# Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge



## Kenner81 (Feb 20, 2013)

Does anyone know if you can still duck hunt in the Anahuac refuge ? I haven't hunted it a very long time and was just wondering if you still can...... or not. Thanks for any info.


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## scubaru (Mar 28, 2005)

yes

get there early


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## Kenner81 (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks


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## yellowmouth2 (Aug 16, 2005)

PACE tract has a 25 hp restriction once off the main bayou. Do not know much about the East unit.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

scubaru said:


> yes
> 
> get there early


A few folks are already in line.


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## sp4anahuac (Apr 26, 2007)

line start usually around 7:00am Thursday morning, 80 man limit on refuge now they have that many sometimes 9:00 pm the night before  If have a teen to put him in line for a day you can cherry pick your spot.


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## Dukman (Sep 21, 2007)

I had not been out to the East Unit in years. Made the mistake of trying to hunt it last year. Had a Friday off of work and figured I'd go out there "early" and get me a good spot. Apparently Friday afternoon is not "early" enough. Already had 18 vehicles with multiple people in each one. Also had several cut in line by joining friends vehicle that had come out earlier.

That place has become a zoo. To me, the worse thing they did was identify all the ponds for everyone. Totally eliminates rewarding those that scout. Of course with google map I suppose everything is right there on your computer monitor now days.


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## Kenner81 (Feb 20, 2013)

I guess it's only open to hunt on weekends ? No weekdays ?


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## teebo (May 19, 2010)

*anahuac*

http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Anahuac_Hunt2014-15.pdf

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Anahuac/visit/visitor_activities/hunting.html

click the hunting link in the second url... new rules each year so check in closer to season.

teebo


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

I used to hunt it back in the old days by walking in, then switched to hunting it by boat in the 90s and there has always been a line before on any day, some days a smaller line, but opening day bigger, then after colleges let out for the second half of season, forget it. Very popular place. Made plans to hunt a place with friends on East, Pace, Jackson Ditch, and Middleton Trac and would get shut out and had to go find another place. Sometimes it worked out sometimes not. The last time I went, We went to Middleton got to the boat rollers at 4:30 and there were already a bunch of guys out and someone we met at the rollers said he was going home because there were too many people in the marsh. You could see all the lights at some of the ponds so I turned around too and went and got breakfast and went home. I got tired of getting out there so early, quit hunting it and got on a lease. Now I hunt with Outfitters. If you want to hunt it they have a scouting day in October usually so you can find out where you want to go. Then like everyone else said get there the day before. Have a plan on where you are going and a backup plan, unless you bring friends and nail one of the Duck hunting areas down the Road to the West, or you have goose rags (you have to have the rags with you to be able to go to the fields) and nail a goose hunting area, which is really good for ducks after a heavy rain. We always hunted the fields after rain, and the marsh other times. Get on the website and read all the rules thoroughly and like said check out the map. Good luck. On a side note, I don't know, but it seems like to me they need a reservation system. Might help with the line problem and people getting shut out and assigning ponds, but would also create more problems and work for the Rangers and Biologists that work the refuge. They probably have their hands full already.


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

Oh, and what Avian Quest said is true! Myself and two other friends used to be obsessed with the place in the 70s and 80s and would make plans for one guy to grab a spot in line, then we would come later and park on the road back a ways and jump in the Truck with him. Several times we took an RV and parked to the east of the entrance while we parked our truck in line, and put someone in the truck for a while until the line got long then we all hung out in the RV. On Jackson Ditch we would come in from the Intercoastal pull over the levee with PVC pipe and get there quicker than guys coming in from the Refuge Entrance. Like said it is a zoo now and was a zoo then! Also, better be 100% legal. There used to be a Ranger we called "Marshwalker" because he would show up out of nowhere, walking through the marsh to check our plugs, licenses, steel shot, and birds. While I was checking out once, a guy walked in with one of those spoonbill looking cranes and asked what kind of duck it was??????? They were really mad at that guy and wrote him ticket and pulled his permit.


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## Kenner81 (Feb 20, 2013)

Sounds like I might need to find a different place to hunt.....lol. Thanks for the help guys.


