The only place in Texas I had not hunted ducks in a long and misspent career of chasing them is the lower coast. A trip to Port O'Connor last week with my son and his duck hunting buddy resolved that and the thrill of seeing thousands of redheads along with myriad other waterfowl was worth the long haul from the Panhandle. Hunting shallow and incredibly clear salt water ponds in the mangrove islands near Matagorda Island one day and inland crawfish ponds the next was quite an experience. My Panhandle born and raised lab Bella had never seen that much water much less take an airboat ride. We used a pair of Winchester Model 21's; a duck grade magnum and a trap grade with 32" F&F barrels with Bismuth shells. I'm ready to go back next year.....or just move to Port O'Connor. the last pic is an albino widgeon taken last season by our guide Dwayne Lowery.

Great trip and I am sure wonderful memories.

That's the Model 21 I was looking for. Damn it!! Thanks for the post Gary and that is one great looking mount.

Great pictures. The few chances I had to hunt ducks in that area were memorable. I miss the slicing and slashing of widgeon dumping into the decoys. It's the only area where I was able to turn big flocks of ducks with a call. Really good habitat in some of those brackish marshes. Sorry to drift off, thanks for sharing it.

Nice, I can't imagine walking out in the marsh like that without sinking up to my chest.

Thanks for the kind comments....surprisingly, the bottom in those salt water ponds is surprisingly firm with grass growing in it; the reason the ducks feed there. At 66 I can't slog the upper coast (or Louisiana) marshes that I grew up in....these firm bottoms were a delightful change. It's an entirely different world in that part of Texas and Port O'Connor is at the end of the road....going back down there in April with the fly rods for redfish and speckled trout.(another bucket list item)

Gary, I have been there many times fishing. Duck Hunted over at Port Aransas. A beautiful area. Glad to see you used Bismuth, which is what I used at Port Aransas. Who was your guide?

Capt. Dwayne Lowery.....probably the best guide in that area; a serious duck hunter and trout rustler; if you go with him, you will go where the birds are; I've hunted and fished with Dwayne since he was in the 7th grade(I was his teacher)...there's probably no better fisherman on the coast.

Awesome trip and photos. The albino widgeon is striking. Coastal TX ducks are on my bucket list also. Thanks for the guide recommendation.

That's a nice mixed bag, Gary. Glad y'all had a good trip. Do you stay in a hotel when you hunt with Lowery, as opposed to a lodge of some kind?

SRH

Gary, your pictures brought back vivid memories of hunting the gulf coast just South of Texas in the Mexican State of Tamaulipus back in the '80s. Not sure I'd want to go back there nowadays, but the Whitewing dove around Lake Guerrero and the duck hunting on the Laguna Madre was fantastic...Geo

So was the bass fishing on Lake Guerrero.....went there several times in the old days; always stayed at the Panoramico Hotel in Ciudad Victoria.....wish it was still like that.

I've noticed that Trek Safaris is pushing a duck trip down there again. Too early for me though, I'll wait and see whether the cartels get over being hostile...Geo

Firm bottoms are always a treat.