Waterfowl populations face many challenges in the Twenty-First Century. From the loss of nesting habitat to changes in agriculture on Texas wintering grounds, very real threats imperil the future of ducks and duck hunting. That is why Texas Waterfowl book author and executive editor of Texas Fish & Game magazine, Chester Moore, is hitting the road December 8.

“I’m doing what I call the ‘Texas Duck Tour’, hunting seven locations in seven regions of the state in seven days,” Moore said. “The idea is to document the habitat and hunting opportunities in these different areas to show what amazing opportunities we have in Texas, and in turn show what we have to lose if we don’t take action now.” Full documentation of the tour will be posted om the magazine’s website, www.fishgame.com, along with conservation notes specific to the species pursued and various regions of the state.

“One example I could give is the hunts we are doing along the Texas coast, “Moore said. “The conservation problems there include a loss of rice production, which is believed to be causing major problems with pintails and leaving Texas in poor health, and also seagrass conservation in Lower Laguna Madre and in the Coastal Bend. “Waterfowl conservation is complex, and by hitting these different areas I hope to drive home to the people hunting those areas how important the habitat is, and that without successful nesting in the prairies, there will poor fall flights.”

Moore enlisted the help of Ducks Unlimited (DU) on this venture to provide logistical support and help choose key areas with specific conservation issues that need addressing. “DU is the leader in wetlands conservation, period,” Moore said. “We at Texas Fish & Game have a great working relationship with that organization, and Tim Soderquist of DU and I will be traveling together on this excursion, working to profile DU volunteers who are extremely important to conservation work, and making sure we maximize our efforts to raise awareness of important issues.”

Texas Fish & Game Publishing, LLC, released Moore’s Texas Waterfowl book last September, and Moore has pledged to donate 20 percent of the royalty proceeds to DU. “Half will be earmarked for the nesting grounds and the other half will go to the Texas CARE project, which is conserving crucial areas in Texas,” Moore said.

Texas Duck Tour Dates/Locations

Dec. 8 / Winnie
Dec. 9 / Crockett
Dec. 10 / Lubbock
Dec. 11 / Fredricksburg
Dec. 12 / Choke Canyon Reservoir
Dec. 13 / Rockport
Dec. 14 / Wharton