Looking to do some duck hunting up along the red river this fall. I heard there are some guides who hunt on the river. Can anyone recommend a guide?

Thanks

I've hunted a few times with Dale Bestwina up there. He took us out on an airboat which was a bonus, but i also hunted with him out of Bowie the last time we booked with him. Might want to just give him a call and see.
Both places were loaded with ducks.. Saw lots of pintails up by the river, and more greenheads in bowie...

Better have an Oklahoma licence if you want to hunt the river, easy to get on the wrong side.

Good call. We were on the okie side and had to buy the license which is an added expense. Keep that in mind.

Kent Outdoors. Haven't hunted w him- but know he is very good. Gets it

The entire Red River is considered to be OK all the way over until you actually get out of the river and on the bank on the TX side. So any time you are actually in the river, you are considered to be in OK. The only place that is not in effect is in a small area just south of the Texoma dam.

If you want a guide that is rude to anyone and everyone on the water, then book with Bestwina. I've seen that guy do things to other people that is just flat out wrong.

That guy would run over his own mother in his airboat to make a buck "shuttling" clients to a area. I'll never forget seeing him in '98 shuttle people from the CC 175 bridge to only 400 yards to a point and dropping them off with his dozen lanterns everywhere. Nothing like road noise from a major highway to set the mood for a duck hunt. His clients were pizzed when they got back to ramp. LMAO

What is the cc175 bridge?

Better go up there and have a good look before you shell out $200 for a NR license. Google map is very deceptive and that area is HURTING for rain.

That means we will be shooting concentrated birds. I have set my sights on hunting that area a lot this year. Fixing the get the old airboat muddy red

Red river= pretty dry, so don't waist your time.
This 0.2 inch we gonna get at 3 pm tomorrow aint gonna do it.

I have been hunting and fishing the area my entire adult life. I still have not discovered all of the area's secrets, hunting and otherwise. On the Oklahoma side, the delta, and the river, be very careful as you go however you access the area and hunt. Respect the locals. There are mostly good people in the red river valley, but there are a few that will ruin your day or your life for just looking at them wrong. As well know that old school Klan and skinhead type racism both can be very prevalent in some areas. Fortunately I do think development has also curtailed it a lot which is good, but development has been very bad for the hunting and it will get worse. Regular guides here have paid their dues and it does not surprise me that some are a bit gruff because of the valley's culture. Believe me, I know. When I was a young man, I was a wanted man by the locals of Thackerville. But again development has changed things a lot. Honestly if your wanting to do some "hunting" in the are rather than "a hunt" I would book with more than one guide and when you find one that works for you, build a relationship with that guide for future years of hunting and to learn the area for going it on your own.

We do not hunt the river but we hunt along the Red River region here in North Texas. No boat rides, no $$$ Oklahoma license. We guarantee our duck hunts. There is excellent waterfowl hunting in this region. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

I like this thread, lots of truth in this one. The only thing not mentioned is that if you're for someone to show you the river so you can hunt it yourself, you will find the hard way that you must have written permission from the landowner of whichever side of the river you are on. Some guides just take their chances. Lately the wardens on the river have been very ticket happy. Also the river west of texoma can be literally quicksand, please be careful, the red can be a very dangerous piece!


Kelly

^^^^ Absolutely spot on.

The quicksand/death mud comment is no BS. Good luck

Great info. Thanks

Please elaborate on the law requiring landowner permission to hunt the river. I am going up there trhis year and ened to educate myself on the do-don't type of imformation. I am curious if Oklahoma differs from Texas so far as hunting the channel of a navicable waterway. Here the law is the pellets may not leave the channel. Are thing different up there?

The fuel alone dragging an airboat would cost me that.

With the law that the border extends all the way across to the TX shore, landowners in OK are arguing that their land includes the river. I can not verify this, but have heard many stories of GWs ticketing people in the river for trespassing. Yes, I know, it's a navigable waterway, but that doesn't seem to matter all the time. Too much of a headache for me to even think about wanting to pursue.

And yes, quicksand, no lie. . .

East of the Denison Dam, the River is extremely patroled by the Oklahoma GW's.

There is Several OK landowners that have been putting corn in the river to keep duck hunters away.

We have permission from the neighboring landowner but we don't mess with that part of the river anymore as the GW told us that if we can hunt somewhere else to do it.

No sense stirring the pot more...

Problem really came from airboat guides driving up into their properties and hunting "off" the river on private land.

Then it has progressed to a full out war.

We have several miles of river front oklahoma property that we have permission (leased land) from them to hunt the river.

The river can either be Real good or it can flat out suck!

If you are interested we have several sloughs on the river and some River systems and creeks on the north and south side of the Red to hunt as well.

Some of the sloughs we hunted we averaged 8-10 man limits of birds last year.





This was from the River a couple years back when it was good:


Holler if you are interested in booking a hunt...

J.J.

Those Texas Bills, laws, regulations including texas river law do not apply to the red. Like the coast, best to call area law enforcement for the actual stretch of river or bank you want to hunt. Get the scoop on what you can do and how they enforce. As well as what problem areas beyond legalities that you should avoid. Even then you may not get straight answers. There are places, risk to benefit, I just do not go.

Also when it comes to the River, pay attention to water levels... You don't want to be stuck on a sandbar when the water rises. It can get dangerous. But when a front brings new ducks in, it can be great on the mallards when they want to water down and rest after feeding in the fields.