Would you hunt the teal season in Sept if offered in MN?

[StuStiltman]

I thinks its fair to say some ducks will be moved around by ywd and early goose over water, I seriously doubt any major moves of ducks are caused by it, certainly not enough to have a major impact on anyone's opening day.

[Trigger]

I thinks its fair to say some ducks will be moved around by ywd and early goose over water, I seriously doubt any major moves of ducks are caused by it, certainly not enough to have a major impact on anyone's opening day.

Now you're making it sound like early goose and YWD have basically no affect on duck numbers by the time opener rolls around. A couple posts ago you said you have to scout more before opener because of youth day and early goose. So which is it?

[Trigger]

Then please explain the large concentrations of ducks that are commonly seen during the early parts of early goose season but vanish by the time opener rolls around.

Birds will move to different areas for better food and/or habitat. You'll see these birds when you are out for early goose. Sometime in late summer to Mid September most ducklings build up enough muscle to fly a decent ways and mama takes them elsewhere. Two or three years ago (can't remember for sure) North Dakota was packed with ducks in late summer because of excellent breeding conditions. 1 week before resident opener most of the ducks left and went to Canada for better habitat and food. A lot of Canada was flooded fields that year so it was duck paradise. This had nothing to hunting pressure.

Why do you think certain areas of the state hold more ducks at opener? Do you think they all got raised there? The ducks moved there to find better food. When we had the bad flood two summers ago it killed most of the wild rice crop in northern MN. If you found the good rice crops there were more birds than you could shake a stick at on opener. These birds were there through early goose season and YWD and stuck around because life was good. I scouted an area on YWD and there were tons of people out showing the kids a good time. There were even more ducks (of all species) on opener because the birds were finding the food. The old timers in our group were hunting the opener 45 minutes south of us and saw the fewest birds they ever have on opener because there was no food. The area they hunted raised birds but they had left by opener.

Same thing happens with many MN raised geese. Many fly to the Dakotas from MN before the season even opens for easier living. Of course all the elite field hunters think the roosts got busted.

If we could get the right habitat the birds will stick around.

This is a very good explanation. I agree, more habitat is the key to it all, but when dealing in reality with what we have now, we need an early teal season to get a chance at them before they move. By you, up in northern MN you still have good habitat, atleast in good rice years so your theory works out, but even in the best years southern MN doesn't have shyte for quality habitat. There can be decent nesting years, but like you said, they are very apt to leave especially once they start getting pressured on early goose opener bc they don't have the good feed that will make them stick around, so they leave. With the way things are now, the only chance we have to hunt those teal that we raise is to open the season before they move to greener pastures.

[Bullet21XD]

I thinks its fair to say some ducks will be moved around by ywd and early goose over water, I seriously doubt any major moves of ducks are caused by it, certainly not enough to have a major impact on anyone's opening day.

Now you're making it sound like early goose and YWD have basically no affect on duck numbers by the time opener rolls around. A couple posts ago you said you have to scout more before opener because of youth day and early goose. So which is it?

Some people just don't get it.

The following concerns "duck country"...not Coon Lake,etc.

The cripplefest has a significant impact on duck habits prior to the season. First and only, it drives ducks(of all species) to seek safe havens with suitable habitat. Less dispersement. Migrating ducks are attracted to other live ducks at rest. These ducks will immediately find refuge, giving fewer opportunities to hunters.

Enter teal season. A week or so of gunning. It will simply start the chain reaction above sooner, and with more lasting effects. All species of ducks will be significantly affected. Even less dispersement, even less opportunity...by opening day. It all adds up...and when ducks find refuge with suitable habitat...they aren't in the business of leaving it just for the f*** of it.

Goose hunting over water has the same consequences, to a lesser degree.

I don't really care either way, but if ya'll believe a teal season won't have negative effects on our first week or so of "duck season", you're ignorant.

[StuStiltman]

I thinks its fair to say some ducks will be moved around by ywd and early goose over water, I seriously doubt any major moves of ducks are caused by it, certainly not enough to have a major impact on anyone's opening day.

