Why so many hunters in Texas?

So why are there so many duck hunters in Texas? I know it's just not Texas, other states like Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas are over run with hunters as well. But I was thinking about this after spending 4 days in Massachusetts hunting public land and only seeing 1 other boat out duck hunting. I never heard any other shooting other than from that one boat. The hunting was great, shot limits every day. I've heard the west coast is similar, California, Oregon and Washington has great waterfowl hunting and very low hunter numbers, hell that why the limit is 7 ducks in the pacific flyway. Texas has to be one of the most poorly managed public land waterfowl hunting states in the country, yet we are plum full of waterfowl hunters. Just curious why yall think we have so many duck hunters?

How was the weather in Mass when you were hunting? The nice thing about most of the states you mentioned is the weather is pretty favorable during hunting season. Also, I would imagine the population in the South is more familiar with the hunting tradition than either coasts.

Why are there few hunters in blue states, but lots of hunters in red states? Hmmm...I wonder.

Everyone that duck hunted there left and moved here.

As for waterfowl management, I hear that. Our state is all about deer hunting.

Wish we did have a better effort in managing waterfowl here.

go hunt Maryland Chesapeake or Delware bay systems. Not weather. Politics and tradition have a big influence. Chesapeake and Delware bay systems have a deeper rooted tradition of hunting and watermen, then
Conn/Mass. Pacific NW is just liberal cancer killing everything from fishing to hunting to gun rights

PA has one of the highest hunter numbers, half of PA can be hunting Chesapeake or eastern shore with in and hour, hour and a half. Some of Mass hunters may just be going else where also.

I will say the biggest difference I noticed out side of tradition is the private ducking hunting on the North east is pretty old money’ish. Pretty impressive properties.

I would agree with the portion of the state north of interstate 10 being poorly managed for waterfowl other than a few isolated WMAs. However, between the state ran WMAs and the NWRs along the coastal/marsh regions of Texas I would argue these are some of the best managed areas in the country with regards to handling hunting pressure and mother nature.

I would also argue that Kansas and Oklahoma have a real duck hunting "culture". Recent history they have had more and more waterfowl hunting.

they have better “water rights” laws also, toss in the freeze line for the past decade or two and you have some of the best ducking around.

Well, to begin with, there aren't any ducks in Massachusetts. They have black ducks and that's about it. Lots of Canada Geese. Texas is at the end of the flyway so lots of ducks and geese. Next, Massachusetts doesn't have much of a hunting culture. I lived there for a few years. I was deer hunting (still hunting) and met up with a wildlife officer that had this attitude he was saving the wildlife from the hunters. He wanted to know if I was "moving around on the ground" with a LOADED WEAPON!!!!.
Be happy you live in Texas.

I agree with several points above but its also simple math numbers. 5% of 2 million is a lot more in actual numbers than 20% of 400,000 thousand. Hunters numbers are supposedly declining over decades but the woods/water are getting more crowded. Simple math explains a lot of it

What do you mean by better water rights laws?

Oklahoma rivers are private unless on a state WMA. Kansas has three public rivers. I am not sure about Oklahoma water rights in regards to wells and pulling off rivers but Kansas rules are pretty strict from the landowners I have spoken to.

Oklahoma and Kansas were also awesome because of a lack of pressure... because they do not really have a culture of duck hunting. I was fortunate enough to get to live/hunt in both states for 5 seasons and still hunt there 15-20 days a season I met more South Carolina hunters hunting out of state than I did Kansas hunters hunting locally.

The drought this year showed me why it would be hard to have a hunting culture there.... without manmade water features... they do not have many natural areas to hold waterfowl.

ya they both have better LO water rights laws to pull and flood. Also have significant WRP type programs w/state matching funds for LO to take advantage of. Okla and KS have pretty strong Duck hunting culture, where I grew up

Here is another thought on the subject. I hardly ever cross paths with other hunters outside of being in the field or a sporting goods store. Im in the commercial insurance profession, and talk to alot of people any given week/month and hardly anyone hunts, and if they do they just take a 3-4 day trip once a year. My daughters in 4th grade, probably like 50 kids in her grade between the 2 classes. I've talked to almost all the dads at some point in time. Something, all but 1 of them is a hunter.

For whatever it's worth, I am told there are several cases coming to the Supreme Court on whether all navigable water is to remain public or it can go private- as in some European countries.

Federal law is clear on this. States booger it up. Louisiana is awful.


As to the original question. Math. That’s why. Also don’t take your suburbia poll numbers as a state wide sample.

Colorado is the craziest

i can tell you right now you are mistaken to say the west coast does not have alot of duck hunters i have hunted just about every inch of CA, OR, and WA every single bit of public land is a nightmare to hunt because of other hunters. I have been set on a public refuge and have 5 different groups set down within 100 yrds of me and was told I was an a**hole for saying something. The day duck dynasty became popular with people who were not hunters the public spots i had hunted for 10+ yrs without having to fight with other hunters became a complete lost cause from "field to table" craft brew drinking morons with no consideration for anyone else around them. I love introducing new people to the sport or tradition but it feels like these people coming into it now have no manners both in the field or out

Spot on about DD Morons. Same issue in Tx.

Very spot on. The lake of respect is what drove me to selling my mud rig/air boat and only hunting private. It was about to get to the point where someone ended up badly hurt or worse. Something that is supposed to enjoyable and a pastime shouldn't raise your blood pressure that much. At that point, I decided I was done.

Ok, from what I have seen since the late 70's early 80's is the Number of Deer Hunters vs. Duck Hunters (that I know) has switched. The Price of a deer Lease (Currently) is driving down the #'s of Deer Hunters and or the chance for an average guy to afford a lease. From what I have seen is that the # of Duck Hunters increased dramatically after DD show started to Air. The Younger generation of people that watched that show got Hooked and started Duck Hunting 1) Because of the Access to Public Water in N. Tx and 2) The cost to go duck hunting (Public) is WAY MORE AFFORDABLE to this group than a Deer Lease. If you were to ask most of the 20-30+ somethings that are now duck hunting if they ever had a chance to go shoot a deer on somebody's Deer Lease or Even a Privately Owned Family Farm, I bet the answer would be around 70% would say "no" . Also, throw in the Fact of the Population Explosion in Texas over the Last 20 yrs. and you can see why the Public Waters around the Metroplex are getting more crowded every yr.