Teal season will be shorter this year

A decline in the population of the blue-winged teal triggered a nine-day hunting season.

By Jim Low

Special to the Southeast Missourian

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A dip in numbers of blue-winged teal has pared Missouri's early teal season by seven days, leaving hunters with a little more than a week to pursue the speedy little ducks.

Teal season will be Sept. 11 through Sept. 19 statewide. The daily limit remains four, with a possession limit of eight. Shooting hours are from sunrise to sunset.

Blue-winged and green-winged teal are smaller than most other ducks. Because the blue-winged variety begins fall migration months earlier than larger ducks, the early season is hunters' main opportunity to bag them.

Their fast, erratic flight makes blue-winged teal challenging game birds. However, other characteristics make teal hunting a favorite activity of many waterfowl hunters.

For one thing, teal arrive in Missouri before cold weather. This eliminates the need for expensive insulated parkas, thermal underwear and bulky chest waders. Oftentimes, teal hunters wear short-sleeved shirts and sneakers.

Also, teal are easy to attract. While hunters might use 200 or more decoys to draw in mallards later in the season, six to 12 decoys is plenty for teal.

And teal are less wary than other ducks. It is not uncommon for them to approach while hunters are in plain sight. That means no work camouflaging boats and constructing elaborate blinds. You can just stand quietly beside a willow sapling or lie down on a sand bar under a tarp.

The little ducks visit ponds, lakes, creeks and rivers throughout the state. Teal hunters can stop at local wet spots to hunt before or after work.

The Missouri Conservation Commission in June approved dates for teal season. However, the approval was contingent on final approval by federal officials. That final approval was, in turn, dependent on the outcome of annual surveys of game bird populations, particularly teal.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has population-based standards for determining the length of the early teal season each year. If the population index for blue-winged teal is at least 4.7 million, the season is 16 days long. Season length decreases to nine days if the blue-winged teal population index is between 3.3 and 4.7 million. A population index of fewer than 3.3 million results in closure of the early teal season.

Last year's teal season ran 16 days, as it has in four of the past 10 years. This year, the surveys showed North American teal numbers of barely over 4 million, triggering the shorter season.