Finally Seeing A Bunch Of Teal

[Justin Spencer]

Teal are swarming the river today, may have to start moving seasons back as the cool weather seems to come later each year.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Yeah, I saw a ton of them yesterday on the river. Along with a bunch of Drake Woodies too. Not to many hens.

[Feathers and Fins]

Wouldn't be nice for them to actually do something that would make since after all the entire point is to give northern hunters a chance at the BWT as they are mostly gone by regular season opener. I have said for years open it the 3rd Saturday in September and run it for 30 days instead of 15. You get a lot of people crying that we would kill them all when most biologist I have spoke to said hunters account for less than 10% of the mortality of waterfowl.

[Middleton369]

I've always viewed teal season as "nfl pre season" with duck season being the regular season. However I still enjoy going out and getting after some teal if there are any around. In the previous 4 years the teal have only arrived in hunt able numbers in the last 2-3 days of the teal season.

Another thing I've never understand is that the shooting hours don't begin until sunrise during teal season.

However, to play the devils advocate I've read in the past that BWT have the highest overall mortality rate of any duck species. I have wondered if that is due to the great distance that they migrate, and the area that they migrate to (Mexico, Central America etc) where hunting is not well regulated.

[Kayser]

As far as the sunrise thing for teal season, that's to reduce the number of young wood ducks killed by accident. Yes, it happens more than you think.

I would like to see the season moved back a week or two, though.

[Feathers and Fins]

Kayser, that logic is so flawed by Fish and Game depts. it is sickening. Hunter must be able to ID their targets plus many states have the early wood duck season also combined with sunrise to sunset shoots there is no excuse for banging a woody. I know what you mean by them shooting woodies but ive also found dead mallards, pintail and Muscovy. They shoot because its a duck and because they don't care as long as they get to shoot.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Kayser, that logic is so flawed by Fish and Game depts. it is sickening. Hunter must be able to ID their targets plus many states have the early wood duck season also combined with sunrise to sunset shoots there is no excuse for banging a woody. I know what you mean by them shooting woodies but ive also found dead mallards, pintail and Muscovy. They shoot because its a duck and because they don't care as long as they get to shoot.

It is not flawed by the departments, it because of the hunters you mention. As you alluded to in your earlier I assumed you were referring to hunters in

Minnesota and other northern "breeding ground" states. The issue is not

hunting mortality on BWT; it has more to do with the presence of other

species that often outnumber BWT on the breeding grounds. It is difficult

for hunters to ID "brown ducks" on the breeding grounds, and there is

concern about nontarget mortality. So the FWS has not allowed a special

teal season in states that are considered "production states".

I don't think anybody has real data on what the non-target mortality would

be, but that is the primary issue.

[Feathers and Fins]

Brit all well and good for northern states but here in the south its pretty easy to ID BWT. And I have been in the north preseason and again no issue IDing them (first of Aug) . I know the old argument of it is hard for people to ID but the logic is still flawed as one must be able to ID them in season period that is the law to shoot only the in season species. No different than normal duck season you have to be able to ID what you are shooting. Ya People shoot the wrong thing all the time and its still breaking the law to do so.

Kinda like the old Plugged shotgun argument. It holds no water when there is a limit 6 is 6 doesn't matter how many shells the gun hold you shoot 6 your done.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Well not everyone can ID ducks as well as you or I can and that is the reason and the reason is not flawed. I understand what you are saying but fisherman miss ID bass and it is in their hand.

And your last sentence in the first paragraph is why.

And the plug rule absolutely holds water.