2021-2022 Duck Hunting Thread

[97JeepGuy]

How's the birds looking on the coast right now, specifically POC area? I'm looking at going the next two weekends but haven't been hearing much info.

Definitely not as many redheads as years past but quite a few buffleheads and scaup if you’re looking for divers.


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[Pin Oak DXT]

To add to your other post, all the outfitters lease up every bit of land that is left out around Eagle Lake and Garwood and hunt it every day. Where are the roosts now. I hunted Geese down there years ago and saw tons of Geese coming off the roost next to us. We shot some birds and saw a lot. I mentioned it would be nice to have that piece of land over there and the guide said that it was historically a big roost and didn't get hunted because of that to keep birds in the area. Are there any of those left?

Gander, I would be interested in how long that oxbow was rested since the last hunt?

Not as many roosts. I have a 100 acre roost on my property that I flood and use as a refuge. We don’t hunt it. It holds birds in our area.


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[Mitchell8]

To add to your other post, all the outfitters lease up every bit of land that is left out around Eagle Lake and Garwood and hunt it every day. Where are the roosts now. I hunted Geese down there years ago and saw tons of Geese coming off the roost next to us. We shot some birds and saw a lot. I mentioned it would be nice to have that piece of land over there and the guide said that it was historically a big roost and didn't get hunted because of that to keep birds in the area. Are there any of those left?

Gander, I would be interested in how long that oxbow was rested since the last hunt?

There’s 1/4 the rice in south Texas as there was 20 years ago. Subdivisions no rice no habitat no birds. In 10 years you can rest your pond besides 2x a year and hope to get a limit between both hunts

[150class]

Rice and habitat have plummeted
Guides and hunter recruitment/pressure has sky rocketed
Mix in a terrible year of reproduction and you have a rough year

Will only get worst until one of the first to start headed the other direction and we get back to a normal or above average reproduction/nesting season.

I’ll be out there if it drops to a 3-4 bird limit. Will be pickier on hunts and days but still will go. Will probably see some guides/outfitters drop off if the decrease last 2-3 years which would help with pressure but that’s someone’s lively hood so it sucks.

Hoping next year is a strong bounce back in the right direction.

[CTR0022]

I'm a big believer that guides should not be able to shoot on guided trips. In TX a guide can not keep a limit of fish while guiding, the same should be with hunting. I think making it unlawful for guides to shoot while guiding clients will knock alot of these fly by night guide services out and that is exactly what the sport needs.

I think DU and Delta local chapters need to work on creating habitat and food on public land for ducks, creating millet programs or the like.

I would like to see TP&W work with private landowners and guides to create more opportunities for duck and goose draw hunts. Like they do with their private land dove draw hunts. No reason they can't find a dozen or so reputable guides to work with.

I think their needs to be an app created that is linked to HIP and hunters are expected to report every species and sex of duck that was harvested within 24 hours of harvest. I think the state and zone hunted needs to be part of the data as well. I dont think HIP is accurate at all, especially since it is not reported till 8 months after the season ends. I also think there is valuable data in knowing what species and the sex of the birds being harvested.

I think there needs to be a cap on the number of hens taken, max of 3 hens any aggregate per day. I know you can only take 2 mallard hens per day, limiting the number of hens taken on all species is something that needs to be put into place.

[CTR0022]

Just out of curiosity how many of yall keep a log of every duck species and hen/drake shot through the season?

[gander]

Congrats on an incredible hunt! That's what dreams are made of....and in Southeast Tx to boot!

Do they shoot mallards like that every year on that place?

Yes sir, every year we will have a hunt like that, last year I believe we had 4 like that. This is our first time to hunt it this year though.

To add to your other post, all the outfitters lease up every bit of land that is left out around Eagle Lake and Garwood and hunt it every day. Where are the roosts now. I hunted Geese down there years ago and saw tons of Geese coming off the roost next to us. We shot some birds and saw a lot. I mentioned it would be nice to have that piece of land over there and the guide said that it was historically a big roost and didn't get hunted because of that to keep birds in the area. Are there any of those left?

Gander, I would be interested in how long that oxbow was rested since the last hunt?

This was our first time to hunt the oxbow this year. I believe we had 4 hunts similar to that last year and it was typically rested 2-3 weeks in between. They have an old reservoir and two old WRP ponds on the place. 15 years ago we used to hunt the WRPs and reservoir every weekend, Saturday and Sunday. It was very seldom that we didn't have limit hunts each of those days and if we didn't have all our birds we would "jump" the oxbows and try and pickup a few mallards. Most the birds we were killing in the WRPs and reservoir are what you expect down here, teal, gadwall, mottleds, etc., with a few mallards mixed in during fronts. About 7-8 years ago they tried actually setting up and hunting the oxbows and started to see decent results. Five years ago they decided to quit hunting the WRPs and this has been the result. All they do to the oxbows each year are pull the water off and disc them, right before season they will put water back on them and wait. This is the latest they have had to wait to have a hunt on it. I have to give my friends credit because it would be tough for me not to go have a good 2 man shoot every couple weeks. Probably helps that the deer hunting on the property is pretty stellar as well.