Now you're making it sound like early goose and YWD have basically no affect on duck numbers by the time opener rolls around. A couple posts ago you said you have to scout more before opener because of youth day and early goose. So which is it?

I said I doubt it has a major impact on duck movement, if there's ducks on one pond and the kids or early goose hunters blow them off one pond I think they will move to another, close by pond requiring some additional scouting. I seriously doubt that back when you did youth hunts you really saw major movements of ducks out of your area, I sure didn't. They may have moved away from the specific spot you hunted but I bet they were close by.

[get-n-birdy]

I don't really care either way, but if ya'll believe a teal season won't have negative effects on our first week or so of "duck season", you're ignorant.

Doesn't the first 2 days of the season have an affect on the rest of the season? So should we never open the season at all because it will alter birds routines? Only way around the refuge conditions that exist in much of MN is to start closing the season down on many areas at noon or 1 pm for most of the season. And or annually flipping refuge areas.

I'd agree most Minnesota waterfowl hunters are not only an ignorant bunch, but a blissfully ignorant bunch, that likes to female dog about everything.

A teal season in this state is an entertaining idea, in a state that has no clue how to manage habitat or regulations for waterfowl, I have complete confidence they can Richard it up if given the chance.

The only way I'd be supportive of an early teal season was if it started at sunrise and closed at 9am. And you took an on line course on how to boot stomp non wanted brown ducks into the muck.

[Bullet21XD]

It would be fine by me if we'd just open duck season the first Saturday of September. Not just a teal season. I'm just not into special considerations of any kind. If the teal season was only 2 days, it probably wouldn't have too bad of an effect. Similar to the first year we had the splits. That year, we had 2 days on, 5 days off in the central zone. This was WAY better than what it is now...8 days on, then 5 day split.

A full week or more of teal season...may as well just open the season for everything...or suffer the consequences on opening weekend. What is more important???

[Trigger]

I thinks its fair to say some ducks will be moved around by ywd and early goose over water, I seriously doubt any major moves of ducks are caused by it, certainly not enough to have a major impact on anyone's opening day.

Now you're making it sound like early goose and YWD have basically no affect on duck numbers by the time opener rolls around. A couple posts ago you said you have to scout more before opener because of youth day and early goose. So which is it?

I said I doubt it has a major impact on duck movement, if there's ducks on one pond and the kids or early goose hunters blow them off one pond I think they will move to another, close by pond requiring some additional scouting. I seriously doubt that back when you did youth hunts you really saw major movements of ducks out of your area, I sure didn't. They may have moved away from the specific spot you hunted but I bet they were close by.

You were WAY more observant as a 15 year old than I was. I would only trust the things I observe since since I turned 21 or so and that was while going to school for wildlife management, even then I've still only gotten better at it. So if you can use your observations from 1996 you have a much longer source of data. I commend for you that, it's impressive.

[Trigger]

I don't really care either way, but if ya'll believe a teal season won't have negative effects on our first week or so of "duck season", you're ignorant.

Not sure if this was directed at me. I hope not. Bc I have never said it wouldn't have an effect, I know it will have an affect, a very negative one, but with what is already happening with early goose and Adults Playing Hero Day, the only way for EVERY waterfowler in the state, young and old, to have first crack at the birds like they used to is to have a teal season open before or at the same time as early goose. I think MN duck hunters deserve a chance at the birds they raise and this offers that opportunity. If they would do away with the early seasons I would be against a teal season, but the early goose is the high light of some guys season and I wouldn't want to take that away from them. So we might as well have a teal season before they are all pushed out of the state.

[Trigger]

It would be fine by me if we'd just open duck season the first Saturday of September. Not just a teal season.

This would be the shyte!!! I bet Minnesota would break or atleast get close to the million bird mark for the first time in lord knows how long. Getting to hunt through the biggest migrations the state will see, bird numbers at their peak for extended periods, not worrying about the tough guys who want to hunt in ice but complain about bugs... It would be the greatest season the state has ever seen. But that will never happen, Minnesotans have it in them to hate being good at things, especially duck hunting.