Early Teal opens without much fanfare (or gunplay)

[BrentD]

Early teal season opened today. Of course, most of the ducks we saw were woodies or larger. some of the teal we saw (most) were not identifiable until they were outbound and out of range. So, not much shooting. BUT I've been taking a postdoc shooting for the last couple of summers and this morning she shot her first animal of any kind. A nice young teal - which was her centerpiece for dinner tonight as well. She was pretty excited. So much so that she was trembling enough to be shaking the weeds were sitting for a blind.

Gus made a nice retrieve on that bird, as it dove a few times, and he after it. Much of the bottom of the pond was uprooted in the process, but he got it.

However, I think this was his proudest moment. Gus is really an upland dog (at least that's the excuse I'm using today).

 

[kansasdad]

Always good to just be out, even if the birds are scarce.

Now Gus, can we talk about retrieving the soft feathery ones only??

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Gus could make pack up a breeze! Do you ever try a teal call? I've had good results using an actual teal call instead of imitating a teal with a mallard call.

Thats a cool moment! Good on you for showing her that side of hunting.

Minnesota opener is not for a few more weekends but that hasn't stopped me from rigging up my decoys!

 

[BrentD]

nope. no actual teal call. I wish i had one. maybe there is one one the box downstairs.

I'm going to scronge for some old tent poles to repurpose. we need more concealment.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I got mine from Amazon for $10. Seems to work well.

 

[kansasdad]

If you have a six way call you can do a pretty good greenwing peep on it.

 

[BrentD]

There we go, he gets the real thing this morning. Very slow air traffic, however.

 

[kansasdad]

WTG Gus! (And doc)

Good head shooting

 

[BrentD]

We got only three. The postdoc got two, including the head shot. She was 50% on the weekend. Gus was a little bummed since they were all DRT. He likes a little chase. Just spent an hour and a half getting the mud off my waders and dog.

Now it's time to clean the gun. No place has mud quite like Iowa.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Only three, huh?

I saw lots of wood ducks and nothing else

 

[BrentD]

We saw more woodies than BWT for sure, but still not that many compared to last year at this time. We saw more big ducks than we saw last year by a bunch. Today, we saw NO geese - sort of impossible, but true. This is not going as I planned. Early this year, there was lots of water and lots of nesting opportunities with good conditions until just recently. I thought the dry would help, concentrating birds around the remaining water. But that does not seem to be the case. They are AWOL, and I don't know where to look. Missouri/Kansas maybe.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

That's too bad. I'll have to adjust my plans if that's the case.

 

[BrentD]

Probably just a local thing.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Probably just a local thing.

Could be. Geese in Red Rock vicinity appear to be about the same #s as last year

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Probably just a local thing.

I'm a stones' throw away from Iowa. So I'd assume I'll experience similar.

 

[BrentD]

Driftless could be way different. You've got the Mississippi. I've got corn. Pretty different landscapes.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Lots of Mourning Ducks,Eurasian Ducks and a few Whitewing Ducks here. And a Road Duck.
Not responding to calls well.

 

[lr123]

I was in southern WI over the weekend and saw very few teal as well. Hopefully the weather up north cools down and starts pushing some birds south.

 

[Sterling Archer]

We saw more woodies than BWT for sure, but still not that many compared to last year at this time. We saw more big ducks than we saw last year by a bunch. Today, we saw NO geese - sort of impossible, but true. This is not going as I planned. Early this year, there was lots of water and lots of nesting opportunities with good conditions until just recently. I thought the dry would help, concentrating birds around the remaining water. But that does not seem to be the case. They are AWOL, and I don't know where to look. Missouri/Kansas maybe.

They are not in my part of Kansas. We are seeing very few.

 

[BrentD]

Where the hell Are they? And who do we know in Southern Minnesota at Eastern South Dakota?