About Us
Welcome to Thunderbird
Thunderbird is more than just a place to hunt. We have heard, time after time, “This is a very special place.”
The club harkens nostalgia; a time when clubs provided camaraderie, lodges escalated the excitement of the hunt, gunning pressure was light, waterfowl were numerous, and limits were commonplace.
You will experience this and more at Thunderbird Hunting Club!
Our Story
In 1986 we started Thunderbird for the specific purpose of providing exclusive waterfowl hunting to a private “Member Only” club with no outside conflicts such as guided hunts, heavy hunters, too many guests, or over-hunting. A lot has changed in the past almost four decades since we began Thunderbird, but the focus and mission has never wavered, make the Best Habitat we can for waterfowl and provide the Best Hunting we can for our membership, doing such is not “Rocket Science” it is much more difficult! What Thunderbird creates is of such significance that Ducks Unlimited TV has visited us not just once, but twice (2019 & 2021) to do film episodes about the club. Then last fall (2023) we are extremely honored that a third and fourth filming aired on DU Nation (YouTube Channel) featuring shows on Creating Habitat at Thunderbird and Early Teal Season. This spring a fifth filming will air (2024) on DU Nation on the 2023 opening day of the Second Split and boy did we have a lot of ducks!
Our Vision
Speaking of ducks, Thunderbird is passionate about YOU shooting ducks and having the best possible experience every time you come to hunt. Every member is treated equal, even among the managers and owners, also, there are no guides taking the best spots at the club. We play no favorites in the selection of hunting locations-numbers are draw the day before every hunt to determine who chooses their pond first. And because we have an abundance of “best spots” with numerous leftovers, everyone wins, competition for the best location is replaced with members helping one another succeed, especially the new members – something we pride ourselves on.
Membership
A membership entitles you to hunt all migratory birds, with ducks being our mainstay. During the season we provide you weekly Scouting Reports, Newsletters, Migration Reports, and Managerial Assistance to help you get on the birds; you will never go out in the “dark.” You will have access to thousands of acres of flooded high-quality ponds and two large private marsh systems. You may bring guests in accordance with our rules and fees.
Your membership also entitles you to year-round use of the lodge and its full facilities, a great retreat during the off-season. Also included in your membership is fishing within our marsh complexes for redfish, trout, drum, flounder, and crabs. If that was not enough, you also can hunt wild pigs in our woods lease for free. Limited rental space available for RV’s, ATV’s, and hunting equipment, private cabins available for purchase. Please contact Todd Steele.
Season Availability
2024-2025: fully booked
2025-2026: waitlist full
Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Thunderbird Hunting Club (THC)?
We are a true “Hunting Club”, not an outfitter with guided hunts, day hunts, or lease broker. Thunderbird is for the “do it yourself” duck hunter that takes pride in hunting for their own ducks. It is also for those who are new to the sport and want to learn with ample opportunities (tough to learn if you don’t have a lot of ducks or your hunting lease is poorly managed). 101% of our efforts go into the members, the club, and making great habitat. We offer individual memberships and limited corporate memberships. Our mission is to provide our members with a quality outdoor experience and to provide the very best habitat we can for waterfowl. Everyone is treated equal and we play no favorites in the selection of blinds or fields. You will not compete with guides, managers, or owners for the best spots. The best spots are for you the member. We have an abundance of “best spots” due our proven management program, limited membership, and restricted guest policy (too many guests will ruin your duck hunting).
Rest assured you will be hunting with one of the best duck clubs in Texas, if not the entire nation. Our duck hunting is with no equal, period!
How is your hunting?
Two words best summarize our hunting—outstanding and consistent. Through droughts, floods, mild weather, stalled migrations it doesn’t matter, we shoot birds, day after day, month after month, year after year. We don’t have to make excuses for why there are no ducks over your decoys. Thunderbird Hunting Club is now know as one of the best, if not the best duck hunting clubs in the nation!
This past season (2023-2024) the club harvested 10,767 waterfowl with a daily average of 21.7 birds per 4-man duck blind with 70% of our 4-man groups returning with full 24-duck limits. These are all unguided hunts!
We have had Ducks Unlimited (DU) TV film two episodes at the club and have had DU Nation film three shows for their YouTube channel. DU goes where the ducks are.
Are duck numbers down in Coastal Texas?
Yes and no.
