It's about dang time!!

http://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20160218b

What is so great about opening later? It still closes at the same time. I personally don't mind the split giving areas a rest. Otherwise there is no benefit. Same number of days as before. I guess now we can all deer hunt the first weekend.

It's proposed to stay open a week later. Everyone whines and complains that the season doesn't stay open late enough. Figured yall would be excited about this

I had the same question as Roc. Are you talking about dove? South zone? I'm in the north zone and only hunt here. I'm missing something, or Roc is reading the same thing as I am.

I don't see where the extra week comes in. But...I love the looks of the proposed north zone duck!! A lot of people think that ducks "show up" in February would see a lot of these same results in January if the hunting pressure was completely removed. But on a few small ponds and such, have seen them not hold any until late jan/February. North zone has normally closed on the last sunday of January which is all you can ask for.

Stay open later? Duck season in north zone closed Jan 31 this year. Next season they propose a Jan 29 close. North zone dove closed Jan 1 this season. Next season it is proposed to close Jan 1 as well. Longer, but not on the closing end.

I think I'd rather have the season start a week early and keep the longer split or add the extra week on the end .

This is proposing a later start with a 5 day split and same ending.

I like the longer split as well. Thats about the time that the larger birds show up in force during regular years when it actually gets cold.

Our south zone closed on the 24th. Couldn't understand for the life of me why the southern half of the state would close before the northern half

Fish, their logic was that since hunters in the south zone normally have better hunts earlier in the season, they gave them another week during that period. The north zone hunters normally do better in January so they gave them their week there. I like the proposal of there not being a two week split. like elpato said, a bigger push than normal usually comes around that time, and sometimes they will "stack" up and destroy some groceries. But with this proposal, they can't "stack" up for long!!

Seems as though some of you might have some reading comprehension issues

So, the south zone now closes on the last Sunday of January, which is the same as the north zone.

-High Plains Mallard Management Unit: Youth: Oct. 22-23; Regular: Oct. 29-30 — Nov. 4— Jan. 29; “Dusky” Duck: Nov. 7 — Jan. 29.

-North Zone: Youth: Nov. 5-6; Regular: Nov. 12-27 and Dec. 3—Jan. 29; “Dusky” Duck: Nov. 17-27 and Dec. 3—Jan. 29.

-South Zone: Youth: Oct. 29-30; Regular: Nov. 5-27 and Dec. 10 — Jan. 29; “Dusky” Duck: Nov. 10-27 and Dec. 10 — Jan. 29.

Did they seek public comment on this? Opening the season a week later is a terrible idea. Anything bigger than a stock tank is usually covered by Nov 1st.

i would love to see the season not open till 2 weeks later so we can get an extra 2 weeks on the end. that being said, had no trouble shooting ducks this past year. 16 different species this year with a couple of buddies, can't beat that.

I see no impact for dove North zone. They need the dove to close the same in regular for north and last longer into Jan for North zone. Jan 1 is too early to close. We saw more dove later Dec into end of Jan than ever before but could not hunt them since it closed Jan 1. No one wants to hunt them into Nov in north as all resident are gone and we hunt deer then. Let's hunt dove during the deer rut, that is stupid.

For duck it doesn't change anything as it closes the same. I like the two week split but doesn't impact me much.

A 5 day split for duck is ridiculous.
Might as well have no split.


They should have kept the 12 day split and push the extra seven days till february 5th.

I would even ban duck hunting in north texas in november and have the season open till end of february. Birds do not start to pair up in february. Thats a myth. Mallards, for instance, start to pair up in October and November, and begin nesting in March. From february 1- the end of february, I would propose male ducks to be shot only.

I dont know of anyone who wouldn't trade hunting time in February for November. It simply is not going to happen, I don't believe.

The only good thing about November is some of the crowd are chasing deer, plus it's primetime for shoveler smack down.

November is a good time to travel to the Northern states if you live in Texas.

They either need to change the opening day of dove season to September 1 statewide or at least change up the zones where anything to the east of Highway 45 and south of I-10 is consider Central Zone. We have stuff to hunt south of I-10 around Winnie and it seems like most of the birds are gone by that time.

I am all for this. We really didn't start seeing dove until late in the first season, and we don't deer hunt on our dove land.

I left my opinion again. At least end dove the first Sunday in Jan to coincide with deer, not Jan 1!