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There’s not a lot distinction between a educated teal hunter and an opportunistic one. You really need to be a little bit of each when looking blue-wings throughout the early September season. As soon as you discover the teal and pound on them, they’re going to search refuge like another duck. However when you do discover them once more, you’re virtually assured a very good hunt. Teal aren’t cautious birds. They love spinning-wing decoys greater than a rustic boy loves Hank Williams. Persistently finding teal is the important thing.
Over time, I my buddy Joe Weimer and I’ve discovered other ways to focus on blue-wings (you’ll be able to shoot green-wings and cinnamon teal throughout September as effectively). However we dwell in two very completely different states by way of teal habitat. Weimer has loads of it in Missouri, whereas I’ve restricted entry right here in Illinois. He can sometimes shoot teal all season and has a greater season framework than me (his begins later, and instances the migration higher). So our methods are completely different. Weimer is searching for a number of good hunts per season, and I’m searching for one or two. Each of our methods work when the teal are in, so when you’re trying to bag extra blues this September, strive these unconventional techniques. —J.G.
Run Spinning Wing Decoys Solely
The teal have been greater than a mile from the truck, and we needed to stomp by knee-deep mud to get there. But when we may get to the birds, it will be a slam dunk. So I informed my buddy to depart the floaters within the truck mattress as a result of it was 85 levels and we have been each going to be sweating sufficient because it was. We arrived on the looking spot in simply sufficient time to flip two spinners on and lay down in some close by brush. The blue-wings got here in good and we virtually shot a two-man restrict, ending it one chicken shy as a result of the teal have been coming in such huge teams we didn’t need to threat capturing over the restrict (you’ll be able to kill a number of birds with one shot since teal ball up so tight collectively after they end on the spinners).
I’ve used that tactic many instances over, notably on mud flats the place the underside is gentle and the water is briefly provide. I sometimes make use of 4 to 5 spinners—a minimum of considered one of which can be an on-the-water spinner—with no floating decoys, however will convey mallards and/or goose silhouettes at instances as a result of they’re so packable. Teal don’t appear to key in on floaters like different puddlers and divers do throughout huge duck season, a minimum of not on the smaller waters I hunt. The entire marshes I’m in are public and everybody else is looking over the identical blob of decoys and one or two spinners. My unfold has extra movement in it than most, plus it appears completely different. And anybody who has hunted geese or geese for very lengthy is aware of that being as unconventional as you’ll be able to with decoys typically sparks birds’ curiosity.
I take advantage of a mixture of Fortunate Duck, Mojo, and Higdon spinners, however they don’t seem to be species particular. I do use pintail and teal spinners, as a result of they’re smaller and lighter than mallards, however will even pack dove spinners since they’re cheap and fewer cumbersome. Since I’m making lengthy walks into most of those spots (or driving a motorcycle), it’s good to throw a couple of movement decoys in my pack, seize my gun case (I take advantage of bungee cords to carry the stands for the spinners to the case), and head down the levee. It additionally makes it a lot simpler to pack up and transfer to a different space if I see birds flying in a unique location. Only a warning: Some public areas require you to hunt over a sure variety of decoys (sometimes a dozen). It’s an arbitrary rule, however verify the location rules earlier than you go. I don’t need you getting ticketed. —J.G.
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Teal Site visitors
Just a few years in the past we had an enormous flood in September. It was a nasty deal for farmers, however good for teal hunters. A 280-acre subject I had entry too was fully underwater and it was holding tens of hundreds of teal. So after all, on the opener we arrange proper the place they needed to be and killed limits fast. However after we have been executed I obtained to pondering that it will be good to hunt that inhabitants of birds all season lengthy. One other banger hunt in there, and the teal would seemingly bug out for safer waters. I informed my buddies, “Why don’t we simply try to visitors these birds as an alternative of killing them another time on the X?” They thought I used to be nuts.
Each single chicken was on the south finish of the sphere, and I made a decision the following morning to arrange on the north finish. I did make a reasonably large footprint, throwing out four-dozen teal floaters and one other three- to four-dozen puddle duck decoys (pintails, mallards, and so forth.). The individuals driving by on the two-lane freeway needed to suppose we have been so silly. All of the birds have been in a single spot and we have been on the other finish. However it labored. Some days it took us till 9:30 a.m. to shoot our birds (which is late for teal), however we obtained’em each time. If you’re looking with only a couple buddies, all it takes is three or 4 good teams of teal earlier than you’re executed. You possibly can simply drop a number of birds from one flock after they fly into the kill gap. The important thing to looking this fashion although is it’s important to have good numbers of birds. You’re not going to have the ability to do that with 500 teal. You want 5,000. —J.W.
