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Duck hunting at Lake Somerville?

26,492 Views | 36 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by CBartula4
MarkPro
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7:43p, 12/19/16
Looking for a place to do some duck hunting and was wondering if anyone on the Outdoor Board has hunted at Lake Somerville, and if so, where at, and what are the protocols for hunting out there?

Thanks in advance.
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Thisguy1
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8:12p, 12/19/16
I don't have any personal experiences, but I've looked into it quite a bit. Find a map that shows you where you can legally go and scout. I've got a few buddies that have done this had a lot of success. If you have a boat with a mud motor it's a huge plus. Go out one afternoon and find a hole somewhere.

It can be hit or miss, but I've got one buddy who's been hammering them out there lately.
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carpe vinum
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8:21p, 12/19/16
AG
I'm no help, but I know my brother hunted the west side several times years ago.
Knowing him, I'm not certain it was entirely legal.
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water turkey
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8:23p, 12/19/16
Yes, best kept secret in the state.
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MarkPro
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8:30p, 12/19/16
Thanks fellas, I've liked at the the TPW maps and have a good idea where to go. I'm gonna contact the GW out there and verify though.
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DuckDown2013
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4:16p, 12/20/16
AG
Hunted it hard for 4 years from 09-13. Feel free to PM.
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Colt98
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5:22p, 12/20/16
AG
Use to hunt it all the time with my buddy when we were the first mud motor on the lake and there were only a couple of air boats. Now I here it's a cluster, but man we use to have some good hunts out there. If you do your scouting it is awesome, especially when the water is up.
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A.G.S.
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8:22a, 12/21/16
AG
edited

I haven't hunted this year, but did decent out there last year. Also, I hunt the creeks and sloughs, not the big water, so some of the spots I hunt are a fairly long walk.
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SabineAg
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10:02a, 12/21/16
AG
Pain the the rear to hunt out there unless you're going out mid-week.
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Finn Maccumhail
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In reply to SabineAg • 10:40a, 12/21/16
AG
IYACYAS12 said:
Pain the the rear to hunt out there unless you're going out mid-week.

I figure it's like that at any public hunting land, right?
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to Finn Maccumhail • 11:01a, 12/21/16
AG
Not really, Flag Pond and Newman's bottom can be packed but the holes/ponds within the WMA/hunt areas that are TPWD public land are typically not hunted hard at all.
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A.G.S.
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In reply to OnlyForNow • 11:28a, 12/21/16
AG
OnlyForNow said:
Not really, Flag Pond and Newman's bottom can be packed but the holes/ponds within the WMA/hunt areas that are TPWD public land are typically not hunted hard at all.
Yup. Not many people enjoy carrying all their gear a mile in, down "roads" with shin deep mud while wearing waders.

A lot of decent holes back there though if the water level is right.

ETA: I didn't know any of the public land extended to Newmans Bottom. Or are people just using that as an access point to the creek?
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SabineAg
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In reply to Finn Maccumhail • 11:47a, 12/21/16
AG
I was getting more at the amount of college kids that pack the place, sky blast, drive right past spreads after sunlight and leave early driving past everyone's spreads. That and with an already busy boat launch, they tend to fumble around causing more chaos

Probably not as bad right now as they are all on break
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to A.G.S. • 11:56a, 12/21/16
AG
The lake is USACE property, I think Newman's bottom is TPWD as is flag pond (I believe) I know that nails creek wma is tpwd.

But you can't hunt on the whole lake ONLY Newman's bottom and flag pond unless you draw a blind
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Finn Maccumhail
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In reply to OnlyForNow • 12:01p, 12/21/16
AG
OnlyForNow said:
Not really, Flag Pond and Newman's bottom can be packed but the holes/ponds within the WMA/hunt areas that are TPWD public land are typically not hunted hard at all.

Gotcha.

I'm just not familiar with the hunting opportunities out there at all. I fished Somerville a lot but what duck hunting I did growing up in BCS was all on land owned by a family friend out in the Navasota bottoms about halfway between 21 and OSR.
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CS78
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12:09p, 12/21/16
We got on em pretty good this morning out of Nails. No wind but they still decoyed pretty nice. Only about 4-5 other boats out. Felt more like we should be fishing with this nice weather.




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Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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In reply to CS78 • 12:18p, 12/21/16
AG
CS78 said:
We got on em pretty good this morning out of Nails. No wind but they still decoyed pretty nice. Only about 4-5 other boats out. Felt more like we should be fishing with this nice weather.






