Early teal, What’s Your Tactic?

Early teal season in Minnesota is like that one gift you open a couple days before Christmas. It gives you a little taste of what’s to come. I know the early Teal season is met with controversy amongst duck hunters. But hey! its duck hunting, it certainly beats the hell out of a lot of other activities. Plus it gives me an opportunity to get my dog on some birds, see where he needs some minor improvements, and then work them out before the season really kicks off.

Teal are a numbers bird it seems, you very seldom get a single, they seem to come in pairs, or groups. That means concealment is important, the more eyes the more likely you will get sighted. The biggest perk to early teal season, and even actually duck opener the birds are not educated so you really can get away with anything. My best hunts are usually the ones I keep it simple, it’s easy to over think it. Maybe two dozen duck decoys a mix of teal and mallards, plus my geese, and a couple lucky duck wingers. I tend to set my wingers close to the boat, the teal seem to eat them up, and I feel it really helps for when they don’t fully commit, it brings them in close enough to put an ethical shot on them. In short, concealment is always important to a good duck hunt, keep it simple, and don’t over think teal.

Written by Ben Tilson