This is the third year of an experimental season.  Certainly, there were concerns when a duck hunting season opens with only teal being legal to harvest.  The saving grace is teal are small and that can help to identify them but also make it tough as they fly fast.

Blue winged teal have a light blue patch on their wings which are very distinguishable.  That helps.  Green winged and cinnamon teal, not so much.

It also helps the shooting hours begin at sunrise, vs a half hour before sunrise like most waterfowl hunting.  This is so with more light, it can be easier to identify the ducks.

Another reason to harvest teal during an early season is they are one of the first ducks to fly south.  Oftentimes, when the normal waterfowl season in MN opens up, if we have had any cold weather at all, the majority of the teal have already left the state on their migration south.

Hunters would often talk about how we basically raise big numbers of birds in Minnesota, but don’t have the chance to shoot them.  This year along with the past two, there has been the chance to hunt teal during an special season and this year is no different.  It sounds like a perfect cast and blast opportunity for those who like to catch walleyes as well.

Early Goose Season

There are a lot of geese that nest around the Lake of the Woods area.  They have everything they need.  Lots of water, lots of uninhabited shoreline and thousands of acres of crops for food.

It can be one thing to gain permission in a farmer’s field.  It is possible for those who are polite and put some work in.  Another option, however, is hunting water as it is public.  There are lots of opportunities around the Lake of the Woods are for hunting water but bays provide a lot of room and are a haven for waterfowl.