Kansas Teal Forecast 2010

Last year’s Kansas teal season was something of a letdown. After northern brood surveys had promised a record migration of these small, early ducks, hot weather kept them north until sudden cold finally resulted in a fly-over. Few teal were in the Sunflower State during the early 2009 season, and hunting was generally poor. So Kansas teal hunters hope for a better chance on this weekend’s season opener. Teal hunting is open this year in the Low Plains Zone from September 11-26, and in the High Plains Zone from September 18-26. Kansas Highway US 283 divides these zones. Continental teal numbers are again outstanding with Blue-winged teal rated 36 percent and green-winged teal 78 percent above their long-term averages. Recent cold fronts should place teal migration on a normal schedule, and birds are already showing up in numbers at some Kansas marshes. Famed teal marshes like Kansas Wildlife and Parks’ Cheyenne Bottoms, Jamestown Wildlife Area, and McPherson Wetlands are good bets due to their size and habitat conditions. But most KDWP wildlife areas, the state’s Federal Refuges, and private, flooded fields can offer good teal hunting. In western Kansas, Stein and other playas can offer good shooting when water is present. Look for shallow, weedy water where teal tip up to feed. Flooded corn and milo stubble are choice hunting areas. Many hunters use size 6 or 7 nontoxic shot for these small ducks. Teal are tasty when cooked on a charcoal grill. The daily teal bag limit is four with a possession limit of eight. All hunters 16 and older must have a federal water stamp, and all hunters required to have a hunting license must also possess the Harvest Information Program, or HIP, stamp and a state waterfowl stamp. It’s shaping up to be a good early season, with lots of surface water and good teal conditions in most of the state. Don’t miss this exciting, late summer hunting opportunity. I’m Mike Blair for Kansas Wildlife and Parks.