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COLUMBIA, Mo.Missourians could see more teal this September than they have in 50 years. Whether the birds will stay around long enough to give hunters a shot at them will depend on the weather.
Good habitat conditions (read "abundant water") in the prairie pothole region of the north-central United States and south-central Canada allowed already strong waterfowl populations to have another successful nesting season this year. Surveys conducted by the U.S. and Canadian wildlife agencies indicate the fall flight of ducks and geese will be the largest ever recorded, with 105 million birds flying south.
That migration already has begun, according to Dale Humburg, a wildlife research biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. He says surveys along the Missouri River in mid-August showed flocks of 30 to 50 teal on oxbow lakes and other permanent, natural wetlands. He also saw teal on managed wetland areas along the river, such as Bob Brown Conservation Area in Holt County where water pumping is providing early-season habitat.
"The birds are already arriving," says Humburg. "August is usually a dry month, and this year is no exception. We don^t have much water on low-lying areas right now, but if we get some rain between now and mid-September we^ll be in business."
Humburg said wild seed-producing plants had enough rain early in the summer to produce lots of teal food. If Missouri gets significant rain in the next three weeks, much of that natural vegetation would be surrounded by shallow water, creating ideal conditions for teal to feed and rest on their way south. Such conditions, coupled with high teal numbers, would mean excellent hunting.
"We went into the nesting season with more than 7.1 million blue-winged teal and 2.6 million greenwings," says Humburg. "It^s going to be really interesting to see what kind of fall flight 10 million teal can produce."
This year^s season for blue-winged, green-winged and cinnamon teal is Sept. 11 through 26. It is the second year for the 16-day teal season. This significant increase in hunting opportunity compared to the previous, nine-day season is a direct result of increased teal numbers.
Shooting hours remain sunrise to sunset, and the limit stays at four teal in the aggregate daily; eight in possession.
Rail, snipe and woodcock seasons are the same as last year^s. Shooting hours remain one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. The season for sora and Virginia rails will run from Sept. 1 through Nov. 9, with daily and possession limits of 25 rails in the aggregate.
The season for common snipe will run from Sept. 1 through Dec. 16, with a daily limit of eight and a possession limit of 16.
Uploaded: 8/28/1999
Uploaded: 8/28/1999