TX Duck hunting?

[schenk]

Where is a good place to go or lodge to go to and hunt at. We are looking at a Jan hunt next year probably somewhere so we can shoot some Specks and ducks of various kinds. I would like a nice setup that will probably yield birds, I know it's hunting.
If you know of a good outfitter we would prefer a lodge and not having to drive hours to hunt.
Don't mind taking decoys, getting a hotel room and going about it with someone from down there either. We are about killing birds. But going about it blind is not my cup of tea really.

[Redfisher]

I would check out bay flats lodge, they are top notch and Chris the owner of the lodge is one hell of a nice guy.  My brothers and I went on a fishing trip there and it's a first class place. Check them out.  Bayflatslodge.com
They are out of sea drift Texas

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[duckhntr594]

Bill Sherill Waterfowl in Wharton, TX
A group of 6 of us went this year and ended up with 221 birds in three days of duck/goose hunting

[drakeman]

Texas is a pretty big state, what area are you looking at?

[schenk]

Somewhere south of houston, in a good area for geese and ducks.

[ryan rhodes]

I second bay flats lodge, my bro and 4 clients just went the week after x-mas. I couldn't make it.  They shot limits of pintails, redheads, bluewings, greenwings, wigeons, shovelers and one cinnamon teal   all 4 days, plus speckled trout fishing in the afternoons....

[schenk]

I would love to do something like you said Ryan. Shooting that variety, and I'd like to goose/bay duck hunt in the afternoons.
Thanks for the input so far! Awesome.

[Brandon Zahn]

Lots of things to consider when booking a hunt in Texas. Like drakeman said it's a large state and many different options. I'd say if you wanna kill redheads and pintails bay flats is a nice place. I've never duck hunted there but have fished with them and their facility was nice. I don't think you will kill very many other ducks that are typically found on the "prairies" so to speak.. Geese will be nonexistent to rare for the most part. In January you can kill redheads and pintails all up and down the coast and this year that is about all they have been killing. You might get an occasional teal, or other divers and few wigeon, mottled ducks, but for the most part everyone kills there two redheads farily easily and pintail. If geese are what you want you will need to look further inland for consistent hunts. Stay away from Katy and eagle lake areas.. They have been burned out years ago.  I have a biased opinion as to who the best outfitter is but I'd say bill sherrill waterfowl is the best for a couple of reasons.... #1 is 42000 acres of PRIVATE land. #2 is the sheer amount of water he puts in to hold numbers throughout the season... Most of these waters are never hunted so that the birds never leave the ranch.. I'd say several outfitters have sprung up in recent years and a lot of them hunt around bill's ranch trying to kill birds that wander off of it.. Lol. Yes I do guide for Bill so like I said, my opinion is biased. However I guide for him because I like killing birds and we put down more numbers than anyone else in the state. That being said we have are bad days just like anyone else, but I'd like to think we are consistently better than the rest. Anyway good luck with your choice and best I can say is research your options as much as you can before you decide. Because finding someone to take you hunting in Texas is easy as there are many.... However finding a good one can be a little more challenging.

[schenk]

Thanks Brandon, i've had several people recommend Bill and Bay prarie also..
I would like to be able to kill a variety, something different from what we get in Arkansas and have a good shoot. I know how hunting goes, I guide some up here. It's hunting. What do ya'll normally kill? I've never shot a widgeon, redhead or any other birds ya'll get. We get pintails and mallards, greenwings and a few mixed birds.
We would love some Speck shooting as well.
I'm trying to do some research and find a good place that is all about hunting. I don't care about a huge fancy lodge with beer flowing out the roof. I want ducks and geese in my face to shoot.
I appreciate all of everyone's help and input so far. 

[Brandon Zahn]

We kill all the geese except big Canadas. Don't kill very many redheads at all. You gotta go to coast for that. Mostly ducks we Kill the typical rice field prairie ducks... Nothing special. Teal, spoony, pintail, few mottled, gadwall, some bayducks as they pass through, wigeon during November and late January. And plenty of Sandhill cranes. One thing to consider on specks is in Texas they close earlier than the rest of the seasons. Specks usually close by the 10 or 15 weekend of january depending on when they start the season in November.

[drakeman]

I would not recommend bay prairie!

[schenk]

Any reason drakeman? You can pm me. I hear some bad stories about outfitters and then I know some here in the state I wouldn't go to at all for different reasons. Going to a different state I want some goods and bads that folks have had!
Thanks. Our speck season up here closes with duck season, but I will definately keep that in mind.