2019 - Teal Season

[MARSH BEAR]

Date - Saturday, Sept 14, 2019

Hunters: Buddy, Me and Abby - she's back!!

Temp: 77 degrees, wind NNE at 1 mph, increasing to 4 mph by 8:30, it was HOT

We saw more teal than I thought we would. Although we were seeing teal we did not fire a shot until 7:30 - nothing would come into gun range, then thankfully they started working the decoys. Our grass around the blinds is very tall, and caused us to get surprised a few times. In our 3 work days we had this summer I saw very few Mottled ducks, but they were everywhere this weekend - groups of 10 and 12 were not uncommon.

Total: 12 Blue wing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Sunday, Sept 15, 2019

Hunters: Buddy and I, with Abby

Temp: 78 degrees with NE wind at 7 mph increasing to 10 mph - much more comfortable than Saturday.

Saw about 1/2 of the teal on Sunday that we saw on Saturday. Once again did not shoot until 8:00 nothing coming within gun range, after that we actually had a few groups respond to the call, did not have any do that on Saturday. The grass around the blind #10 was worse than yesterdays blind #3, had to get out and break some down so we could see the decoys.

Total - 11 Blue wing teal - same old story, put our guns in the cases and 8 teal almost land in the decoys - I will be hunting on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will be looking for those 8 teal.

[Darren]

Mottled ducks, but they were everywhere this weekend - groups of 10 and 12 were not uncommon.

Or on public land, those are the "early grays" that I hear about in my area every year


Sounds like you had a nice weekend, good work!

[DComeaux]

I didn't mention those in my logs, but we did see a lot of big groups of mottled ducks as well, both days. Yesterday I broke a 3 bird group of those that we're on our west side leisurely heading south. They broke beautifully to the call and slowly drifted right over us into the wind over the decoys, like in slow motion. As they pulled out I hit the call again and one turned hard and was going to land at the spinners. That may be the only time that happens this season with those.

[MARSH BEAR]

Dave - we see Mottled ducks during the regular season but they mostly avoid the decoys. I think during teal season we only have 12-15 decoys out, but regular duck season we will have 6 - 8 dozen decoys at the blinds. I don't think they like large crowds.
I hope the teal pick up for you - you going back this weekend?

[DComeaux]

Dave - we see Mottled ducks during the regular season but they mostly avoid the decoys. I think during teal season we only have 12-15 decoys out, but regular duck season we will have 6 - 8 dozen decoys at the blinds. I don't think they like large crowds.
I hope the teal pick up for you - you going back this weekend?

I'll be at the blind Thursday and Friday. I have a wedding to attend in Texas just west of Shreveport on Saturday....Some peoples children!

I don't expect things to pick up for us, blue wing just don't care for our marsh. It needs some high dollar TLC.

[Rick]

Dave - we see Mottled ducks during the regular season but they mostly avoid the decoys. I think during teal season we only have 12-15 decoys out, but regular duck season we will have 6 - 8 dozen decoys at the blinds. I don't think they like large crowds.

I would have said a group of mottleds we tolled this morning (with two spinners running) was the biggest I've seen work, except we had another just about like it toll last teal season, too. Wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that they learn about spinners and permanent blinds during teal season and retain that wariness of them on into their season.

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Friday, Sept 20, 2019

Hunters: Jeff and I with Abby

Temp: 77 degrees, wind SE 8 mph, the wind made it tolerable

The teal have left. Jeff and I had 2 opportunities to shoot, we each got 1 on the first group, and the second group went of Jeff's side of the blind and he wiffed all 3 shots.
We only saw 4 groups of teal, and we hunted until 9:00. The water in the marsh is very high, up about a foot from the previous weekend.

Total: 2 Bluewing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Saturday, Sept 21, 2019

Hunters: Keith and I with Abby

Temp: 75 degrees wind E 8 mph

Less teal today than yesterday, saw only 2 groups and nothing even coming close to the blind. First morning in a long time our blind did not fire a shot. Water still rising, one of the other groups had to change the blind they were going to because it was under water. Heard very little shooting around the area.

Total: 0, none, natta, zip

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Sunday, Sept 22, 2019

Hunters: Keith and I with Abby

Temp: 75 degrees, wind SE 10 mph.

The third day was not the charm. Again saw only 2 groups of teal - probably the same 2 we saw the day before. Water still rising, the blind we hunted only had 1 inch before it came over the top of the blind. We did hear more shooting south of our lease, but they did not come our way. One lone teal flew over the MOJO and he died, and that was it 1 shot fired all morning.
We travel a limestone road for 2 miles before we get to our lease, on the way out water covered almost the entire limestone road, have not seen this for over 20 years.

Total: 1, count um 1 Bluewing teal

[Darren]

Is it just all the rain that's got your water so high or a push of surge of some kind?

[MARSH BEAR]

Darren, our marsh has a levee system with water control structures, we have no say so as to what the water level should be.
rain water drains from the north of us through our marsh, and then out the control structures, but with the high tides from the Gulf of Mexico the water is higher on the outside of the levees and our water cannot drain.

[MARSH BEAR]

Friday, Sept 27, 2019

Hunters: Larry, me and Abby

Temp:77 degrees wind SE 5-10mph

Water dropped a whole inch since Sunday. Did not see many teal in our area, and not many hunters from the sound of things. We hunted until almost 10:00 and only had 2 small groups come thru the decoys.