Nice work.
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saltydog13
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In reply to CS78 • 12:33p, 12/21/16
AG
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A.G.S.
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In reply to OnlyForNow • 12:45p, 12/21/16
AG
I think we may be thinking of 2 different places as Newmans Bottom. The place I'm thinking of is a little grass lot next to the wooden bridge on the Yegua (about halfway between the main lake and CR 132). I know its part of the State Park, but I didn't think it was at all part of the WMA.
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to A.G.S. • 1:32p, 12/21/16
AG
Newmans bottom, as i refer to it, is a section of the lake that is shallow, it's the area that is still lake as you go into flag pond, but is still in the main body of the lake, it's at the mouth of Yegua Creek.
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AgEng06
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1:38p, 12/21/16
AG
You guys are talking about the same place, it just depends on how you delineate the area. The parking/bridge spot that A.G.S. is referring to is the normal access point for Newman's.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4505_121a.pdf
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to AgEng06 • 1:44p, 12/21/16
AG
Ya but you can't get out of your boat to hunt flag pond or Newman's Bottom.

That's the STUPID rule or was...
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AgEng06
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In reply to OnlyForNow • 1:46p, 12/21/16
AG
Ah. We only hunted the USACE areas in the blinds the few years I hunted out there, so I don't have any experience with Flag Pond, etc.
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to AgEng06 • 1:48p, 12/21/16
AG
Not even supposed to get out of your boat to GET to Flag Pond...
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A.G.S.
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In reply to AgEng06 • 1:51p, 12/21/16
AG
Gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up. I only go to Newmans for the hybrid run generally. I had always thought that the only way to get to Flag Pond was to paddle up the channel, but I've never actually hunted there.

For ducks we always hiked in to the WMA off of CR124. Haven't gotten a chance to go there this year so I have no idea what it looks like back up in there.
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Colt98
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3:10p, 12/22/16
AG
The only way to hunt Newman's bottom is when the lake is way up. They damned flagpond but you can still drag a boat over. When the lake is up we us to go straight back from the boat ramp and drive our boat over the flag pond damn. There is generally good hunting back in the cove directly between nails and yeagua. But you need a mud motor or airboat. There are also some good spots up the yeagua. I haven't hunted out ther in over 10 years now though. On the main lake I always had my best luck west of the mouth of the yeagua. Just a 100yards or so past it. Once all you young bucks dads started buying you mud boats I quit hunting the lake. I really wish y'all would put some pressure on the birds out there though. it helps me out.
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DuckDown2013
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9:39p, 12/22/16
AG
I did most of my hunting in the above mentioned cove. Unfortunately water was never high enough when I was in school to get to flag pond in the larger boat I had.

I hunted week days and killed a lot of birds over the years. Had some terrible hunts too that my friends and I laugh about to this day. That's what it's all about.
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Colt98
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7:25a, 12/23/16
AG
before my mud motor and before the closed in the channel going into flag pond my two buddies and i took my dads old v bottom up into flag pond. had a crazy good hunt. On the way out our motor went out. we paddled all the way back. took us like 3-4 hours.

fast forward a few years and i have my mud motor. drought year and i couldn't launch at nails so friday before opener me and my old dog(Colt) make a scouting run. Basically the entire cove of nails creek was grown up and only had a few inches of water. birds were everywhere. So the next morning we roll in and i stop about 200 yards from where i wanted to and bam... stuck... Shooting light comes and I shoot my limit in 10 minutes. then i spend the next 4 hours going pushing my boat about 400 yards to get in deep enough water to get it moving. oh the good old days of slummerville.
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to Colt98 • 8:34a, 12/23/16
AG
I've done that hunt a few times!
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txaggie02
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9:14a, 12/23/16
AG
Is that a gadwall with a blue belly?
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OnlyForNow
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2:23p, 12/23/16
AG
Shadow...
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txaggie02
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2:31p, 12/23/16
AG
Shadow of what? The only shadow close to the birds in that pic is on the dogs neck. And shadows are black, not baby blue. Reason I asked is because back in the days, the wildlife department died the bellies of some snow geese pink to see them in the air for migration tracking purposes. Just curious if it was something similar.
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OnlyForNow
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5:10p, 12/23/16
AG
Not sure what the shadow is of, but still think it's a shadow.
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mmarkham19
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8:52p, 1/14/17
Anyone seeing any birds lately? Trying to decide whether to go in the morning. Thanks for any help
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PANHANDLE10
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In reply to mmarkham19 • 9:58p, 1/14/17
Yes. There's birds there. Use your hunting brick.
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