Delmarva teal hunting outlook is much better if you have private land
Sunny September days, the dawn hum of mosquitoes and the sulfuric smell of the salt marsh all add up to only one thing for a Delmarva hunter — teal season!
Yes, it's time to start off your duck hunting for the year with our tiniest and earliest arriving ducks, the diminutive teal. They may be small but they are fast, fun, tasty and the first ducks to give us a chance, factors that make them a favorite among area waterfowlers.
I'd offer a prognostication on how the teal season will be but these are notoriously fickle birds. They come and go overnight, both from one local area to another and from the north on to southern destinations in their migration. Cold fronts can push them out overnight or bring in fresh birds in mere hours. A bit of pressure moves them around, the bluewings can pass through before our seasons begin and the greenwings can show up in October instead of September, making them hard to hunt without up-to-date scouting info.
The one good thing about teal acting that way is you just never know. All the scouting in the world can have you feeling confident, only to show up the next day and never see a duck, but it can also turn a last minute trip into a bonanza if Lady Luck is on your side. For teal season the only real option is to go and give it a try, and as early in the season as possible.
RELATED:Early signs are good for duck season
Unfortunately, one thing that's become noticeable the past few years is that teal season is truly becoming a case of the haves and have nots. Like much of the puddle duck hunting on Delmarva these days if you have a private impoundment, full of planted and flooded millet, milo or corn, you'll likely have plenty of teal, at least on the southern portion of the peninsula. If you don't and you're hunting the traditional salt marshes, either public or private, your odds of success become far lower.
When it comes to drawing power it's just hard for the native habitat to compete with well managed crops flooded with fresh water. That's a sad fact that duck hunters across the area have been discussing in recent seasons and it's extremely noticeable during this early teal season.
Can you still have a good shoot if you don't have a private impoundment? Yes, on occasion, if you've done your scouting and the stars align, but the disparity between the average waterfowler on a public marsh and those with high dollar private impoundments is becoming clearer, and more alarming, with each passing season.
In Delaware the season is open, having started on Sept. 8 and running through Sept. 26. Delaware teal hunters must stay in the teal zone, which is south of the C&D Canal to Lewes, and east of routes 13, 113/113A and 1. Maryland hunters see a season that is open Sept. 16-30 on the Shore. Virginia water owlers get a season of Sept. 16-30, east of I-95. In all three states teal hunters are allowed six teal daily, with a possession limit of 18. Shooting hours in all three states are a half hour before sunrise to sunset.
More:Mosquito forecast for fall hunting on Delmarva: Frightening
Outdoor Calendar
Sept. 8-26: Delaware early teal season, six daily
Sept. 10: 12th annual Flounder Pounder, Bahia Marina, Ocean City, 410-289-7473
Sept. 11: 16th annual Sept. 11th Memorial Spot Tournament, Ocean City Fishing Center, Ocean City, 410-213-1121
Sept. 14-16: 39th annual Challenge Cup, OC Marlin Club, Ocean City, 410-213-1613
Through Sept. 15: Maryland early resident Canada goose season, eight daily
Sept. 15-Feb. 3: Delaware squirrel season
Sept. 16-17: 16th annual West Side Outcasters Open fishing tournament, Westside Volunteer Fire Department, info at westsidevfd.com.
Sept. 16-30: Virginia eastern zone teal season, six daily
Sept. 16-30: Maryland early teal season, six daily
Through Sept. 25: Virginia and Delaware early Canada goose seasons
Through Sept. 30: First segment of Delaware mourning dove season
Through Oct. 14: First segment of Maryland mourning dove season
Through Oct. 29: First segment of Virginia mourning dove season
Through Dec. 20: Chesapeake striped bass season, main Bay and all tributaries, two fish daily, 20 inches minimum, only one over 28 inches