[Lampasas]

I think TX needs to limit public and state land hunting to mornings only, with hunting ending at 12. The amount of pressure on the coast is unbelievable. I am actually surprised that any birds come down here anymore with all of the pressure. People are hunting all morning and all afternoon. Airboats are constantly running though the marsh bumping birds. These birds need time to rest, eat, and be comfortable.

[Quackerbox]

I'm a big believer that guides should not be able to shoot on guided trips. In TX a guide can not keep a limit of fish while guiding, the same should be with hunting. I think making it unlawful for guides to shoot while guiding clients will knock alot of these fly by night guide services out and that is exactly what the sport needs.

I think DU and Delta local chapters need to work on creating habitat and food on public land for ducks, creating millet programs or the like.

I would like to see TP&W work with private landowners and guides to create more opportunities for duck and goose draw hunts. Like they do with their private land dove draw hunts. No reason they can't find a dozen or so reputable guides to work with.

I think their needs to be an app created that is linked to HIP and hunters are expected to report every species and sex of duck that was harvested within 24 hours of harvest. I think the state and zone hunted needs to be part of the data as well. I dont think HIP is accurate at all, especially since it is not reported till 8 months after the season ends. I also think there is valuable data in knowing what species and the sex of the birds being harvested.

I think there needs to be a cap on the number of hens taken, max of 3 hens any aggregate per day. I know you can only take 2 mallard hens per day, limiting the number of hens taken on all species is something that needs to be put into place.

All that sounds great. I like every point.

The trouble is you have guys who can't tell the difference between a snipe and a duck (happened on this site last year). Much less the difference between a drake and a hen in flight.

Imo the issue is new guys who didn't grow up shooting ducks and run out to bass pro buying decoys and shotguns then piling over to lake X and start shooting. They didn't have anyone showing them the ropes so they end up with a limit of coots during teal season

And I have a binder of every hunt I made during the early to mid 90s. It lists the property/lake I hunted, with who, weather and how many we shot

I think TX needs to limit public and state land hunting to mornings only, with hunting ending at 12. The amount of pressure on the coast is unbelievable. I am actually surprised that any birds come down here anymore with all of the pressure. People are hunting all morning and all afternoon. Airboats are constantly running though the marsh bumping birds. These birds need time to rest, eat, and be comfortable.

The public lakes I hunted, you had to be off at noon. When we ran an airboat all over matagorda shooting ducks, it was very rare to hear or see anyone hunting the afternoons till the last of the season.

Hunters policed themselves better 20 years ago

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[jdg13]

Just out of curiosity how many of yall keep a log of every duck species and hen/drake shot through the season?

I keep a log of species and totals for the season. I have also participated in the wing surveys and gotten reports from USFWS on my seasons kills. To your prior post, I think limiting to X number of hens is a bit much. Something like mallards or pintails, it's easy to tell. Can you pick drakes out of a flock of blue wings every time, especially early season? The hen limits on certain species that are struggling make a lot more sense. Cut the limit to 3, close it to certain species if need be, and go from there. Adding government bureaucracy isn't the answer.

[js4242]

If the Feds push to 3/30 a lot of folks are going to drop duck hunting. I'm ok with that. There is a balance between over crowding and hunter recruitment. I think we are a bit overcrowded at the moment. As 150Class mentioned, I don't see how the majority of guides stay in the game at 3/30. I guess a lot depends on how they break the 30 days up over the season. Right now we are in 6/74. The only other option as far as I am aware is the 6/60. I believe the feds will go nuclear for the Central Flyway and go to 3/30. I will be out chasing them with my dog and kid no matter what. They are the two main reasons I go now.

[150class]

Just out of curiosity how many of yall keep a log of every duck species and hen/drake shot through the season?

I was selected for that usfw log harvest thing this year and they are going to get the most detailed log ever lol

Waiting on a couple blank sheets to keep things going.

[Scubasteveo]

Question, aren't the hunters and DU up north making their habitat better so the birds don't have to come so far south? I have heard of them putting agitators in their water so it won't freeze over, and they actually plant food for the birds. I read a story last year about how even Stuttgart AR is slowly dying, and that was the mecca. Birds don't have to come so far south when they have food and water up North. I haven't heard a single group of geese this year, used to hear and see them all the time at least flying over. Hegar's place on 2920 West of Tomball used to always hold birds, haven't seen any there in years. When Katy went from Rice fields to subdivisions, it killed Houston area hunting. Just my opinion.

[150class]

Question, aren't the hunters and DU up north making their habitat better so the birds don't have to come so far south? I have heard of them putting agitators in their water so it won't freeze over, and they actually plant food for the birds. I read a story last year about how even Stuttgart AR is slowly dying, and that was the mecca. Birds don't have to come so far south when they have food and water up North. I haven't heard a single group of geese this year, used to hear and see them all the time at least flying over. Hegar's place on 2920 West of Tomball used to always hold birds, haven't seen any there in years. When Katy went from Rice fields to subdivisions, it killed Houston area hunting. Just my opinion.

I have been meaning to read into this more as far as nesting habitat maintenance and what not compared to feeding habitat and stuff down here.

Does anyone know if DU has a open log of maintenance/projects?

[DUKFVR]

Just out of curiosity how many of yall keep a log of every duck species and hen/drake shot through the season?

I have kept one since 1976. I got more detailed as I got older.