Totals: 4 blue wing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Saturday, Sept 28, 2019

Larry, me and Abby

Temp: 77 degrees again, with SE wind 5-10 and some rain in the areal

On the way to our lease we passed thru a rain shower, according to weather the nite before no rain in the forecast. Get to the boats and it is pouring rain, we waited in the truck for 20 minutes and let the rain pass. Get to the blind late, but with the cloud cover it was still dark. Heard some shooting south of us, but again nothing in our area early. After an hour here comes the rain again, it poured, that rain passed but still nothing flying, 20 minutes later another storm passes over us - thankfully I keep 2 camo umbrellas in my gun box - kept us dry. After the second storm the sun comes out and it got hot. We heard more shooting on Saturday. We hunted a different blind on Saturday, but should have gone to the same blind we had on Friday - that blind #5 killed 10 teal.

Total: 5 blue wing teal.

[MARSH BEAR]

Sunday, Sept 29, 2019 - last day of teal season

Hunters: Larry and I with Abby

Temp: 82 degrees wind SE 10 mph

LST and 10 teal flying with the wind nearly take our heads off, never saw them until they passed. We saw more teal on Sunday than the 2 previous days combined, but nothing would come to the decoys. At 8:30 we had not fired a shot. Then a group of 5 came over the decoys, I got 2 and Larry only 1, his gun got caught up in the grass and only shot once. A single came on my side and I was hoping it would turn to the decoys so Larry could shoot but it turned away and I was lucky enough to hit it. We were about to quit when a group of 15 fifteen came in pretty, Larry shot first and they went straight up, Larry 2, and I got 3. After that the ducks shut down.

After the rain on Saturday our water level in the marsh went up 1 inch, back to where it was. We need a few cold fronts to lower our tides so our marsh can drain.

Totals: 9 blue wing teal - our club only killed 1 green wing teal the entire teal season.

[MARSH BEAR]

Going to the camp today. The landowner has purchased 10,000 grass plants for planting in our area. There are 3 different hunting clubs in this area. The landowner has asked for volunteers to help with the planting. We have 5 people from our club - don't know how many from the other clubs plus the landowner is providing labor also.
Based on the water level at the end of Teal season, I think the water will be too high, but the landowner says we either plant them or they will throw them away, so anything that survives is better than none.
I will report on ducks we see this weekend on Monday.

[Rick]

Hope it takes for you.

[BGkirk]

That’s an awesome landowner.
What kind of plants are they? I was just thinking about this the other day, the cost of plants to get some of our old levees sprouting with new vegetation to slow wind/wave action


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[MARSH BEAR]

The land owner provided 2 types of grass - 1 - they called a needle grass, it is named appropriately because it will stick you. the other grass they called smooth grass which is what they have been planting in the marsh along roads and levees and grows taller than the needle grass.
The water in the marsh is higher than teal season - water is in half of our blinds - we NEED some cold fronts to push the water out.
Saturday we saw a total of 5 ducks - all Mottled very disappointing.
Went back to the marsh on Sunday and we did see about 200 blue wing teal, don't know where they were on Saturday but it did make me feel a little better.

[BGkirk]

How did ya go about planting it?


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[MARSH BEAR]

Bend over and shove it the mud, then pull your feet out of the mud and move 3 feet and shove another plant in the mud, etc, etc, etc.

[BGkirk]

Bend over and shove it the mud, then pull your feet out of the mud and move 3 feet and shove another plant in the mud, etc, etc, etc.

I watched some videos of people doing that today. I imagine it would be rough in a softer bottom marsh.


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[MARSH BEAR]

Worked in the marsh Saturday putting out decoys and pumping water out of blinds. Getting ready for youth weekend
Nov 2 & 3. We have 7 blinds and 3 of them are still under water. If the water will drop 3 - 4 inches the blinds will out of the water to be pumped out.
Saw some ducks, mostly Blue wing teal, with some Grey ducks around. We put decoys at our #5 blind then went to another blind and put decoys out there, then returned to #5 blind and saw 10 Greys working the decoys we had just put out.
I will take the boys to #5 on Saturday - we were seeing more ducks in that area.

[Darren]

We put decoys at our #5 blind then went to another blind and put decoys out there, then returned to #5 blind and saw 10 Greys working the decoys we had just put out.
I will take the boys to #5 on Saturday - we were seeing more ducks in that area.

Couldn't have schemed it better myself, good luck! Wish I had a youth to take this this weekend because I think it's going to be strong in our marsh with this wind around for a few days.

[BGkirk]

Reckon 3 days of north winds will drop your water enough to pump remaining blinds?


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[MARSH BEAR]

Leaving this afternoon with two grandchildren ages 14 and 13 for youth hunt this weekend. Hoping this cold snap sent ducks to our marsh.
The 14 year old can only hunt Saturday - has to return home for a Sunday football game, the 13 year old finished his season last weekend, so he can hunt Sunday also.

[Rick]

Best of luck with it.

[DComeaux]

Leaving this afternoon with two grandchildren ages 14 and 13 for youth hunt this weekend. Hoping this cold snap sent ducks to our marsh.
The 14 year old can only hunt Saturday - has to return home for a Sunday football game, the 13 year old finished his season last weekend, so he can hunt Sunday also.

Good luck! I hope your opportunities are plentiful. I'm really looking forward to being out in marsh tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have a mess of crabs to boil after setting the decoys.