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

Dr. Bryan Earle

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.

Dr. Bryan Earle
Current Member

Ava Jane Lewis

"It's ginormous!" Screamed Ava Jane after landing a 32-inch redfish at the club's private marsh. "I'm going to write an essay for school, How to Catch a Ginormous Redfish."

Ava Jane Lewis
Member's 9-Year Old Daughter

Andrew Lewis

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

Andrew Lewis
Current Member

Brian Sanford

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!!

Brian Sanford
Member

Tyler Moore

Almost better than sex!

Tyler Moore
Member

John Broussard

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.

John Broussard
Former Member

Josh Grizzle

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.

Josh Grizzle
Former Member

Bryan Sullivan

The management team at Thunderbird Hunting Club has a passion for the complete outdoor experience.  They take that passion, combine it with decades of waterfowl experience, and year round work to provide some of the best hunting opportunities on the Gulf Coast.  There is an understanding that if the proper ingredients are combined on the front end, great waterfowl hunts become the rule, not an exception.  They have put a system in place that provides the best possible chance for all members to participate in both the work, and rewards of the outdoors.  The system, experience, and the passion for the overall waterfowl experience, makes hunting at Thunderbird one of the best values on the Gulf Coast. That’s why I will continue to come back.

Bryan Sullivan
Former Member

Harvey Heller

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.

Harvey Heller
Long-time Member

Lynn Bernard

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.

Lynn Bernard
Long-time Member

Mike Bubrig

At Thunderbird Hunting club, great waterfowl hunting is only a portion of what this club has to offer. Yes, at Thunderbird hunting club you experience some of the best waterfowl hunting along the Texas gulf coast, but you also hunting with and next to a great group of people dedicated to hunting the right way. The proprietors of Thunderbird along with the membership are committed to providing a good safe hunting experience for ALL of the members and structures the club accordingly.  Being a member on Thunderbird is being like part of a community or family. Everyone willing to help each other when needed.   The membership of Thunderbird helps keep the club strong, however the administration and management of the club is like no other.  From detailed maps of each property to detailed weekly reports during the season to weekly scouting reports of each property, Thunderbird keeps all members equipped with all the tools to have a great outdoor experience.  Whether I am  teaching my children how to hunt, entertaining customers or hunting with buddies, Thunderbird hunting provides me with yearly memories that will last forever.

Mike Bubrig
Former Member

JB Brown

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!

JB Brown
Member’s Father

Craig Jones

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!

Craig Jones
First-season Member

Jim Stephenson

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.

Jim Stephenson
Former Member

Robert Sanford

No Bad Days at Thunderbird Hunting Club, consistently provides the most epic waterfowling and wingshooting opportunities on the Texas Prairie!!! THC for life!!

Robert Sanford
Member

Martin Bethke

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?

Martin Bethke
Long-time Member

Steve Brien

[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.

Steve Brien
Long-time Member

Charlie Shaver

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.

Charlie Shaver
Member

David Grizzle

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!

David Grizzle
Former Member

Logan Seekle

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!

Logan Seekle
2017-2018 Season Member

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?
Yes, your membership entitles you to use of the lodge year-round, per calendar year starting March 1. Lodge is fully furnished with all the comforts of home. For an additional fee THC has limited RV Trailer Pads and Private Cabins all with full utilities.
When are the dues do?
50% deposit is due upon joining. 50% of the remainder of the dues is due August 1.
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.