Scouting Reports

[Feathers and Fins]

Its that time of year I start looking for teal and geese.

Friday I had to run up to Pitt to look at a job and stopped off at a few local haunts looking for birds. Teal were deffinately on Shawnee but anyone who has hunted it knows the place will be a zoo on opener, I did find decent 30 to 50 bird flocks on a few of the other stock ponds in the area. The resident geese were in several fields and looked to atleast doubled in numbers over the summer.

Yesterday I scouted Beaver and found plenty of geese and real strong numbers of teal near any mud flat. My brother went out last night and reported back in he was finding teal and geese around areas as well. Talked to a couple local friends down in OK on the river and they said there is teal around fort smith to sallisaw.

Looks like teal might be a good bet this year. Geese is going to be easy again but its hard not to have a good resident season unless you just cant shoot, Remember it is ILLEGAL to heard wildlife so dont try and push the birds offshore or corner them into coves with a boat.

[mhowerton]

Only a couple more weeks. Went though my duck hunting stuff this weekend.

[Justin Spencer]

How do you set up when you hunt mud flats on Beaver?

[Feathers and Fins]

With a bow Justin.... I hate to say it but just walk up and shoot the geese..... Now if its teal put out some goose decoys on the grass and a dozen mallard decoys just at the waters edge. The wonderful thing about teal is they will decoy to anything, even seen them come to old tires a few times.

[Justin Spencer]

I'm seeing a few flocks on the upper part of Norfork lake, never hunted teal there so may have to give it a try. Do you ever do good on evening hunts? My schedule makes early morning impossible during teal season.

[Feathers and Fins]

Yes I have done well in the evenings, Just be sure to find the flight path as it will be more of a pass shoot then decoying I have found. Not sure why but evening teal hunts remind me more of dove pass shooting. They still decoy to a degree but comitting is not normal its more a pass over look see.

[mhowerton]

Justin, I will probably hunt Norfork some during teal season. I might venture up above the Missouri line If you want to meet up. Have all the gear (layout blinds, decoys, dog and boat) ready to roll.

[jdmidwest]

Geese are milling around the local ponds on this side of the state and getting nervous. No wetlands this year, swamps are dry where I have been. Major bodies of water are low.

I might try to float and hunt 11pt this year. A few years back we fished it in Sept. and it was full of teal.

[Justin Spencer]

Justin, I will probably hunt Norfork some during teal season. I might venture up above the Missouri line If you want to meet up. Have all the gear (layout blinds, decoys, dog and boat) ready to roll.

Let me know, I have to be a weekday hunter, but I'd love to.