooperated at times, but have not been “gimmees.” Sandhill crane numbers are steady, and hunters will get their first crack at the large gray birds Dec. 19. Reminder: hunters must possess the free crane permit to hunt sandhill cranes. The South Zone duck season opens again Dec. 12. Prospects are good.
