The next big front for North Texas is coming Saturday afternoon/night according to the latest weather minds. It will be relatively warm Saturday morning with a strong north wind.

This may have been debated here before...My question is, do you prefer to hunt the morning before a front hits or the morning after? Are the *most* birds before or after the front?

I really don't have any idea. I know last week, I was hunting in Kansas when the front blew in and we struggled. New birds, water freezing, ect.. had them birds all over the place. We left Thursday after the morning hunt and they did exceptionally well the next few days.

after... especially if its clear

Every situation is different... sometimes for no apparent reason. Typically I'd say the day after the front is the best. But I say that knowing that one the best hunts I've ever had was as the front came in. Started off at LST around 50 degrees and went to below freezing within a couple of hours. Was a barrel burner - 4 man mixed bag limit with some lost honkers, too.

Very true. However, I still wish the birds told me when they were going to be there and how they would like me to set up the spread.

Heck all I know is be careful hunting when these temps spike like today, killed a 3ft copperhead in the blind this morning... Texas december for ya

We hunted Saturday after the front and if we killed every duck that came within a half a mile of us, we would have killed exactly three ducks. If we killed every duck we saw, we still wouldn't have limited out.

Our hunt was slow Saturday morning, if we hit every duck called in we wouldn't have shot a group limit.

I'll be hunting Saturday before it hits and the following Wednesday at a different location after the front. I hope they are both good!

2-4 days after front - them ducks can't just appear.

I think Sunday and Monday am will be good. Later on week can be even better

We're hunting around Temple on Sunday AM. It's supposed to blow in Saturday night with the temps being 28 in the AM and 20 mph winds. The place we're hunting has a lake, but also flooded timber on the other side of the dam that's sort of down in a hole. Those conditions, should we hunt the wind blocked timber or the lake?

Last time we were down there the timber was loaded with woodies. We'll get down there Saturday evening in time to scout the place, but conditions will be drastically different.

I hunted last Thursday, which was the first morning of the from and it was 29 degrees. I saw 60 birds. I also hunted Saturday, where it was the last day of the cold front and I saw fifteen birds.

I have no idea where they were at or when, but it wasn't where I was hunting.

I don't think it's before or after the front, I think it's during the front. They ride the front and strong north wind south. The combination of food icing over, and strong north winds pushes birds south. Old birds move out, and new birds move in.

This has been my experience as well. Usually the day or 2 the front is moving in and we have a good 10-15mph NE wind we do really well. Even when it's not a big front I love a north wind. It seems the birds will roost in the rice fields to the north of us and when they get pushed out, they will ride that wind down towards the beach and then bounce around in the marsh. Also the north wind blows the mosquitoes to the beach, south wind blows them up in the marsh

So that would mean that Saturday morning could be a barn burner? Strong north wind but the cold part of the front isn't here yet. I am actually hunting in southern Oklahoma, so the front will be there a tiny bit before it hits DFW.

We were going to set up about 1pm on Saturday in the same area.

Probably not a bad idea. Just checked the latest weather on wunderground.com and the wind doesn't start turning north until about 10 or 11 AM or after.

Be ready after. This front is bringing Siberian cold air to us in the north and everything will be frozen after, most water is froze up now.The ducks will ride it all the way down to you. This front is blasting out of Canada and will move the waterfowl down the flyways. Should get some snows with this one, geese that is.

I just want to be on the x...before, during and after

I'm going to find a sheltered pocket or sandbar, right off big water Saturday morning and toss out 8 mallards (two hens), 4 ringneck drakes, 6 pintail (1 hen), 17 coot with a few grey ducks and widgeon mixed in, 8 canada goose floaters and a mojo teal stuck back in some cover.

If I haven't limited out by the time the wind changes, I'm heading back to the thickest, most inaccessible pocket of flooded timber I know of. Probably throw out 15 or so mallard and wood duck drakes around the edges of the hole with a few butt up feeders on a jerk string. I'll finish my spread with an over-sized spoonbill drake in the dead center of the hole to give them something to land on LOL.

Have a question though. If the wind is 15-20 mph, would they still be able to land in a 25' flooded timber hole? I'm fairly new to hunting flooded timber, and have only had a couple dozen, or so, hunts in that type of cover. Is it as difficult for the ducks to vertically land in that much wind? Seems like it would be.

I am enjoying reading the responses.

My own contribution is that the very best time to go is when you have the opportunity to go. I am hunting ahead of the front Saturday AM and again on Sunday morning.

Totally agree. I am going tomorrow morning and can't go Sunday. I am hoping for the best tomorrow. Let us know how you make out each day.

I hunted this afternoon right before the front blew through. There was no change in activity. I have a game cam on the water and I'll try and remember to see what happens tomorrow and the next couple of days.

If you have a lot of ducks in the area, before the front. No ducks in the area after the front.

Ducks don't fly in front of a front. The way a front comes in they fight the head winds of the front. If they fly the tail end of the front it pulls them down.