Last season, 2023-2024, the club had yet another record-breaking season with close to 11,000 birds harvested, perhaps the highest in the nation, so no shortage of ducks at Thunderbird. However, many areas reported poor duck hunting.
For the 2022-2023 season the club broke almost all of its outstanding numbers from previous seasons with close to 9,500 birds harvested, up 25% from the previous season. Yet during the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s mid-winter aerial duck survey was -28% from the last year’s survey and the 2nd lowest in over 27-years. This speaks loud and clear the importance of making good habitat for ducks and controlling the hunting pressure.
During the 2020-2021 season, the club harvested more ducks up +12% from 7,062 birds to 7,990 birds, at the same time coastal duck numbers were down -10% from the annual mid-season waterfowl season by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
During the 2019-2020 season duck numbers statewide dropped -9% from the previous season, yet the club also had a record season going from 5,613 birds to 7,062 birds, a substantial increase of +21%.
During the extremely wet 2018-2019 season our numbers did drop a little -8% (6,093 to 5,613), however at the same time state duck numbers dropped -50% and coastal ducks dropped a whopping -76%!
Proof positive that Thunderbird attracts waterfowl like no one else and provides the absolute best duck hunting anywhere.
Ducks are adaptive in modern times and are learning how to survive with ever increasing human encroachment. Next time you hear, “The ducks just have just not migrated to Texas” think again, there are in large concentrations in select areas, ducks have just learned how to quickly find refuge on unpressured waters with good habitat.
What do you attribute to the success of THC?
Keys include good organization and communication, working extremely hard year-round, making great habitat, keeping the habitat alive during with season with fresh water, controlling hunting pressure, and our great members who work hand in hand in making the club what it is.
Thunderbird has been in business for 38-years, few outfitters can say this, and we have seen countless guided operations and clubs go out of business over the years. You have to be adaptable to conditions and a good businessman to stay afloat; It is extremely expensive to run a good hunting operation.
Year after year you can count on Thunderbird to be there to provide you with the finest duck hunting possible.
Do you limit how many members are in the club?
Very much so, as stated Thunderbird is about quality. Too many members, and especially too many guests, results in calamity, we hear about it from others every single season. We think the size of the club is perfect with enough water to move members around on birds, yet at the same time small enough to learn in one season and not be impersonal. Because we have an abundance of “good spots” it is not competitive among the membership, old members help new members learn the ropes, something we are very proud of and unique at Thunderbird.
How do I know where the best waterfowl hunting is occurring?
If you are not hunting were the waterfowl were the day before, the odds are great you will not have a very good hunt. We put a great deal of effort and time in getting the members on birds. During duck season the club has bi-weekly Scouting Reports on where we found birds, weekly Newsletters (see examples in website under Media) , flash-memos, Friday evening lodge discussions on the birds, and members have direct access to all of our managers. Countless man-hours are spent throughout the season to help each and every member hunt the exact “X” for shooting loads of birds on each and every hunt! Our results speak for themselves. In addition, starting in September and going into January we post our weekly Migration Report (examples in website under Migration Report)), this gives you up to date information on migrations of birds, both in the Central Flyway and along the Texas Gulf Coast, gathered from dozens of sources.
We have two mapping system tools that help new members “find their way in the dark.” Up to date maps in our “Members Only” section and our new Thunderbird Google Drive where satellite images of properties and ponds are overlaid with roads, parking areas, duck blinds, etc. In addition old members are always helping new members in the morning. It is extremely rare for any of our members to not find their pond / duck blind in the morning, even new members.
In August we have two dog-and-pony shows of the properties. Members may also join any of the managers as they scout properties the day before the hunts (note we do not allow members to scout on their own).
What else can I do at the Thunderbird?
Included in your membership; dove hunting, goose/crane hunting, snipe / rail hunting, saltwater fishing on two private marsh systems, and hog hunting.
Other activities include; kayaking, crabbing, gathering oysters, clay-bird shooting, retriever training, lodge cookouts, and group get-togethers at the lodge.
We have heard this often, “When I arrive at the hunting lodge it seems like all the problems of the world are lifted. “Nothing like relaxing on the front porch with a “cold-one” and enjoying your passion with others.
Is the lodge included in my membership?
When are the dues do?
How do I Join?
First, we need to make sure Thunderbird is a good fit for both sides. Second, we need to check if there are any openings in the club.
Sorry the club is full for the 2024-2025 season and currently the waitlist is full for the 2025-2026 season.