Teal hunting prospects good, but birds won't stay long

The early teal season is a week longer this year, but dry weather could limit hunting opportunities.

JEFFERSON CITY-Teal hunters have a lot to be thankful for this year. Unfortunately, Missouri waterfowl habitat conditions are not among them. Unless the Show-Me State gets lots of rain in the next few weeks, hunters will have to be in the field at just the right times to make the most of the 16-day early teal season.

Teal season opens Sept. 9 and runs through Sept. 24. Shooting hours are sunrise until sunset. The early teal season is designed to give hunters an opportunity to pursue blue-winged teal, most of which migrate earlier than other ducks. Green-winged teal also are seen in Missouri in September, but in much smaller numbers.

This year's survey of breeding ducks showed 5.9 million blue-winged teal, up 1.3 million or 28 percent from last year. Green-winged teal numbers were up 20 percent from last year, for a total of 2.6 million.

The increase in blue-winged teal numbers set the stage for a 16-day season with a daily limit of four blue-winged and green-winged teal in the aggregate. For the past two years, the birds' numbers have dictated a nine-day season.

Having extra days afield is good for hunters, but overall hunting opportunity also depends on how long migrating birds stay in Missouri. That depends on habitat conditions. In years when summer rainfall is plentiful, shallow water covers low-lying land, and teal find lots of places to linger. If they also find plenty of seeds from smartweed, millet and other plants, they are even more likely to loaf in the Show-Me State.

This year's hot, dry weather in July and August can be expected to reduce seed production on wetland areas. If such weather continues, teal will quickly move south in search of better conditions. That could reduce hunting opportunities. Hunters can improve their chances of finding birds by paying close attention to weather forecasts and by hunting when cool fronts arrive.

Even minor cool fronts can push significant numbers of teal ahead of them, creating short-lived but exciting periods of excellent hunting. This emphasis on timing favors hunters who watch the weather forecast and plan trips on short notice.

The three-zone structure for Missouri's duck season will remain unchanged except for a slight northward shift in the North/Middle zone boundary. The boundary formerly ran west along I-70 from its junction with Highway 47 in Warren County to the junction of Highway 54 in Callaway County. At that point, it followed Highway 54 south to Highway 50 and then followed Highway 50 west to the Kansas border. The new boundary follows I-70 from its junction with Highway 47 west all the way to the Kansas border. For details of the Zone Boundary change, visit mdc.mo.gov/hunt/wtrfowl/zones/index.htm.

-Jim Low-