Texas Coast Offers the Best Duck Hunting Opportunities
The marsh ponds at Sea Rim and on down to the upper end of the Bolivar Peninsula were pretty good with numbers of teal, gadwall and black ducks.

Duck and goose seasons opened across most of Texas on Saturday and outfitters on the coast are reporting excellent numbers of ducks, with scattered groups of specklebelly geese.

Youth waterfowl hunts held last weekend were good on coastal marsh ponds. But they were very slow for rice field hunters in Southeast Texas.

Hunts around China and Nome were pathetic. But the marsh ponds at Sea Rim and on down to the upper end of the Bolivar Peninsula were pretty good with numbers of teal, gadwall and black ducks filling most bags.

Guide Jim West says his marsh ponds below High Island are loaded with gray ducks, blue and green winged teal, spoonies and widgeon.

"We got a bunch in with last week's front," says West. "I probably saw around 5,000 birds Wednesday morning. I think we're going to have some excellent hunts."
I can tell you for sure that the rice fields south of Winnie are holding very few ducks. I spent last Sunday scouting some prime waterfowl real estate between Winnie and the Intracoastal Canal and saw one little flight of teal, a few black ducks and one group of snow geese.

Port O'Connor duck hunting guide Dwayne Lowrey says the back water lakes there are holding big time numbers of ducks.

"We had good hunts for the kids last weekend," says Lowrey. "It was about as fast as they could shoot. We've got another little front moving through today that will probably bring in more ducks. We're holding lots of gray ducks, teal, widgeon, and some pintails."

Denny Copeland, who hunts the Hill Country and East Texas lakes says they are holding very few ducks.

"I just haven't seen that many ducks on the lakes," says Copeland. "But the lakes are in great shape. They were low last year. But all of them seem to be at or near capacity right now. All that new brush that's flooded along the bank will hold the birds if we can get them here."

By ROBERT SLOAN , The Enterprise

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Hunting the Texas bays and marshes of the Gulf Coast offers some of the finest duck hunting found anywhere in the world. These bays, lagoons, and lakes are known as the Redhead capital of the world. If you want Redheads, then this is the place for you. This environment holds over eighty percent of the world's Redhead population each winter.

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department the South Zone Waterfowl status is the following:

The coastal prairie is in good shape with adequate supplies of water in rice fields and leveed ponds. Lots of blue-winged teal are still hanging around. Pintails, gadwalls, shovelers and greenwings should make up the brunt of the bag opening day.

Bays around Port O’Connor, Seadrift and Rockport are holding birds. Trinity Bay and Freeport should see decent hunting. The Guadalupe Delta WMA near Port Lavaca will be open to hunting and biologist Kevin Kriegel said the impoundment is holding a few birds.

Justin Hurst WMA near Freeport and Mad Island WMA near Bay City should see good hunts for teal, shovelers and pintails. Goose hunters should expect to get their specklebellies in feeding fields, but snow geese still have not shown on the rice prairie in force. Small groups of light geese have been mixed with darks. Prospects are good for duck hunters, and fair to good for goose hunters. 

If you’re planning a duck hunting trip make sure you don’t forget the following:

• Texas Hunting License*
• Federal Migratory Stamp
• State Duck Stamp*
• Hunter Education Card* (If required)
• Shotgun and Non-toxic shells
• Hunting Clothes (be prepared for weather from 20 to 50 degrees)
• Rain Gear
• Chest Waders
• Camera

*Read the 2007 – 2008 Texas Waterfowl Digest for specific details on requirements guide.