Texas Hunting Leases

Below is the report from the TP&W for January 30, 2008.

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

High Plains Mallard Management Unit/Panhandle: Duck season drew to a close at sunset Jan. 27; and, according to outfitters, the season finished strong. Mallards, pintails, teal, wigeons and gadwalls were the prominent birds found in bags. Many days in January saw duck hunters breaking ice to open water for the ducks. Though temperatures were in the teens, most of the snow missed the region. Goose hunting for darks continue consistent over wheat and corn. Most outfitters are getting their limit of Canadas every hunt. The regular goose season runs through Feb. 5, while the Light Goose Conservation Order begins Feb. 6 in the West Zone. Outfitters say prospects for the special light goose season are in limbo. Snow geese have been fickle lately; and, with few juvenile birds, decoying action might remain tough, even with electronic callers. Prospects are fair to good.

North Zone: Duck season ended at sunset Jan. 27, and the last two weeks of the season improved in the region. Most of the season sloughs, rivers and bayous were dry from a two- month absence of significant rainfall; however, recent rains filled backwaters and floated acorns. Acorns and other mast lying on the ground became floating food and mallards, gadwalls and wood ducks found it quickly. That, coupled with freezing temperatures in the northern states, sent wads of birds across the Red River where they found refuge in the region. Good hunts were posted near Centerville and along the Red River. Lots of teal on lakes and reservoirs helped fill bags throughout the season. The usual assortment of diving ducks staged on lakes like Caddo, Lake O’ the Pines, Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn, Fork, Palestine and Cooper. Along the IH-10 corridor, the rains the past 10 days only scattered ducks in plowed fields. Teal, shovelers and a few pintails were taken the final weekend. Hunters in the North Zone said action throughout the season was below average.

South Zone: Duck season ended at sunset Jan. 27 and hunters said the overall season was well below average on the coastal prairie. El Campo, Eagle Lake, Wharton, East Bernard and Garwood never held the ducks like in seasons past. Declining rice production may be a contributing factor. If not for green-winged teal, many hunters in the area would have stared at barren skies. The lack of gadwalls puzzled many outfitters. Once a mainstay like teal, few gadwalls were found on prairie ponds. Pintail numbers on the prairie continue to decline as well; again, lack of rice probably is a factor. An influx of rain the last 10 days of the season did push more pintails to the high ground of the prairie. Port O’Connor, Seadrift and Rockport were the hot spots on the coast for teal, wigeons, redheads and gadwalls. Marsh hunting near High Island remained steady throughout with fresh wads of green-winged teal and gadwalls keeping the shooting steady. Goose season in the East Zone ended Jan. 27 and overall results for the season was fair to poor. Hunters reported few juvenile snows in the flock, as little as two percent by some estimations, which proved difficult for decoying. The geese arrived a month late in some areas of the coast, and outfitters said numbers were significantly down. Many geese are using fallow grass fields and lush wheat fields. Water is everywhere with the recent rains. The Light Goose Conservation Order began Jan. 28 and prospects are fair.

Texas is blessed with 262,000 square miles of land that boasts some of the world’s greatest hunting opportunities.  Hunters from all over the country and the world converge on Texas every year for all sorts of winged and four-legged game to hunt.  But, with 367 miles of coastline that boarders 600,000 square miles of ocean known as the Gulf of Mexico, there are other big game targets to look for as well - and they have fins!  These aquatic trophies may not have the horns, but they can lead to “big bucks” - the green kind.

The big game fishing season in Texas starts around April and runs through November.  During this time, boats of all sizes venture offshore in search of various fish species in the near-coastal and deep waters of the gulf.  Snapper, Cobia (Ling) and Kingfish are near-shore fish that can be targeted by most “mosquito fleet” boats depending on the weather conditions.  Further offshore (and in most cases hundreds of miles offshore) bigger sport fishing yachts target the pelagic and open-ocean species that inhabit the deepest waters of the gulf.  These include Tuna, Wahoo, Dolphin (Dorado) and the highly coveted Billfish.

BIG BOYS AND THEIR TOYS

To go after the pelagics, you need to have a serious commitment to do so.  First, you need a sea-worthy craft that can handle surprise weather conditions and can take on enough fuel for the long run to the fishing grounds.  That means leaving the Jon boat at home.  Next, you need to upgrade those $6.00 Zebco 202 reels to something a little more substantial like a Penn International PEN30VSX at about $550.00.  Finally, just put a little aside for baits, rigging and general maintenance for all the above and you have a nice little nest-egg in a guaranteed depreciating asset.  But, then again, a round of golf really never grew in value - did it?

