(Area) Teal season opens September 1st.
Bryan Hayes with the Iowa DNR says it’s time for hunters to brush up on their duck identification skills. Teal are fast flying, very small duck. “They are the earliest migrant. The teal are starting to arrive. I saw a big flock of teal the other day. We have a September 1st teal opener. It’s a 16 day teal season.”
The season used to last less than a week, but is now open for more than two weeks to allow hunters better odds to catch the migration. “A lot our waterfowl hunters remember when we only had a four or five day teal season. You had to try and time out the migration with the season dates. Some years it didn’t work out so well. Now we are allowed a 16 day teal only season.”
Wetland conditions may be not be typical for this time of year. “To no ones surprise we’ve been dry. One good thing about the early teal season is the teal don’t mind the big mud flats. A little bit of water in combination of those mud flats is actually the preferred habitat of the teal.”
Dove season also opens on Wednesday. Squirrel and rabbit season will begin on Saturday, September 4th.
