Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from early September through early February.
High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Goose numbers remain solid. Goose hunters have enjoyed solid decoying action near Dumas, Spearman and Amarillo. Fog this week put geese on the deck, but also prompted birds to remain on the roost longer. Larger Canada geese are showing with frozen ponds in the northern states. Snow geese have been mixed with Canadas around Etter. Specklebellies and Canadas have worked decoy spreads in Knox and Haskell counties. Duck numbers continue to build in the Panhandle, with more mallards showing on playas. More teal, wigeons and gadwalls have shown as of late. Prospects are good.
North Zone Duck: Duck hunters have taken good numbers of mallards on area lakes and reservoirs. Waters along the Red River have held good numbers of mallards and wood ducks. Caddo Lake and Lake O’Pines have given up good hunts over the past few weeks. Canvasbacks and other divers have been steady on Lake O’Pines, Toledo Bend and Lake Fork. More gadwalls and wigeons have shown lately and have been best in shallow coves of lakes and reservoirs. Wood ducks have been steady at first light in the timber. Hunting remains fair to good around the zone boundaries of IH-10. Water availability has been a problem, unless hunters have the money to turn on water wells. Inland ponds have held pintails, wigeons, shovelers and green-winged teal. Prospects are fair to good.
South Zone Duck: Duck shoots along the prairies, marshes and bays improved this week, after a lackluster stretch the week prior to Christmas. Gadwalls, wigeons, shovelers and pintails have been steady near Eagle Lake, Garwood and Wharton, if you have water. The coastal prairies received another shot of rain mid-week which was quickly soaked up. Absent has been the large concentrations of green-winged teal that many hunters count on to fill limits; however, many hunters reported seeing large flocks of teal traveling high this week, giving rise to the notion that new birds are moving in. Bay hunters enjoyed limits to half-limits near Port O’Connor and Rockport. Redheads, bluebills, gadwalls and wigeons have made up the bay bags. Hunters in Trinity Bay have enjoyed half-limits of bluebills and gadwalls. Snow goose hunting has been fair. Specklebellies have shied from calling; hunters have done best by remaining silent. Sandhill crane numbers are strong. Some outfitters have said they have never seen this many cranes. Prospects are good.
