Migration Alert: Low Teal Numbers Translates to Spotty Success for Louisiana Hunters

Louisiana’s early teal season opened on September 20, and it was a hot one. Despite a couple of early cool fronts, the weather over the last few weeks has been hot and dry, and the pattern continued into opening day.

Due to below-average blue-winged teal numbers last spring, the season was shortened from the usual 16 to only nine days this year. The additional days were chopped from the first half of the season, which closes on September 28.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) flew its September Waterfowl Survey last week, and the numbers were disappointing. “The September 2025 estimate of blue-winged teal in coastal Louisiana and the Little River Basin was 101,000 birds,” reports LDWF Waterfowl Program Manager Jason Olszak. “Because only one day of the survey was completed in 2024 due to weather related to Hurricane Francine, a comparison to last year cannot be made. However, the 2025 estimate is 32 percent lower than that of September 2023 (148,000). It is 49 percent and 46 percent lower than the most recent 5- and 10-year averages, respectively. The coast-wide mottled duck estimate (10,000) was the lowest September estimate ever recorded.”

As has been the case for the last several years, the vast majority of bluewings were concentrated in Louisiana’s southwestern parishes during the survey. However, the numbers were still extremely low. “Nearly 80 percent of teal in the coastal region were observed in the southwest portion of the state with the largest concentrations in northwest Vermilion and southeast Calcasieu Parishes. However, the teal estimate for southwest Louisiana (70,000) is the lowest since the 2018 estimate (48,000) and 46 percent below the regional estimate in 2023. It is also nearly 60 percent lower than both the most recent 5- and 10-year averages. No single flock of greater than 500 birds was observed on transects,” Olszak says.

Marsh conditions across the coast are good and certainly could support more birds. However, agricultural and inland areas are dry, and increasingly severe drought conditions are forming in several parishes. “North of the marsh, agricultural areas are extremely dry, with only 5 to 10 percent of the landscape holding water,” Oslzak adds.

The marshes in the southeast are in good shape except for a few areas covered with invasive salvinia and hyacinth. “Though four of 10 transects in southeast Louisiana yielded no teal observations, the estimate of 19,000 bluewings is 12 percent higher than the 2023 estimate, 30 percent lower than the most recent 5-year average, and 4 percent higher than the most recent 10-year average. It was the third-highest estimate in the southeast in the last 10 years.

Despite the low numbers, hunters took to the field to make the best of the shortened season. Steve Stroderd is an avid duck hunter who spends most of his time in the marshes and agricultural areas of southwest Louisiana. “Opening day, I hunted north of Roanoke in the agricultural area. We saw a decent number of teal, but not the large numbers that I’ve seen in recent years. We had our limits by 8 a.m. and never had a group of more than six hit the decoys,” he says. “Overall, lots of mixed reports from what I heard in both the agricultural areas and the marsh.”

Despite relatively low teal numbers, Stroderd plans to make the best of the season. “I look forward to hunting every day of this short nine-day season, and I’m going to take whatever Mother Nature sends my way,” he adds.

Captain Scott Dennis guides duck hunters on his family’s property in Delacroix for Fanny’s Family Guide Service. Dennis is also an alligator hunter and guide and has spent much of September in the marsh scouting and hunting gators. “The marsh looks to be in great shape with the northern areas of Delacroix having a good supply of feed. The further south you go, there is less feed, but still enough to keep the teal around if they show up,” he reports.

Rod Haydel, of Haydel’s Game Calls, saw mixed results opening weekend, and as others noted, Saturday was better than Sunday. “Conditions were hot and muggy with no wind. We were hunting an area that usually holds birds due to the rice farms. There were lots of birds two weeks ago, but we lost them around that time,” Haydel says. “Opening day, we did very well and hunted where the birds wanted to be. Others on the same farm shot half to three-quarter limits. Day two, we saw a lot less activity.”