9/12 Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report

[bronco1]

Sept. 12, 2007

Weekly Migratory Bird Hunting Report

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

North Zone Dove: Mourning doves are good over sunflowers and milo in the agricultural fields north of Amarillo. Best shoots have been around watering holes in the afternoon. The recent cool front deposited new birds in the region. Dove hunting is fair to good over sunflowers, soil beans and goatweed in Red River, Bowie, Harrison and Cass County. Rockwall saw decent shooting as did fields near Terrell. The North Zone dove season runs through Oct. 31 with a bag limit of 15 birds.

Central Zone: Whitewing hunting picked up near San Antonio as rains finally subsided. Afternoon hunting in milo and around watering holes has been better. Fields west of town near Hondo and Uvalde have been steady over corn, milo and sunflowers. Brownwood and Stephenville doves are good over tanks in the afternoon. Waco fields have been steady, too. Dove hunting is fair to good over freshly harvested rice and milo fields around Katy, Winnie, Devers and Liberty. Best flights have been in the afternoon. Daily thunderstorms have hampered the flight, somewhat. The good news is a cool front is expected to pass through Texas this week; the bad news is it suppose to bring rain with it which should hinder the flight. The Central Zone dove season runs through Oct. 31 with a bag limit of 12 birds. Prospects are fair to good.

South Texas: The Special White-Winged Dove Area was good over the weekend for hunters working sunflowers, corn and milo in Willacy, Cameron and Hidalgo County. Maverick and Webb County hunters saw good afternoon shooting. Dove hunting is closed until the South Zone opens Sept. 21. Prospects are very good.

Teal Season Forecast: Playa lakes in the Panhandle region are brim full of water, which should make this weekend’s teal opener a success. Teal are showing on area lakes and ponds in Northeast Texas. Habitat conditions there are good with the summer rains the region received. New birds should show with the forecasted cool front. Blue-winged teal are showing in the marsh around Anahuac, High Island, Smith Point, Freeport, Sargent, Matagorda and Seadrift. Outfitters there said the teal have shown in good numbers in the last few days. Flooded flats near El Campo, Eagle Lake, Katy, Sealy, Altair, Lissie and Brookshire are holding birds. The coastal prairies are as wet as they have been in years; and, despite blue-winged teal numbers near record highs, those birds could be scattered throughout the region with the abundance of ponds and small water bodies. Coastal marshes are in excellent shape since summer rains helped produce floating vegetation vital for providing food for waterfowl. Flocks of shovelers have also been observed coming into the area so hunters should be judicial in identifying targets. The Mission Lake Unit of the Guadalupe Delta WMA will be closed the duration of teal season due to flooding and hunters headed to Peach Point WMA will see new signage as the area is being renamed Justin Hurst WMA. Teal season runs Sept. 15–23 in the High Plains Mallard Management Unit and Sept. 15–30 in the remainder of the state with a bag limit of four, to include only bluewings, greenwings and cinnamon teal. Prospects are good.