Goal Sod Farms
There’s two issues sod farms have an abundance of: water and duck meals (seeds, grasses, and invertebrates). I’ve solely had the possibility to teal hunt them a couple of instances, principally as a result of they’re personal floor and the enterprise proprietor has to belief that you simply gained’t gouge into his earnings by rutting up the longer term lawns of suburbanites. But when you may get on one, they’re gentle’s out shoots. Teal don’t want a lot water in any respect, the truth is a couple of inches is good, and there’s loads of puddles in low spots on sod farms. The trick is discovering a spot to cover. Teal don’t care as a lot as mallards about hunters with weapons, however you’ll be able to’t simply be sitting on a bucket together with your shotgun within the broad open. I’ve been fortunate to search out close by treelines or overgrown, brushy areas to cover in. You may use an A-Body blind in the course of the sphere too. Spinning-wing decoys are a should, and I’ve deployed six to eight Canada goose full-body subject decoys as a result of they current a bigger profile and there are sometimes native Canadas within the subject anyway (which you’ll be able to shoot too if it’s early goose season). —J.G.
Carry Your Spinners Goose Looking
One October morning I used to be subject looking from a pit with a couple of buddies. It was capturing gentle, so we had turned the spinning-wing decoys on. As we poured cups of espresso, 5 geese landed on the lid of the blind. All of us grabbed our weapons as they swung out in entrance of us. It was nonetheless low gentle so we weren’t certain precisely what sort of geese they have been, solely that they have been small and couldn’t be mallards or pintails, which was sometimes all we shot out of this subject. We hopped out and noticed that they have been all green-wing teal. At first it appeared odd, however our pit was so near a big watershed we figured the teal should have been roosting on it, caught the movement of our spinners after they took flight, and landed.
Within the years to observe, we hunted that pit a bunch throughout early goose season, and about 50 % of the time would kill a couple of blue-wings when the 2 seasons crossed over. It in all probability would have been extra if we remembered to convey the spinners each morning. Should you goose hunt close to water the place teal are round, I extremely advocate bringing the spinners—you’ll be able to flip them off when the honkers fly. Simply be sure you are going through the path the teal can be coming from, if potential. They’re going to be screaming previous, and also you’re seemingly solely going to get one alternative to shoot. —J.G.
Roll the Cube
In highschool we had a teal season have been no person was killing birds. I used to be asking everybody if they’d seen any teal, and obtained the identical reply, “no,” from all of them. Our scouting was a bust, so I made a decision to go to a public river I had seen a couple of teal fly down over time. It positively wasn’t a blue-wing sizzling spot, however they’d been there sufficient, and with no different actual choices, a buddy and I gave it a shot. We put out the spinners and virtually instantly birds have been on us. It labored a pair extra instances after that, and in any 12 months I can’t discover blue-wings, I’m going to the river and sometimes kill birds.
At instances when it doesn’t seem to be there are birds round, you simply need to take your finest shot, and consider locations they is perhaps. As a result of typically you’re solely going to see blue-wings within the first hour of looking and then you definitely gained’t be capable to discover them, notably late within the season after they have been shot up by each hunter within the county. They’re going to search out probably the most solitary locations they will. The perfect locales to focus on when this occurs are pure journey corridors (rivers or creeks). As a result of they’re at all times going to make use of water methods. It’s of their blood. —J.W.
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Get Within the Center
Opening day of teal season typically brings out a great deal of hunters on the general public marshes I hunt as a result of it’s typically one of the best (and solely) morning to get a very good shoot in. Highschool youngsters and die-hards camp out all evening to get one of the best spots. God bless them for his or her dedication, however I’m not sleeping in my truck getting bit by mosquitoes on a muggy September evening for a couple of blue-wings. Nor do I need to share camp with a bunch of youngsters who swiped a bottle of Wild Turkey from dad’s liquor cupboard.
Most hunters will arrange in locations they’ve seen teal. It is sensible—you go to the place the birds are. I’ll do that too, if I can. However many instances one of the best spots are already taken, despite the fact that I’m on the scene three hours earlier than capturing gentle. So I do my finest to get in between the roost and my fellow hunters to intercept the birds. I generally really feel like a jerk for doing this (and gained’t shoot at each flock that comes by so others can get some early capturing in too), but it surely’s the simplest solution to kill teal in a crowded marsh. And it’s higher and safer to visitors birds this fashion than establishing on high of one other group, which may occur to you even if you’re the primary individual within the marsh. —J.G.
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