If you are up for it, you can even try your luck at one of the many offshore fishing tournaments as they work their way down the coast.  After several tournaments on the East Coast and the Bahamas, the Gulf Coast tournament scene begins in Alabama in late May and continues down to southern Texas in August.  Tournament rules, regulations and prize money vary from venue to venue but prize money can be as high $500,000 or more for a winning billfish.  The 2008 Big Game tournament dates are as follows (subject to change):

Mobile BGFC Tournament, Orange Beach AL          May 25th - 28th

Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic, Venice LA          May 29th - June 2nd

Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, Biloxi MS         June 6th - 10th

New Orleans Invitational Billfish Tournament, Venic LA          June 14th

Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, Destin FL          June 19th - 24th

Houston Big Game Fishing Club, Houston TX          June 26 - 28

Pensacola International Billfish Tournament        June 29th - July 1st

POCO Bueno, Port O’Connor TX          July 16 - 20th

The Rockport Offshore Challenge, Rockport TX          July 23 - 27th

The Texas Invitational, South Padre Island TX          July 30 - August 3rd

Orange Beach Billfish Classic, Orange Beach AL        August 1st - 5th

Texas Legends, Port Aransas TX          August 7 - 10th

Outcast Blue Marlin Classic, Pensacola FL          August 15th - 19th

Texas Woman’s Angler Tournament, Port Aransas TX          August 22 - 24th

If you got the money and the time, not to mention the equipment, then there is a billfish tournament waiting for you.  A rifle or a bow are not the only way to go for “big bucks” around here.  And these you hunt out of season!

AUSTIN, Texas — Hoping to add to the mountain of 22,746 derelict crab traps hauled from Texas bays over the last six years, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials are gearing up for the 7th Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program, running this year from Feb. 15-24.

During this 10-day period, all Texas bays will be closed to crabbing with crab traps and any traps left in the bay will be presumed to be abandoned and considered litter under state law, thus allowing volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find.

Before the 77th Legislature authorized the abandoned crab trap removal program, only the trap’s owner or a TPWD game warden could legally remove a crab trap.

State game wardens pick up more than 2,500 traps annually, yet there are many more still in the water to foul shrimpers’ nets, snag fishermen’s lines and create an unsightly view of Texas shores.

Volunteers are needed to assist in the coast-wide effort to remove the numerous wire mesh cages used to catch crabs that have been lost or abandoned since last year’s cleanup and in years past.

To facilitate volunteer trap removal efforts this year, TPWD staff will designate sites in each of the eight major bay systems for trap collection.

Areas that are relatively free of abandoned traps will have stand alone sites with dumpsters marked for trap removal.

In other areas where more effort is need, sites will be manned until noon on Saturday, Feb. 16, weather permitting and have stand-alone dumpsters for the duration of the closure. For those who choose to work on their own, TPWD requests information about the number of traps that are collected.

Volunteers can work at their own pace during the closure as time and weather permit, but cannot remove traps before Feb. 15 or after Feb. 24. Any crabs found in the traps must be set free. Last year, volunteers with the aid of numerous sponsors removed more than 2,000 traps.

“This volunteer based program has exceeded our wildest imaginations. So good in fact we are working ourselves out of a job,” said Art Morris, TPWD program coordinator. “Overall, the coast looks great in terms of the number of derelict traps people encounter. But in some areas, we could still use a little tidying up.”

According to Morris, the major problem with abandoned crab traps is that many continue to fish after they are lost — which is referred to as “ghost fishing.”

“Thirty six species of aquatic organisms have been documented in these lost traps, many commercially or recreationally important,” Morris said. “And the list even includes species of special concern, like diamondback terrapins. During the event in 2006, the remains of a river otter were removed from a lost trap in Galveston Bay.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, Coastal Conservation Association Texas, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and the Cecil M. Hopper Museum are providing significant support to the crab trap removal program. Additional help is coming from numerous organizations, companies and others who are volunteering their services.

To participate, volunteers can pickup free tarps, gloves, trap hooks and additional information at each of the sites or their local TPWD Coastal Fisheries Field Stations.

To volunteer or for more information contact your local TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division office listed below or contact Art Morris TPWD Outreach Specialist at (361) 825-3356.

• Sabine Lake — Local TPWD coordinator Jerry Mambretti (409) 983-1104
• Galveston Bay — Local TPWD coordinator Bill Balboa (281) 534-0100
• Matagorda Bay — Local TPWD coordinator Josh Harper (361) 972-6253.
• San Antonio Bay — Local TPWD coordinator Norman Boyd (361) 983-4425
• Aransas Bay — Local TPWD coordinator Dennis Pridgen (361) 729-2328
• Corpus Christi Bay — Local TPWD coordinator Tom Wagner (361) 729-2328
• Upper Laguna Madre — Local TPWD coordinator Todd Neahr (361) 825-3353
• Lower Laguna Madre — Local TPWD coordinator Mark Lingo (956) 350-4490