I have never seen the number of birds we saw this morning in my whole entire life. There were pintails and geese by the thousands!

The primary reason is because of the quality of the men who are members.  I have made so many close friends with the men who are there.  The members are, without exception, passionate about waterfowl hunting.  Its as though hunting ducks and geese is in their blood.  It really is who they are as people.  Another reason is that we are a self contained hunting club and do our own work.  We build and camo our blinds, repair and maintain thousands of decoys and work together as a team to have consistently the best waterfowl hunting along the Texas Gulf Coast.  If a hunter wants to be coddled and taken care of, and led to the blind by a guide, then Thunderbird is not for them.  Thunderbird hunters are outdoorsmen and adventurers, and want to be involved in every aspect of the sport of waterfowl hunting.  We know the hunting will be great.  We want the total experience for our members to be beyond compare.

Having been hunting at the Club for 33-years, I have some perspective on how it has changed over time. When I started, we never would have imagined the modern outfitting that has ensued and led to the massive unionization of decoys, trickery motion decoys of all sorts,  fast-grass pop-up blinds, portable chairs and gun stands, and go-anywhere ATV's with tractor-like tires. A totally mobile crusade the Club campaigns every morning in their quest for birds, wherever they may want to be. After two days at the club with my two sons who both grew up hunting there, I am pleased to say the culture of the Club seems healthier than ever. Even compared to my last visit in 2018, there seems to be richer comradeship, more welcoming of new members and more cooperation in allocating the duck hunting resource -- even as the passion for building habitat and harvesting birds is stronger than ever. Bravo to what the Thunderbird managers have built!

THC is a community of sportsmen committed to outstanding waterfowl hunting, hard work, and great fun. Everyone pulls their weight to get the work done, as well as invest in the sport by welcoming youngsters and those new to hunting to the great outdoors and the fellowship of those who love nature and a full strap at the end of the morning. THC is an amazing place for boys to grow into men while experiencing the best that waterfowl hunting has to offer.

I have been a member at THC for many years. I return each year because the THC management continuously strive to improve on what has already proved to be a quality waterfowl hunting operation.    The members are great, the lodge provides a place to meet and spend the night before a hunt and after the hunt is over to compare results with others, which is a very important requirement to me.   The properties are high quality habitat to hunt and the management is always on the look out for more properties and working on how to improve the ones we have. I have hunted many good quality waterfowl operations in my day, and THC ranks with the best.  

One heck of a crop of birds we have at the club. It was like an Argentina dove shoot Saturday morning. In fact, there were more ducks at Thunderbird than there were in Argentina!

What makes THC unique is the environment.  Best waterfowl habitat in Texas combined with most supportive and welcoming membership enabled me as a new member to learn and understand how to work together with others for spectacular limit hunts!

[THC] are group of people who enjoy the outdoor hunting lifestyle. A Club that is well organized yet allows all the members to participate. Best managed and organized hunting club that I have had the pleasure of being a member. Extremely fair in the way hunting spots are picked for each group. Club properties are managed in a manner that gives each hunting group optimum chance to hunt ducks.

After reading your newsletters each week and hanging with the fellas on the front porch, it did not take me long to figure out how special the THC family is. The bonds that are created and the endless campfire stories are all a testament to the hard work put in by the Steele family along with Travis and the managers. I felt welcomed the moment I stepped foot on the property and have a mountainous appreciation for how things are run. I'll try not to get too spoiled with how my first year on the club has been because in my 22 years of duck hunting this first split has been prolific. There are always a lot of laughs in the duck blind, but this year has been special and filled with more than years passed. I credit that to you all and everyone involved in making THC the best duck destination in the South. Thank you for everything and I am looking forward to the continued duck tornadoes and whiskey campfire tails ahead.” 

Reputation for quality properties under lease. Relations with landowners is good; club management has been successful in maintaining long term agreements which enhances ability to maintain quality habitat. Properties managed on par with the top end clubs with respect to habitat. The club has a record of consistently good habitat regardless of weather conditions. Pond rotation strategy best I’ve seen. Management communicates well and accepts feedback with an open mind. Members expected to contribute time and effort to maintain and improve the club. We are a “do it yourself” club. Members are avid waterfowlers and outdoorsmen. Our blind partners are also our friends. We have many long-term members and have opportunities of watching their kids grow up. We are not a “commercial club” We do have corporate members, but they are not given preference in blind selection. I know I could pay more but don’t believe I could the same value anywhere on the Texas Coast. The lodge strikes the right balance between function and operating cost. I also like the ability to use it year round. Where else can you blast and cast without getting in a boat?

