Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Duck numbers are solid throughout the Panhandle with an abundance of playa lakes. Pintails, wigeons, gadwalls, teal and mallards have been taken. Goose season is now open and the first weekend was fair to good. High skies and light winds hurt decoying action a bit. Snow goose numbers are building near Etter. A good hatch of juvenile birds should make for better decoying action. Sandhill crane numbers are good as well. Plowed ground and corn has been best. Knox City hunters have taken limits of wigeons, gadwalls and teal. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: The region continues to be plagued by drought. Backwaters, bayous and sloughs that normally inhabit concentrations of mallards, wood ducks and gadwalls are dry. Deeper sloughs that are holding remnants of the last significant rain are holding good numbers of wood ducks. Many ducks that normally stop in this region before heading to the coast are bypassing due to stressed habitat. The lack of water has concentrated more ducks on lakes and reservoirs, though many of the shallow coves that puddle ducks like to frequent are dry, too. Divers like redheads, buffleheads, scaup, canvasbacks and ring-necks have been taken on Lake O’Pines. Caddo Lake has been slow. Water levels are low on Toledo Bend from lack of rain and from lake managers drawing water down during the summer to make repairs. Best hunts have been while pass-shooting wood ducks. The Sulphur River bottom has been fair at best for gadwalls, teal and a few mallards. Prospects are fair.
South Zone Duck: Duck hunting on the coast continues to impress, especially on the coastal prairies. The past six weeks has seen dry weather and shallow flats that were full from flood rains during September are now dry. Outfitters and wildlife managers say the lack of water has concentrated ducks on those ponds still holding water. Pintails, green-winged teal and shovelers have comprised the brunt of the bag. More gadwalls and wigeons have shown since the opener. Prairie hunters have feasted on the occasional flight of gullible redheads and bluebills migrating through the high ground before they reach the bays. Bay hunters have had steady shoots of redheads, pintails, wigeons and gadwalls. Low tides from last week’s stiff north winds concentrated birds along the shoreline in Port O’Connor and Rockport. Goose numbers continue to improve, though light winds and high skies have not helped decoying action. The snow goose hatch looks to be an average one, according to the number of gray-feathered, juvenile birds in the flock. Few outfitters have begun running goose hunts regularly, choosing to wait until closer to Thanksgiving to give birds more time to arrive and pattern their movement. Prospects are good.
