Teal and most other ducks surge back

JEFFERSON CITY -- Teal hunters are rejoicing at news of a dramatic turnaround in their favorite ducks' fortunes. Other duck hunters will find ample cause for joy in this year's waterfowl status reports, too.

Poor nesting conditions during the 2002 breeding season prompted wildlife officials to shorten last year's early teal season by a week compared to 2001. Early indicators this year left biologists and hunters alike wondering whether teal numbers would justify any early teal hunting at all. But unusually wet weather saved the day.

"The prairie pothole region of south-central Canada was dry as a bone this time last year," said Dave Graber, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "But starting in the late summer and especially during the past April, the region got an extraordinary amount of rain and snow. That moisture, combined with habitat put in place by Ducks Unlimited and other conservation groups, enabled waterfowl to stage a remarkable comeback."

The recovery in blue-winged teal was dramatic -- a 31 percent increase from last year's population of 4.2 million breeding birds to 5.5 million. The green-winged teal estimate of 2.7 million was the second-highest on record.

Other species increased even more dramatically. Breeding numbers of Northern shovelers jumped 56 percent to 3.6 million. The Northern pintail, a species of special concern for several years, posted an encouraging 43 percent increase.

Numbers of mallards, the most numerous waterfowl species pursued by hunters, were similar to last year, at 7.9 million (7.1 million in 2002). Numbers of other common duck species also were similar to last year.