 Thanks as always for the newsletter Todd! Man, what a start to the season! I’ve never heard of so many ducks killed so early in the season. You did a great job of explaining why and how all the stars aligned to make this happen. The hard work y’all put in during drought conditions is paying off huge! 

Thunderbird Hunting Club offers the serious waterfowl hunter, whether a highly experienced hunter or someone just developing a passion for waterfowl hunting, the opportunity to hunt waterfowl along the Texas Gulf Coast under near perfect conditions. That does not mean you will be guaranteed limits of ducks or geese on every hunt but it does mean you will have the opportunity on every hunt to hunt with hunters who love the outdoors and waterfowl hunting, to participate in the camaraderie associated with waterfowl hunting, of watching early on a “ducky”  type of morning a flock of newly arriving ducks responding to your call and decoying into your decoys, of watching the  lab sitting beside you shiver with excitement as he keeps a intense lookout for the next flock of ducks and  most importantly of knowing that every effort has been made to insure habitat conditions are the best they can be considering variations in weather from season to season so  that every hunter has a positive hunting experience.

Todd, I would like to send you guys a quick note about my first year experience at Thunderbird. I've been hunting in this area with other clubs for over a decade and nothing comes anywhere close your competence and understanding in delivering the complexities of consistent and great duck hunting. What you and others have built is truly remarkable. The other members and your two sons have been nothing but accommodating and willing to help us newbies at every turn. Here's to many more successful years and my sincere thanks for what you have built.

Just for the record. The winged biomass we ogled at the Bluecreek Property today. Trumped any flock I’ve ogled in the Southern Hemisphere on my three pilgrimages to the Land of Argentina. Absolute epitome of hard work, like-mindness, habitat acquisition, and management. All involved should be PROUD. Epic example of conservation and habitat development. Leaving things better for the ducks and our kids/grandkids. Hats off to all you boys for whatchall do!!! I’m still getting goosebumps from the amount of duck flesh on the wing!! Errrrrrrah!!

Thunderbird is a very special club.  It’s not stuffy, overcrowded or impersonal.  THC is managed and cared for by a unique group of members who each have a burning passion for hunting and respectful conservation of the resource.  Thunderbird epitomizes what the pursuit of hunting really is through an appreciation of the cold early mornings, good dog work, and camaraderie in the blind.  Our club is what true Texas waterfowling is, and what it should be.  We have enjoyed every second of being members and intend to do so for many years to come.

Almost better than sex!

I joined THC after having the opportunity to hunt on several occasions with Steve Brien. What I was most impressed with was the quality of the hunting, the caliber of the people, and the professionalism under which the club is managed.  What keeps me a member (and my son is now a full member as well) is that the club is dedicated to a first class set of properties that have great habitat to attract birds and is sensitive to the financial requirements of its members. Having the managers who will work with members to show them where the birds are and how to hunt is also a great benefit.

Hey Todd, Logan Seelke here, I wanted to drop you a line on my first experience at the club this weekend. That so exceeded ever expectation I thought I might have had, from walked into the lodge it was like 'the lodge gave me a hug,' it was phenomenal walking in there and seeing all those pictures and stuff like that. Thought that was one of the best things I have seen in a long time! Member Craig Jones, who I met at the lodge, great person. His dog 'Pepper' I look forward to being able to hunt over with Craig, any, and ever chance I get. Manager Mr. Sawyer, we do share some of the same friends in the world. He is a shooter, and knows some shooters as well, really enjoyed his company. To make a long story short, I appreciate it, its great, it is everything I thought it would be and more. Hopefully next time I come down I will spend more time exploring everything. This weekend I just wanted to get my feet wet and see what everything was about. Brother, I was enamored; I don't really have any words to say about how excited I am. I will leave it at that. I look forward to seeing and meeting you. Once again thank you!

Thanks for yet another great season! Greatly appreciate the hard work y'all do!

I have hunted waterfowl for over 50-years. Since coming to Texas 16 years ago, I have hunted with many different clubs and outfitters. We had some good hunts and some great hunts, but it was never consistent. Also, in some clubs, the guides would pick the best ponds and the members either hunted with the day hunters (sometimes 10-12 in a blind) or the members got the left over and over-shot spots.  I’d like to thank you and your entire team for your dedication and effort that make Thunderbird successful. It is by far, the best and most consistent hunting of my life. This club is first class and it shows in the quality of the properties and the professional and fair way the members are treated. No one gets preferential treatment (except landowners and PLEASE keep them happy).  I don’t know how many more years I have to hunt, but God willing, I will be spending them with Thunderbird as long as y’all will have me.