Migratory Bird Hunting Report No. 3

Weekly migratory bird hunting reports are posted from early September through early February.

North Zone Dove: Rain showers in North Texas hurt the flight a bit last week, but locals are not complaining since the region has been without rain for some time. Good flights of mourners resumed their pattern over soybeans and corn after the rain. Abilene saw half-limits to near-limits of mourning doves. Better shoots were had in the afternoon. No cool fronts  are in the forecasts for the next week, especially with high pressure dominating the region. Prospects are fair to good.

Central Zone Dove: High winds and water last week put a damper on dove hunting. Uvalde, San Saba, Waco, Sabinal, Del Rio and Hondo were steady for mourning doves and whitewings. Expect hunting to improve around San Antonio as the area dries. Whitewings are good around Columbus and Sealy. Brenham hunters have enjoyed good shoots as well. Scorching temperatures have done nothing to prompt a new influx of birds. Hankamer and Devers has enjoyed good afternoon shoots. Prospects are fair to good.

South Zone Dove: The season opens Sept. 17, and corn, milo and wild sunflowers have held the largest concentrations of birds around Lytle, Uvalde, Del Rio and the Rio Grande Valley. Conditions are wet in the Valley so afternoon water shoots should not be as profitable as in dry years. Doves have been pressured in Central Zone fields around Uvalde and Del Rio are staging just over the zone boundary in corn, milo and sunflowers. A wet summer hurt sunflower production around El Campo, however, strong concentrations remain in the township and around Danevang.  Prospects are good.

Teal Season: Opening day of teal season on the coast was steady on the coastal prairies, though many insisted best flights occurred later in the morning. Sunday was much slower as birds seem to disappear in historically steady locales. Many hens were harvested, giving rise to the notion that the first wave of adult drakes continued south. Good hunts were posted in Wharton County rice fields and leveed ponds. Eagle Lake and Garwood hunters reported good shoots. Collegeport hunters shot limits. Playa lakes in the Panhandle gave up good shoots. Water supplies there are in good shape from summer rains. Along the coast, biologist Matt Nelson said Mad Island WMA near Bay City averaged around three birds per man for the weekend. Justin Hurst WMA near Freeport saw slower results with just over a bird per man. The Guadalupe Delta WMA near Port Lavaca is closed due to flooding. Prospects are good.

2010-09-15