AUSTIN, Texas — In an effort to give migratory bird hunters a ballpark view of what to expect during an upcoming trip, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers a weekly migratory game bird hunting report.
In its fifth season, the TPWD weekly hunting report models the state agency’s weekly fishing report, which has been providing information about fishing conditions at most major freshwater lakes and coastal bay systems to Texas anglers for more than 25 years.
Like the fishing report, which combines factual data like water temperatures, lake levels and water clarity with anecdotal information from avid anglers, the weekly migratory bird hunting report gives sportsmen an overview of regional conditions.
As most waterfowlers know, weather conditions play a big part in setting the stage for a successful outing. Drawing insight from area weather forecasts, the report puts those factors in perspective with bird movements as observed by wildlife biologists, refuge managers and avid hunters.
The report, which goes out on Wednesdays, is available online () and is carried by some newspapers. Also available on that Web page are links to related information for migratory bird hunters, including season dates and bag limits, zone maps and recent news releases. The weekly hunting report will continue through the middle of February.