+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Release 20061213a | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 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 seven days 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] Dec. 13, 2006 Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from late August through early February. High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Duck hunting continues to be very good on playa lakes and feed lot tanks near Dumas, Amarillo, Knox City, Spearman and Etter. Mallards, pintails, green-winged teal, wigeons, gadwalls and wood ducks have been showing in bags. Many more mallards since the last front. Hunting continues to be weather-driven. When the weather is stable, Canada geese have been patterning to the same fields and hunters have seen great decoying action. When the winds shift several times, the geese have been fickle. Lots of geese, though. Snow goose hunting has been fair around Lake Etter. Sandhill cranes have moved out of the Panhandle region since the last front. Prospects are good with a little weather. North Zone: The opener of the second split for the North Texas section of the North Zone was fair at best. Isolated pockets of water, which are hard to come by in this region, held ducks. Lakes and reservoirs saw the busiest shooting. The last front did deposit more mallards to the region. The IH-10 corridor saw the best action in the North Zone, though it was lackluster compared to the first opener. Many hunters in rice fields near Winnie, Brookshire and Sealy banged their birds, but many took half-limits as well. Gadwalls, green-winged teal, shovelers and pintails made up the bag, with a few mallards in the mix. Sunday, hunters reported much slower hunting. Mild temperatures are forecasted for the week, which does nothing to prompt migration. Prospects are fair in North Texas and fair to good closer to the coast. South Zone: The second duck opener was good, but not great like the first opener. Solid shoots were posted across the region. Pintails, gadwalls, shovelers and green-winged teal were the species taken on the coastal prairie. Many hunting parties got a shot at mallards as well. The last cold front coupled with a full moon send many greenheads to the coast. Not as many teal were seen on the coast compared to the first split. Pintails continue to cooperate on the prairies. Port O'Connor and Rockport was solid for pintails, redheads, scaup and wigeons. Afternoon bay hunters took solid straps as well. Goose hunting has improved. Snow geese have been readily decoying in strong feeding fields of rice and winter wheat. Specklebellies have decoyed as well since there are many young birds in the mix. The recent front deposited Canadas to the coast and some hunters reported taking their limit of three Canada geese to go along with two specks. Sandhill crane numbers are good and hunting should be strong when the season opens Dec. 23 in Zone C. Mild weather for the week should do nothing to prompt more birds to fly south. The region received an inch or more of rain Sunday which helped recharge drying ponds somewhat. The last 45 days have been quite dry on the coast. Prospects are fair to good. --- On the Net: Hunting Regulations: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/ Avian Influenza: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/birdflu/ -30-