Migration Alert: Louisiana Teal Hunters Report Mixed Results

Heading toward the final weekend of Louisiana’s nine-day early teal season, hunters are reporting varied success across the state. With the weather forecast remaining dry and hot, hunters are expecting a repeat of opening weekend.

Renee Dandry hunted with Sportsman Charters LLC in Gueydan, in southwest Louisiana. “We saw lots of birds in the afternoon but did not shoot that much. The mornings were better. Although we did not see as many birds as we did in the evening, the teal seemed to work better on the morning hunts,” Dandry says. When the numbers are down, good shooting can make all the difference. “Today, it was groups of three to six, and when they stopped flying, it was all over. We definitely capitalized on what came in,” he adds.

In southeast Louisiana, in the Biloxi Marsh area, veteran duck hunter Darren Digby’s efforts resulted in slow hunts. “We had been seeing a few birds since late August, but after the strong east wind and high tides just before opening day, it seems to have run off many of them,” Digby says. He hit the marsh on opening morning to find a few birds in the area. “It was slim pickings, but we managed to bag several bluewings. The best part of the hunt was getting my retriever, Harry, out for his 12th teal season,” Digby says. He brought out Harry’s protégé, Indy, for a subsequent hunt that was also a bit slow. “Not much happening, and the few that are around know our game.”

Bray Bourgoyne hunts in the Atchafalaya Basin in the Bayou Sorrel area. He describes the area as more swamp than marsh. “We scouted four days before opening day, and birds started to show up Wednesday, and a big push came Thursday night through Friday morning. We were probably sitting on about 300 to 400 teal total in one hole for Saturday. The water is getting scarce in that area, as there hasn’t been enough rain,” Bourgoyne says. Drought conditions have affected many areas across the state, as documented in the recent LDWF aerial survey. “The holes in the spillway are starting to grass over and not look as good. It has gotten progressively worse over the last three years,” he adds.

The super-strong El Niño that has kept Atlantic hurricanes from forming so far this year is also expected to bring colder and wetter winter conditions. Bourgoyne welcomes an influx of water no matter where it comes from. Despite the low-water concern, he is happy with the season so far. “Our group killed 30 teal on Saturday and 31 on Sunday morning. If you find water, you can find some birds. We shall see what this year has for us, but it’s off to a good start,” he says.

Nate Jones and friends didn’t fare as well in the Venice area. “We didn’t get a chance to do any scouting but received a few mixed reports before the season opened. We had decent water and feed in our ponds, but the birds were few and far between. One blind had six birds for three guys, and the other had only two for two hunters. There was some shooting around us, but not as much as we expected,” Jones reports.