Upper Coast Rice Prairie
Katy, Garwood and Eagle Lake rice country behind Galveston Bay. Flooded rice and coastal marsh, and the densest hunting in the state.
Stable / Staging
Post-Season, Birds Moved Through
6.2
Conditions
0.7
Birds here
Conditions here are scoring 6.2 this morning, and that number is the same for every duck on this water. The blue-winged teal score is held at 2.7 because the blue-winged teal numbers in this region read 0.7 out of 10 for the date. A good morning on birds that have not arrived is still a quiet morning.
Blue-winged Teal score, conditions as of Mon, Nov 2, 3:00 PM
Tomorrow's Hunt · Tuesday, Nov 3
Upper Coast Rice Prairie
Falling 4° vs yesterday
Legal light 6:07 AMSunrise 6:37 AMSunset 5:35 PM🌗 Last quarter · 40%
Best window: Legal light (6:07 AM) to 10:00 AM
No push wind forecast; first light is the best bet
Held to the season curve: conditions are better than the blue-winged teal numbers here this time of year
- Dry fall: birds concentrated on remaining water
Season dates · High Plains Mallard Management Unit October 24-25, 2026 and October 30, 2026 to January 31, 2027. North Zone November 14-29, 2026 and December 5, 2026 to January 31, 2027. South Zone November 7-29, 2026 and December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027.
Times shown for the region center. Season dates and limits change yearly and by zone: verify with Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Water Status
Water on the landscape: Dry fall: birds concentrated on remaining water (68% of Texas in drought, US Drought Monitor).
Why this score is moving
- Held to the season curve: conditions are better than the blue-winged teal numbers here this time of year
- Temperatures falling about 10°F over the next 48 hours
- Corn harvest roughly 98% complete, heavy field feed available
- Off-season: the main migration window has not opened yet
48-Hour Outlook
Poor
Held to the season curve: conditions are better than the blue-winged teal numbers here this time of year. Temperatures falling about 10°F over the next 48 hours. Strongest window: Mon into Tue.
14-Day Score Outlook
Blue-winged TealDays 8 through 14 sit beyond the reliable forecast window and lean on season history. Read them as a trend, not a promise.
Inside the model
The score is a weighted blend of the drivers below, each rated 0 to 10 from current conditions. No black box: this is the whole model.
Temps falling ~10°F into the next 48h
NW winds to 13 mph across 3 of the next 48h
0% of upstream hours below 28°F
Little to no snow upstream
68% of the state in drought: less water, and birds stacked on what is left
Outside the main migration window
Corn ~98%, beans ~91% (typical-progress estimate)
No reports in the last 72h, so this factor is not counted
North of you
ProThe freeze line across the stations upstream of this region, station by station, so you see shallow water locking up before the birds arrive on it.
Radar check
ProLast night's NEXRAD read on whether birds actually moved: how much lifted off after sunset, which way it tracked, and how fast it flew under its own power once the wind at that altitude is subtracted out.
Local conditions
| Day | Hi / Lo | Wind | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| MonNov 2 | 87° / 69° | SSE 12 mph | |
| TueNov 3 | 86° / 62° | WSW 13 mph | |
| WedNov 4 | 79° / 57° | NNW 8 mph | |
| ThuNov 5 | 77° / 64° | ESE 10 mph | |
| FriNov 6 | 75° / 64° | NNW 13 mph | |
| SatNov 7 | 78° / 62° | N 8 mph | |
| SunNov 8 | 78° / 63° | NNW 8 mph |
Hunter intel
ProWhat other hunters reported in this region over the last 72 hours: species, how hard they were feeding, and whether the birds looked like new arrivals. Filing your own report is free and counts toward this region's score either way.