Buzzing On By: How to Put More Early Teal in the Bag
By Lynn Burkhead
Herald Democrat J.J. Kent, a Grayson County waterfowl outfitter based out of Pottsboro (
http://www.kentoutdoors.com/ ; 903-271-5524), is a man that lives to early teal hunt each and every September.
"The sound of them buzzing over the decoys, it does wonder for the heart," laughs Kent, a pro-staffer for Zink Calls and Mossy Oak camouflage.
Kent should know, having chased these flighty little waterfowl across Texas and Oklahoma for a number of years since his initial hunt for the early birds near Sulphur Springs back in the 1980s.
Ever since that day, he's been hooked on the prospect of propelling a load of number six steel shot in the direction of a group of bluewings doing their best Mach Two imitation of a fighter pilot turning on the afterburners.
Along the way, he's learned a thing or two about putting a limit of early teal in the bag.
First, you've got to be in the right spot, an area that has a mix of food and water, preferably in a shallow combination.
"Flats on a lake, a pond with a few inches of water next to a mud bank, or a river that doesn't have much water flowing in it, that's ideal for teal," said Kent. "If there's some vegetation in it, that's even better."
Once you locate the general area they want to be in, then it's time to find out exactly where to toss your early teal decoy spread.
"If you can find their flight paths into and out of river systems and local lakes - and get in that line - you're bound to have good results."
A second key is to camo up.
"They may be the early birds, but you're still hunting waterfowl," said Kent. "Since they can spot a hunter pretty easily, you need to be dressed in full camo, be wearing a face mask or face paint, and be in a well brushed shore blind or layout blind."
Next, make sure that your decoy spread - which should number somewhere in the one to three dozen range - will pass a teal's overhead inspection.
"Honestly, as far as decoys go, you don't necessarily have to have teal decoys out to be successful," said Kent. "Just some regular old hen mallard decoys will work.
"But what's interesting is that the birds have to be able to see the decoys. So if all you've got out are just plain old brown decoys - which will match the current plumage of early teal - then the birds might not see them on the water.
"So even though the birds are wearing drab colors at this time of the year, I always want to have a few visible decoys out like some pintails so that the teal can see the spread."
Kent also likes to have some movement in his spread, something that he accomplishes with spinning wing decoys like those made by Mojo.
A third key for early teal hunting success in Kent's mind is working these early birds effectively with a call.
As a Zink pro-staffer, Kent's always got the latest top-end acrylic mallard call hanging around his neck. But during the September early teal season, he'll also have a teal whistle and a teal call on the lanyard to mimic the bird's staccato quacks, whistles, and peeps.
"Like any waterfowl, I call at their tail feathers when they're going away," said Kent. "But when they're coming in, I generally leave them alone and don't call much."
The guide's final key to bagging a limit of teal is to shoot the right stuff at them.
"I like to use open chokes like skeet or an improved cylinder when I'm teal hunting," said Kent. "And through those chokes, I like to shoot number six steel shot. I've found that makes a deadly combination for teal buzzing by over the decoys."
Especially for the hunter who is patient enough to wait for the birds to commit to a decoy spread.
"Can you lead a teal by too much? Not really since they can fly by so fast," said Kent. "But if you let them decoy, let them slow down, let them start stopping and settling into the decoys, then that's when the skeet choke or improved cylinder works best."
Get it right - the camouflage, the decoys, the calling, and the shooting - and an early teal hunt can lead to some of the most enjoyable wingshooting on the planet.
Take Kent's final hunt during the 2012 early teal season as an example.
"I had four guys come in from the Midland area to hunt with me near Bonham," he said. "It was their first waterfowl hunt ever.
"Five minutes after legal, we had a group of about 200 teal dump into the decoys. It turned into utter chaos. In less than five minutes, we had a four man limit in hand.
"It was the fastest, most intense wingshooting I've ever experienced. It was over almost as fast as it started."
Which helps explain exactly why Kent loves to hunt early teal so much each and every September.
