+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Releases Dated 2006-01-04 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | This page contains only plain text, no HTML formatting codes. | | It is not designed for display in a browser but for copying | | and editing in whatever software you use to lay out pages. | | To copy the text into an editing program: | | --Display this page in your browser. | | --Select all. | | --Copy. | | --Paste in a document in your editing program. | | If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send | | an e-mail to webtech@tpwd.state.tx.us and mention Plain Text Pages. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ Note: This item is more than 11 months old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, (512) 389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us ] [BG] Jan. 4, 2006 Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February. High Plains Mallard Management Unit/Panhandle: The region has been experiencing unseasonably high temperatures. Early last week, decoying action was fair at best over corn and wheat; however, as the week progressed, decoying action picked up and geese cooperated over full-bodied spreads. Still lots of geese using Lake Etter. The region remains very dry with only a few playas holding adequate water. Snow geese are plentiful, but clear blue skies and little wind has hampered decoying efforts. Mallards, wigeons and teal are good on playas with water; however, most waterfowlers are concentrating their efforts on geese. The same holds true for hunters near Knox City. Habitat there is drying up as well, though conditions there are somewhat better due to downpours the area received in September. Larger Canadas should move into the area as cold fronts move through the region in January. Prospects are good. North Zone Waterfowl: Many locals are saying they have not seen conditions this dry in their lifetime. Some waterfowlers are reporting they are shooting mallards from mud puddles since that is the only sign of water available in some areas. Most ducks are concentrated on lakes and reservoirs. Good diver shoots have been coming from Toledo Bend, Lake O'the Pines, Caddo Lake and Lake Fork. Many stock tank hunters are harvesting as many ringed-neck ducks as the bag limit allows. Canvasbacks are good on Toledo Bend and Lake O'the Pines. Even established coves on area lakes are becoming too tough to navigate without a shallow draft boat. Along the IH-10 corridor, shovelers, pintails, green-winged teal and a few mallards have been the norm for those leveed ponds still holding water. With less than a month left in the season, hunters are hoping for rain to recharge ponds. If not, many ponds will go dry as most hunters will not ante up the dollars to pay for fuel to run water pumps with just a few days left in the season. Prospects are fair. South Zone Waterfowl: Those coastal prairie ponds with water are generally taking half-limits of ducks. Those ponds able to be rested between hunts are producing limits of teal, pintails, shovelers and a few mallards. Green-winged teal have held throughout the region for most of the season and have comprised the brunt of the bag. Bay hunters are taking their redheads, bluebills and pintails on the shoal grass shorelines of West Matagorda Bay, San Antonio Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay and Aransas Bay. Some canvasbacks have been taken in the freshwater marsh of Copano Bay. Ducks remain congregated near Jack's Pocket in Trinity Bay. Half-limits have been the norm. Half-limits have been the norm in the marsh near High Island and Anahuac. Hunting has slowed on the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge near High Island. Goose hunting has been solid in hot feeding fields. Most geese are moving to fallow fields with fresh green growth; however, with the lack of rain, green growth is at a minimum, unless fields were over-seeded with rye grass or wheat. Better hunts for snow geese have come over wheat. Foggy conditions last week helped with heavier straps. Geese are building in the Anahuac marsh and foggy conditions produced banner hunts last week. Typically, mild January temperatures produce more foggy days than anytime during the year. Specklebelly season closes Jan. 15. Prospects are fair to good. --- On the Net: Avian Influenza: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/birdflu/ -30- [ Note: This item is more than 11 months old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ ] Jan. 4, 2006 Lonestar Aquafarms Donates Red Drum for Stocking in Lakes Braunig, Calaveras and Fairfield John Turner, General Partner/Manager of Lonestar Aquafarms, Ltd., a red fish farm outside Palacios in Jackson County, is donating about 30,000 red drum to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) again this year. The three quarter pound fish, worth between $30,000 and $50,000, will be stocked today in three power plant lakes for recreational fishing. The lakes scheduled to receive the fish are Lake Fairfield outside Fairfield in East Texas, Lake Braunig and Lake Calaveras outside San Antonio. "This donation is very important to TPWD because red drum, a saltwater species, does not reproduce naturally in these freshwater systems and the fishery is maintained only through stocking," said Brian Van Zee, of TPWD Inland Fisheries Division in Waco. "In addition, the donated fish are larger than what is normally stocked so we expect a high rate of survival from these stockings, which could mean better red drum fishing at these lakes in the future." For more information contact John Turner at Lonestar Aquafarms, Ltd. by email at jturner@lonestaraquafarms.com or by phone at (361) 972-3240. Lonestar Aquafarms is located at 1014 Jackson County Rd. 477 near Palacios. -30-