Duck hunters in the High Plains Mallard Management Unit are shaking their heads at the direction geese have gone according to recent duck hunting reports. It seems there has been no solid pattern for geese according to several waterfowl outfitters in the Amarillo area. Some days the birds never leave the roost! Snow goose hunting has been tough as well.
Duck hunters also had a tough time finding open water, and outfitters said many birds moved out of the area to find water. Playa lakes were unhuntable due to ice. Prospects are fair to good for the remainder of the hunting season.
In the North Zone Duck, temperatures in the teens iced shallow ponds, sloughs and bayous. Many duck hunters said the ice was so thick they drove their ATVs over it without breaking through! It seems Texas really is having a winter this year. The only open water reported by hunters was in coves and creeks of reservoirs, where birds flocked to rafts of ducks, including pintail.
Many reported seeing a limited flight of ducks, probably due to birds leaving with the freeze-up. The good news is warmer weather is in the forecast, and the next southerly breeze should bring birds back north. Prospects are fair to good for duck and goose hunters in the southern portion of the Central Flyway.