Preseason '25-'26

[Rick]

Hate seeing them become regular season staples, in large part due to it's likely effect on their numbers and, consequently, September season. The one time head fed down here, Dave Hall, once called it "a taste of teal" and speculated that it helped take some of the edge off the Cajuns' hunger for duck. Know it helps this old hillbilly get through...

[DComeaux]

I was curious about the start of teal season so did a little research. I didn't hunt the teal seasons in my early years in the marsh and only did so when I got a blind in the AG region about 14 years ago. Blake and I will go out to the blind at LST the weekend before the season opens to see what moves. We may pass on this season. I agree with Rick, if we continue to see low BWT numbers and continue to hold more during the main season we may see an end to this "special season".

"The special teal season in Louisiana began as an experimental season in 1965-67. It became an option for other states in 1969"

Short news release from the Department of the interior dated January 15,1965
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/historic-news-releases/1965/19650115.PDF

Early findings of teal season dated October 22,1965
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/historic-news-releases/1965/19651022.PDF

Complete report with data on the number of permits sold, sex and age numbers, etc.
https://ia902909.us.archive.org/1/items/specialscientif95unit/specialscientif95unit_bw.pdf

[Rick]

Would have been fun to have some of that information in hand when I interviewed Dennis Anderson about his series on Louisiana outlawing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul paper. Though, to his credit, he did tell me a disappointing result of the series was all the folks coming forward with information on how bad it was in his own state.

[Darren]

Hate seeing them become regular season staples..

This particular area, around Lake Lery, is long known for hunters taking predominantly blue wings with a smattering of green throughout the big duck season for as far back as I can remember. So given the weather happenings of how fall 2024 shook out, was no surprise they were holding so many in that area for regular season opener, as it was likely no more than average for the area. It just so happened that Mike's ground was holding more than his fair share at the time.

It was also amplified by the tides being so crazy high with a storm offshore in the gulf that the birds congregated in the shallowest stuff available, taking the bulk of the marsh out of play for the little birds unable to find food in the floods. I'll have binoculars in hand for some porch sitting this weekend at the camp as that's been some of my first sightings in recent years likely due to the really teal-friendly habitat that's been built via marsh restorations nearby along the Lake Borgne shoreline.

[DComeaux]

An hour before dawn. "Now for the first time, Dennis Anderson--outdoors editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press--brings the best of his columns together in An Hour Before Dawn: Stories of the Outdoors. He features the series "Empty Skies: Ducks in Crisis," for which he was honored as a Pulitzer Prize finalist. The columns deal with controversial duck hunting laws along major migration routes all the way from Mexico to Louisiana, to the Upper Midwest and Canada. With a keen investigative eye, Anderson documents the criminal overbagging of ducks in these areas and follows developments in the decline of the waterfowl population".

I remember this time well, the hatred those to our north had for us after this came out.

[Darren]

Note, the signal for next week's front continues to gain traction and support across multiple models. Could be a great week and into Labor Day wknd.

[DComeaux]

Note, the signal for next week's front continues to gain traction and support across multiple models. Could be a great week and into Labor Day wknd.

I noticed that. Several models are beginning to agree.