Texas Teal 2023 Takeaway

Written By: Zach Miller

Texas…the land of wide open skies and pickup trucks as tall as the refinery stacks. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the great state of Texas for the final weekend of the legendary teal hunting. This…is my recap of how it went!

"Uninterrupted Happiness, 2023" 

The journey started in northern Florida where I call home, an early 4am wake up and a final inspection of the truck and all my tie-downs. Fed the pup, said goodbye to Em and cracked that first energy drink as the early season (for me) was officially started! The excitement of the journey hit hard as it typically does for anyone going on vacation as I was to get very familiar with Interstate-10 for the next 12 hours. The route there was absolutely gorgeous, I had heard many folks tell me how dull the scenery was; however, for someone who adores open fields and nothing-ness, it was pure bliss. As the trip went on and the podcasts started playing, I made the first stop at Buccees in Alabama, this was probably the most empty I've seen a Buccess and the brisket overload had begun. I filled up on fuel, let Fury out and back to the road we went, Mississippi was gone in the blink of an eye and Louisiana… oh man it never ended! At last I reached Texas… the heat already glaring into my truck and giving me one epic trucker tan.

Our first stop was in Winnie, a small town outside of Houston filled with refineries and pastures. I was to be a guest on the Big Texas Outdoor Podcast at the beautiful Pipkin Ranch. Arriving much earlier than I planned, I was able to see the ranch for all its beauty. The hosts of the show, Keene and Jon were excellent and extremely hospitable, a true Texas welcome. They took me around parts of the ranch and the wildlife I was able to see left me speechless in the back of their pickup. Cattle, gators, teal, ducks, deer, and every other critter out there all while the sun set in the background on my first night in the lone star state. As we went into the lodge, I was once again overwhelmed with the amount of history and pride the ranch took in its harvests and members. I could write paragraphs on the amount of history there but I will try and post a photo that does partial justice. The episode went amazing and we talked about dogs, ducks and life. If you haven't, go onto their channel and give the episode a listen, you won’t be sorry you did! This took us to about 11pm as goodbyes were said and I was back on the road. I stopped at a local rest stop on the way to Baytown for the night and my first night on the road was on the map.

"Big Texas Outdoor Podcast, 2023"

4am came early and I went out of the cab for a cool off only to realize there was no relief from the heat, 82 degrees and the sweat kept rolling! A quick hygiene break and I was off to Baytown to meet a person I call family… “AL”. So I met Al in Iraq on deployment, he was a K9 handler attached to our sniper team and his chocolate lab “Jegs” in not so many words, kept us alive over there. From there the bond was built and it was never broken, I hadn’t seen him since Iraq and it was a long time in the making. Another trip to Buccees before the meet up and it was like we never skipped a beat. I always find it amazing how some relationships never waver with time and this was no exception. 

"Al, Jegs and Myself, Iraq"

As we got settled that evening and caught up with everything since we last were in person, the sun came up on the following day and it was time to finally train some dogs together. Al’s new puppy “June” was just coming into her own and for the first time, we were able to train side by side. You’ve never trained until you have a former instructor/trainer of Lackland MWD school next to you. There are nothing but big things to come from that handler/dog team in the coming year. Al took me all over on this day, we went into Houston to see Duck Camp (brick and mortar) and a few other stops that are a staple of the area…yes BBQ was heavily involved! As the evening came, I met two new individuals I now call my friends, Kye and Kyle. Two truly genuine people and veterans joined us for the very first episode of my (we’ll call it) podcast… “Airing Sessions”. We once again talked about dogs, ducks and life with a subtle changing of attire! Nighttime came and the hunt tomorrow morning was soon to be here as 3am came quickly, the nerves were on. 

"Fury and June, 2023"

The alarm struck and it felt like Christmas morning (with a slight hangover) all over again. As we loaded up, Al couldn’t let me go hunting without a stop at his favorite Kolache spot…surprisingly open at 3am. Down the hatch they go and watered down with another energy drink, health and fitness is where we hail… A 30 minute drive to the boat ramp in his Tundra and the heat was still persistent. As we have spoken about in the past, as the handler, your job is the dog. When we arrived, we made a critical stop at the bathrooms and I made sure Fury was aired out as best as possible. Al and the others were getting the boats prepped and the view of LED bars and boat motors was all to be missed in the off season. A dark ride to the blind was overshadowed with the methane burn-off of the refinery towers in the distance. As we got to the blind I was stunned by how well it was constructed by the guys with not one but TWO dog doors…I was in heaven. As the guys set up the decoy spread, I got the blind as prepared as I could and Fury completely ready. The whines of him started as his excitement was not as contained as mine was. The guys came back in and the bug spray got passed around…

The guys absolutely demolished the setup and finished well before shooting light, this allowed Texas-sized mosquitoes to get breakfast on us. The heat with no breeze was killer, It was unlike Florida and its ruthless humidity but similar to Iraq with the unrelenting heat. As the sun came up ever so slowly, I, much like Fury, got locked in to the hunt, the silence came over the blind and we all began to get locked in and the calling started. Shots heard in the distance and flocks of birds moving in and out of the bay area as we waited for our shot. As time went on and 9:30 rolled around we realized that today the birds just didn’t want to come our way. The mumbles of packing up started to come about and as luck would have it, a lone blue wing teal skirted our decoy spread. As it came back for a second pass, our friend Kye nailed it dead to rights. A quick shift of Fury to the side of the blind and a perfect retrieve to knock the rust off of a long off-season. As most hunters do, we stayed a bit longer and much to our luck, nothing else came our way. 

"The Lone Star Teal, 2023"

Hunting is never about limits, we have spoken greatly about this in the past, I can never be upset or anything but fortunate on a slow day. I value the time spent in the blind, the dog in their natural environment and life at its peak happiness for everyone involved. This hunt was absolutely perfect and I still smile as I write this recap thinking about it. As cleanup began and the jokes continued, a slow boat ride back and our picture with the lone duck were taken, we said goodbye until the next time we all meet, as a friendship was built that weekend and a brotherhood built even stronger. 

"Al, Kye, Zach, Kyle and Fury, 2023"

While I am not even scratching the surface on my time in Texas, it was one that I wish to return to. The lifestyle, the camaraderie, the food and the way of life is something to be desired. I want to thank everybody who made this trip possible and who welcomed me to their homes with open arms. I am ever grateful for the opportunity and the chance to do it again!