TPWD Migratory Bird Hunting Update Dec. 31st, 2008

Lake O' The Pines duck hunting heats up, ring-necks, and canvasbacks numbers look good.

According to local reports, there are lots of hunters on the water, too.

North Zone Duck: Lots of holiday hunters kept birds moving on lakes and reservoirs. Recent rains have helped fill sloughs and backwaters where acorns and other forage were plentiful. Timber hunters say wood ducks are steady in the morning and afternoon. More mallards have been taken in the past two weeks around the Red River. Lake Wright-Patman has been good for gadwalls, teal and mallards. Lake Palestine has been steady for gadwalls, teal and a few mallards. Sam Rayburn has yielded limits for mallards, teal, gadwalls and wood ducks for hunters able to hunt lay-out blinds in coves. Toledo Bend, Caddo Lake , Lake O’the Pines and Lake Fork have plenty of ringed-necks, scaup and canvasbacks. A few mallards have been taken in isolated pockets of water. Hunting along IH-10 has been fair to good around Winnie and Anahuac . Wood ducks have been taken in small timber ponds. Gadwalls and green-winged teal have been harvested near Nome . Prospects are fair to good.

South Zone Duck: Duck hunting on the coastal prairie has been steady on ponds able to be rested between hunts. Conditions remain dry and many ponds have dried or are close to drying. If the region does not get significant rain in the next few weeks many ponds will not be huntable by the middle of January. Best duck hunts have been had near Wharton, East Bernard and Garwood. Bay hunters have seen mixed results. Hunters in Matagorda and Port O’Connor have taken redheads, pintails and a few wigeons. Rockport hunters have seen slow hunts. Inland ponds near Port Lavaca have been good for teal, gadwalls and pintails. Marsh hunters near Collegeport have scored limits of bluewings, greenwings and gadwalls. Goose hunters continue to benefit from a large flock of juvenile snow geese. Last week’s low ceiling and foggy conditions put lots of birds on the deck. Canada geese have been showing in the bag. Specklebellies have been decoy shy and even more skeptical to calling. Prospect are fair to good for ducks and good for geese.

See the full report at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20081231a