The long off season finally ended as the 2010 teal season kicked off Saturday morning. Hunters were greeted with temperatures anything but “fall-like,” and the mosquitoes swarmed about in the largely windless, sticky morning air; par for the course here in Louisiana. However, it looks as if most were rewarded for their efforts with strong teal harvests – with only a few areas slower than normal.
Hunter Shaffett with Whispering Oaks hunting lodge (225.301.7335) near Vidalia had a great weekend of quick limits.
“Most of our blinds limited out in 45 minutes or less both Saturday and Sunday,” the guide said.
Shaffett noted that there were plenty of birds holding on the farm to allow for easy shooting opportunities even when crooked barrels prevailed.
“We even had a pair of pintails light in the decoys Saturday morning; hopefully that’s a great sign for things to come,” he added.
A Monday-morning hunt confirmed that the birds had not been pressured out of the area, and limits were again taken.
On the lower end of the state in the heart of the rice belt, David Faul of Bin There Hunting (337.438.4868) reported strong numbers of teal in the Welsh area to make for a great opening weekend.
“Saturday we had 53 hunters take 162 teal, and Sunday we had 10 hunters take 33 birds,” Faul said.
A Monday-morning hunt was even better.
“We saw more birds Monday morning than we did on the weekend hunts; they must have come down with this little front,” Faul noted.
However, Faul said he believes the big push of birds hasn’t made it down to his area just yet and is hopeful of more cool fronts to come before the closing weekend.
Not too far down the road, Rick Hall of Doug’s Hunting Lodge (800.888.0960) reported spotty hunting between Klondike and Thornwell area.
“Overall, as a club we had a good weekend, but it could have been better,” Hall said. “My blind had 22 on Saturday and could have had our 24-bird limits. The birds seemed willing to work decoys, and most all of them came pretty just as they should.”
Nevertheless, Hall indicated that the action cooled off Sunday with far fewer birds working the same areas. The guide did note, however, impressive flights of teal Monday morning in Klondike, but he found most birds to be staying high and remaining uncooperative. Hall hoped the birds would prove a bit more willing to work decoys as the week goes on.
Over in the Delacroix Island and Reggio areas, Mike Smith of Louisiana Marsh Guide Service (504.682.1966) reported outstanding hunting over the weekend.
“We had a great weekend; probably the best opening weekend in a long time,” Smith said.
He and his clients took limits on all hunts this weekend with an even 48 teal harvested in short order.
“The birds have been very thick on the Delacroix side of the highway, using the shallow broken marshes which are full of coon tail grass,” he said.
Smith noted that the marshes he’s been hunting show no ill effects from the summer’s oil spill.
“We don’t anticipate any problems from the oil spill in this area; I’m very excited for the big duck season with the marsh in such great condition,” Smith said.
However, not all marshes in Southeast Louisiana enjoyed such good hunting. LDWF biologist Chris Davis reported disappointing results from the Florida Parishes wildlife management areas in and around Lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain.
“Joyce, Manchac and Pearl River WMAs were down significantly this year,” Davis said. “We’re not sure why, but these areas did not hold strong numbers of teal for the opening weekend despite the great habitat conditions.”
Opening weekend reports from nearby Big Branch NWR were similarly poor, and even the typically hot marshes of Atchafalaya Delta WMA left hunters with much to be desired.
Down in Venice, Capt. Damon McKnight of Super Strike Charters (985.960.1900) reported mixed results from the marshes off the Mississippi River passes.
“From what I heard, some did well and others struggled as the birds were holed up off the passes and didn’t really scatter,” McKnight said.
McKnight insisted that there were no impacts to the hunting down there from the oil spill.
“The oil spill is essentially a non-issue with regard to the duck ponds right now; it’s like it never happened,” he said. “In fact, the ponds look to be in great shape, with many choked up with vegetation, so it looks great for teal and the upcoming duck season in November.”
McKnight also indicated that he’s seeing a very healthy population of mottled ducks in his travels through the area.
Overall, it appears that, so far, this teal season has been worth the wait for most. A cool front that passed through the state yesterday (Sept. 13) should have delivered a new batch of bluewings along with comfortable morning temperatures in the 60s for at least a couple of days.
With critical duck habitats in prime condition across the state, the birds should find all they need in order to stick around for a couple of weeks of good hunting.