South Zone Bird Hunting Report

SOUTH TEXAS, November 10, 2005 - South Zone: Duck season along the coast began where teal season left off — fast shooting and lots of limit hunts.

Hunters in the marsh from Port Arthur to Rockport saw steady shooting for gadwalls, greenwings, shovelers and wigeons. Trinity Bay was good along the north shoreline and in the traditional hunting pockets of the bay.

The High Island marsh and Anahuac marsh enjoyed steady shotgunning for teal. Seadrift and Rockport hunters filled bags with gadwalls, wigeons and greenwings. San Antonio Bay, Copano Bay and Aransas Bay saw good hunting.

Duck hunters on the prairie took limits of greenwings, gadwalls and shovelers. An influx of greenwings were noticed from Eagle Lake to Palacios and hunters took advantage of the fast-flyers. El Campo, Garwood and Wharton saw great shoots over leveed ponds and flooded rice, with the odd greenhead showing in the bag. Divers showed up in bags on the prairie this past weekend.

Scaup, ringed-necks and scaup were harvested, giving rise to the notion that the diver migration is on. In past years, divers have been seen on the prairie for 7–10 days before eventually making their way to the bay. Lots of specklebellies are on the prairie and most duck hunters were able to at least get a shot at a speck. Those who set goose spreads saw what many outfitters consider to be some of the finest specklebelly decoying they have ever seen.

Most goose hunters are getting their limit of specks before seven o’clock then watch the dark geese bombard their spread for the next two hours.

Biologist estimate 40 percent of specklebellies are juveniles; outfitters claim it could be higher than that. The brunt of the snow goose population has not made it to Texas, yet. Outfitters report taking two to five snows per hunt, and, the snows they are harvesting are young birds. Trickles of new snows are showing on roosts daily, despite the warmer than normal conditions. Expect to see an influx of snows as the moon grows brighter. A full moon is set for Nov. 15. Prospects are good.