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

By the way you have to go through the dock at AWR headquarters to gain access to Jackson Ditch now-can't access from ICW. Also, can't go in earlier than 4AM at Middleton and AWR docks. Also, can't camp outside of car in line, or stay in RV, or leave an unattended vehicle outside on the road anymore. Just FYI, those rules were not in effect when I was hunting it.


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## famousunknown (Aug 13, 2005)

Hookem-Guy81 said:


> Oh, and what Avian Quest said is true! Myself and two other friends used to be obsessed with the place in the 70s and 80s and would make plans for one guy to grab a spot in line, then we would come later and park on the road back a ways and jump in the Truck with him. Several times we took an RV and parked to the east of the entrance while we parked our truck in line, and put someone in the truck for a while until the line got long then we all hung out in the RV. On Jackson Ditch we would come in from the Intercoastal pull over the levee with PVC pipe and get there quicker than guys coming in from the Refuge Entrance. Like said it is a zoo now and was a zoo then! Also, better be 100% legal. There used to be a Ranger we called "Marshwalker" because he would show up out of nowhere, walking through the marsh to check our plugs, licenses, steel shot, and birds. While I was checking out once, a guy walked in with one of those spoonbill looking cranes and asked what kind of duck it was??????? They were really mad at that guy and wrote him ticket and pulled his permit.


Mr. Saltwater and I hunted the refuge many times in the 80's and probably saw you in the line on mutiple occasions. I think the warden's name was Jackson. We would routinely walk what seemed like forever (aka the "death march") to get away from the masses and he would end up walking up on us in the middle of nowhere. Seemed like all he ever wore were hip boots. Good times.


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## Hookem-Guy81 (Apr 3, 2013)

Famous, You are right he did wear hip boots. That name sounds familiar but I am too old to remember that. I do remember glasses and a mustache. We would park at the windmill, walk the road to the last bridge to the right, then down the cattle walk to the end and hunt the pond on the right or if the marsh was burned we would walk off the middle of the cattle walk to the Left and hunt a pond out in the marsh. It was directly north of the "Clover Leaf Pond" north of Jackson Ditch. Other favorite was "Goose Roost Slew", walk walk walk. One time when cold and Icy I lost my footing on an icy bridge and into the drainage ditch I went. I was frozen and hypothermic by the time I got back to the truck. I did not even hunt that day. Anyway, to the OP, I am spoiled now by outfitters, plus the refuge line thing is a PITA. Hey one thing I forgot to mention, for the OP, if you went by boat to Middleton, you have to park at the public ramp at the High Island Bridge. I don't know how it is now, but it was bad when I was hunting it. Vehicles always broken into. I got lucky and dodged the bullet, but just an FYI. The boat ramp at Headquarters is safer but busy. You will need a backup plan. So, ante up, make a reservation with an outfitter and get some Duks.


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

famousunknown said:


> Mr. Saltwater and I hunted the refuge many times in the 80's and probably saw you in the line on mutiple occasions. I think the warden's name was Jackson. We would routinely walk what seemed like forever (aka the "death march") to get away from the masses and he would end up walking up on us in the middle of nowhere. Seemed like all he ever wore were hip boots. Good times.


Good times for sure!!

Warden's name was Ed Jackson. Wore hip boots and often carried a board cut in the shape of a shotgun so he just looked like another hunter. Probably served as a crutch and mud depth tester too. Heard someone say "he would crawl through a mile of mud to write his own mother a ticket"...probably close to the truth.

We could probably fill a book with stories about hunts there. Yep...best of times, best of friends, and best of memories!!


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## 9121SS (Jun 28, 2009)

Mr. Saltwater said:


> Good times for sure!!
> 
> Warden's name was Ed Jackson. Wore hip boots and often carried a board cut in the shape of a shotgun so he just looked like another hunter. Probably served as a crutch and mud depth tester too. Heard someone say "he would crawl through a mile of mud to write his own mother a ticket"...probably close to the truth.
> 
> We could probably fill a book with stories about hunts there. Yep...best of times, best of friends, and best of memories!!


I too hunted it back then. LOL. I remember that wooden gun. Ole Jackson was something else. I can't say what I really thought of him!
After it started getting crazy out there, I moved to Old and Lost river to hunt.


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