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AUSTIN, Texas -- The following report is produced for Texas Parks and Wildlife under a federal grant through the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program. PANHANDLE: Biologist Bill Johnson reports the Canada geese have hit the panhandle region and are roosting on lakes in force. A few flocks of snow geese have been spotted. Canada geese near Dumas are using fields and playa lakes and decoying action has been good. Mallards have shown up with the freezing fronts that have pushed from the north. Duck numbers continue to build with each passing front. Pintails, widgeons, gadwalls, and greenwings have decoyed well on playa lakes. Sandhill cranes are blanketing milo and peanut fields. The past week^s consecutive fronts and a bright moon phase pushed thousands of migrants down the Central Flyway. Prospects are excellent with the number of birds in the area and an abundance of water to hold them. NORTHEAST TEXAS: With an abundance of water in backwater sloughs and bayous, duck hunting improved during the second split opener in the North Zone. Mallards are being taken, however, still no reports of huge concentrations. Expect that to change with blistering temperatures in the northern states that make up the Central Flyway. The region^s prospects for the season have improved dramatically with recent rainfall that will help to hold birds once they show up in mass. Gadwalls and wood ducks are good around Toledo Bend. Sam Rayburn saw greenwings, scaup, a few mallards and wood ducks over the weekend. Gadwalls and widgeon are the big duck species hanging from most straps. Cooper Lake was fair for mallards, gadwalls and greenwings. Lake Fork saw spotty hunting overall with a few mallards, gadwalls, widgeons and teal harvested. The Sulphur River bottom near Wright-Patman Lake is holding huntable numbers of mallards and gadwalls. Rising water levels will allow hunters to get their flatbottoms in the backwaters. Caddo Lake saw fair to good shooting opportunities for mallards, gadwalls, ring- necks and wood ducks. Overall, the second split opener for Northeast Texas was fair at best. COASTAL PRAIRIE: Snow geese have arrived on the rice prairies, but decoying action has been tough. A low percentage of juvenile birds will make hunting tough throughout the year. Old, wary, mature snows are flying over spreads just out of shotgun reach. Large numbers of Ross^ geese are concentrated with the snows, which should help hunter success somewhat. Ross^ geese are more apt to decoy compared to their larger white counterparts. Specklebelly numbers have improved, however, decoying action has been fair. Several outfitters have noticed that the normally susceptible decoying speck has become somewhat wary of calling and decoys. Early in the season, white-fronts are a given in light goose spreads; nevertheless, as of late, dark geese have been tough to hunt. Duck hunting has been excellent on the prairies near El Campo and Garwood. Pintails, gadwalls, widgeons, greenwings and few mallards have been harvested. With the recent rainfall leaving standing water in rice fields, pintails have been working light goose spreads. UPPER COAST: Duck hunting in the Trinity and East Galveston Bay marsh has been excellent since the recent cold blast of air and rains. Hunting near the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge was solid over the weekend for widgeons, teal, gadwalls and pintails. Ducks in the Winnie and Devers area have been decoying well. Migrant wood ducks have appeared in the flooded timber and creeks of Liberty County. Still few birds using the north shoreline of Trinity Bay, however, the Wallisville Lake Project has been steady for teal, gadwall and widgeon. New specklebellies have been deposited on the Winnie rice prairie as well as huntable numbers of snow geese. Decoying action has been fair, with most white-fronts being harvested while duck hunting. Snow geese are shy around white spreads. Juvenile counts are low. MIDDLE COAST: Biologist Matt Nelson of Bay City reports slow shooting in the Mad Island WMA marsh near Matagorda. On Saturday, 41 hunters shot 69 birds for an average of 1.7 bph (birds per hunter). On Sunday, 19 hunters harvested 37 ducks for 1.9 bph. Gadwalls, widgeons, greenwings, bluewings, shovelers, scaup, redheads, mottled ducks, and a few mallards were brought to the check station. The Guadalupe Delta WMA near Tivoli has been closed at least through Saturday, Nov.18, due to flooding. The Guadalupe River is expected to rise even more when Canyon Lake lets loose some of its water from the dam. Hunters should call (361-552- 6637) to check for reopening dates. Peach Point biologist Justin Hurst said hunters are averaging around three birds per hunter. Gadwalls and widgeons are being taken in the marsh areas, while shovelers and greenwings are working the freshwater impoundments. Bay hunting has improved since the last front. Scaup, redheads and buffleheads are roosting in the middle of East Matagorda Bay and working the south shoreline in the morning. West Matagorda Bay is holding pintails, widgeons, teal, gadwalls, and redheads. Port O^Connor^s Shoalwater Bay was good over the weekend for redheads, widgeons, teal and scaup. Snow geese and specklebellies are using fields in the Midfield and Francitas areas. A few Canada geese have hung from hunters^ straps. Decoying action over white spreads has been fair at best. LOWER COAST/SOUTH TEXAS: Choke Canyon has large amounts of teal, gadwall, widgeon and pintail. Hunting success suffered somewhat this weekend due to many walk-in areas being closed because of deer hunting. Rockport^s Aransas and Copano Bays were solid for redheads, widgeons, gadwalls, pintails, teal and scaup on grassy shorelines and freshwater marsh ponds. The Laguna Madre received new migrants after the front. Redheads, pintails, widgeons and teal are concentrating on food sources in huntable numbers. Recent rains have filled freshwater marsh ponds near the Laguna Madre that bodes well for the duck population that uses the freshwater ponds to dilute their high salinity diet of shoalgrass. Not many geese in the area. For more information contact: Steve D. Lightfoot Texas Parks & Wildlife 4200 Smith School Rd. Austin, TX 78744 512.389.4701 512.389.4450 fax steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us

Uploaded: 11/16/2000