Texas duck hunters benefit from winter frontal activity that is prone to push “new ducks” southward towards Texas. Duck hunters should be mindful of the boats and gear to avoid the transport of invasive species like Giant Salvina and zebra mussel to o
Charlie Shivley of Huxley strings booms across the channel that leads to his facility to prevent rafts of Giant salvinia from drifting in during Fall 2024. Shivley uses the long reach of a trachoe to remove the plant from the water and places it on the ba
State law requires all boaters to remove all residual vegatation from their boats and trailers before leaving the lake to avoid the spread of giant salvina and other invasives to other lakes. (TPWD Photo)
Invasive zebra mussels are currently found in 39 Texas lakes, but others are at risk.TPWD urges boaters to clean and dry their boats and and drain all buckets and receptacles before leaving the lake. (TPWD Photo)
Duck hunters reminded to get legal, avoid invasive hitchikers as second season split gets rolling
Texas duck hunters are hoping for some timely shots of winter weather in the next few weeks to push more birds southward ahead of the Christmas/New year holidays. The second split of the 2025-26 duck got underway Dec. 6 in the North Zone; Dec. 13 in the South Zone. The season runs through Jan. 25, 2026 in both zones.
Duck hunters are reminded several key legal requirements:
Legal Requirements
*The daily limit is six birds that may include no more five mallards (two hens), three wood ducks, three pintails, two redheads, two canvasbacks, one scaup and one dusky duck.
* A valid hunting license, Migratory Game Bird Endorsement and HIP certification is required to hunt ducks and other migratory birds. Also, all duck hunters 16 and older are required to have a valid Federal Duck Stamp.
* All hunters born on or after on or after September 2, 1971 are required to complete an approved hunter education course. Proof of certification must be carried in the field. Those 17 and older can get a deferral for up to one year, but they must be accompanied by a licensed hunter while hunting. The minimum age for certification is 9 years old.
* All shotguns must be be plugged to accept no more than three shells, including one in the chamber. Only steel or approved non-toxic ammunition may be used to hunt waterfowl. Lead shot is prohibited.
Watch for Hitch Hikers
Here’s another important reminder for waterfowlers.
Be sure to inspect boats, tow vehicles, boat trailers, decoys, waders, carrying bags and any other hunting gear that contacts the water for aquatic hitchhikers like invasive plants, zebra mussels and quagga mussels.
All boaters are required to drain the water from livewells and bait containers before leaving or launching into a body of fresh water. They must also remove all invasive plants from the boat, trailer and tow vehicle before leaving a lake.
This is all part of the “Clean, Drain and Dry” campaign launched years ago by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The idea is to promote better public awareness invasive and encourage freshwater users to avoid the inadvertent transfer of invasives from one lake to another.
Transporting prohibited aquatic invasive species in Texas is illegal. Each violation is punishable by a fine up to $500.
Giant salvinia is an especially nasty plant all boaters should be aware of and learn to identify. The hardy aquatic fern isn’t rooted to bottom. It free floats and goes where the wind or current from floods takes it, often in large rafts.
One sprig can quickly multiply into a new infestion. Left unchecked, the prolific plant can result in dense surface mats that may double in size in a week’s time. The mats can block out sunlight critical to the ecosystem and cause access problems for fishing, boating and other water recreation.
John Findiesen says the plant can pose potential problems for waterfowl hunters. Findiesen heads up the aquatic enhancement team for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He said Giant salvinia is frequently found in shallow, backwater areas ducks and duck hunters are frequently drawn to.
“Not only does it form thick mats that block hunters’ access to prime waterfowl hunting areas, but it can also outgrow and replace the native plants that waterfowl rely on for food and habitat,” he said.
Giant salvinia is currently present on more than two dozen lakes across eastern Texas and numerous rivers, creeks and marshes, according to TPWD. Findeisen says his team has been successful in using herbicide to eradicate the plant on three reservoirs — lakes Pinkston, Gilmer and Brandy Branch.
“We were alerted to introduction early and able to contain it and treat rapidly,” he said. “There have been multiple introductions on each of these lakes and we have been able to rapidly respond.”
Charlie Shivley of Huxley sometimes calls Giant salvinia the plant from hell. He’s giving it hell right back.
Shivley owns Bill’s Landing, a trotliner’s hub at the upper reaches of Toledo Bend on the lake’s Texas side. The plant was found there back in 1998, soon after it was first discovered in the Houston area earlier that same year.
One more than one occasion, Shivley has strung floating booms across the channel to help prevent the plant from blowing in from the main lake and choking off access to his facility. Once contained, he scoops it out of the water with a trachoe and piles it on dry ground where it dies.
“It’s always the worst in an east wind and when it floods,” Shivley said. “It hasn’t been that bad this fall — nothing like last year.”
As earlier mentioned, zebra mussels and closely related quagga mussels are among the other aquatic hitchhikers waterfowlers should be aware of.
The zebra mussel is an exotic species that originated in eastern Europe. Scientists believe it hitchhiked to the United States on one or more transoceanic freightliners that steamed in from the Caspian Sea in the mid-1980s.
It was first discovered in U.S. waters at Lake St. Clair in Michigan. The mussels have since spread throughout the Great Lakes, the Ohio River Basin, the Mississippi River Basin and as far west as Oklahoma and now, into Texas.
Zebra mussels were first found in Texas in 2009 at Lake Texoma on the Texas/Oklahoma border. They are now in 39 Texas lakes. Brian Van Zee, a TPWD inland fisheries director based in Waco, says 34 of the lakes are considered fully infested with zebra mussels, but plenty of others are at risk.
“Each boater taking the necessary actions to clean and drain their boat before leaving the lake and allowing compartments and gear to dry completely when they get home can make a big difference in protecting our Texas lakes,” Van Zee said.
Like Giant salvinia and other invasive vegetation, zebra mussels pose an ongoing threat to Texas waterways. The free-floating larvae are invisible, so they can be easily introduced to new waters by attaching to boats, anchors or plants, according to Monica McGarrity, TPWD senior scientist for aquatic invasive species.
“Microscopic zebra mussel larvae can also be transported in residual water in the boat,” McGarrity said in a TPWD news release. “Taking just a few minutes to clean, drain and dry boats can make a huge difference in our efforts to prevent further spread of this highly damaging species and harm to Texas lakes.”