I’m very new to duck hunting and was wondering which decoys to use early teal on private ponds.

Early season drake teal are not fully plumed.

I have typically used hen teal decoys and hen mallard decoys early season.

Early season teal aren’t very wary nor all that picky...especially on private water.

https://www.rogerssportinggoods.com...p1Yv_6QIVqopaBR2yuwDrEAQYAiABEgJaCvD_BwE

A dozen of those and some other hen decoys.

Dove mojos are killer for early teal!

Dove mojos and a few teal decoys or mallard hens

Early teal season is not really for beginner duck hunters because you need to know how to ID ducks. That being said, I think you never learn until you start splashing them into the deeks, but easier to stay legal during regular duck season because after you ID in air, and kill the duck, you can 100% ID in hand with the book below and stop hunting when you reach a limit of one species, but you can’t do this during early teal. But as a new duck hunter, get this book anyway. I carried this book with me every duck hunt for years in my back pack.

Buying teal decoys is a waste of money in my opinion. The much cheaper standard mallard hen decoys are magnum teal as far as the birds are concerned. Teal decoy into a hen mallard setup for the same reason that geese will fly into a shell spread with decoys that are more than twice the size of real goose.

Guy's LeMaster looks just like mine...

To Guy's point, I plan to hunt with other folks on the lease, if they shoot I'll shoot, but still hoping they know what we are shooting at

Learn on your own, depending on others could get you an unnecessary ticket.

The best way to lean is hunt with others, and if you are worried about the other hunters not knowing what they are doing, then just don't shoot, let them do all the shooting. But you will never learn unless 1) you see them fly and ID in air and 2) splash them in the deeks and confirm species once in hand. Without #2, you never really know as a beginner.

A teal is 1/2 the size of a regular duck------ they are very easy to identify, and they fly very fast. Shooting time is at sunrise, NOT 1/2 hr before sunrise like normal season,,, that is so you will have more light to identify them.

That's not correct, its 1/2 hr before sunrise like regular duck season.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/...ue-winged-green-winged-and-cinnamon-teal

ooops -- Guy is right,,, sorry about that.

I've seen a lot of BWT sizes spoonies flyin' with groups of teal in September. Just sayin'... easy mistake to make for a noob.

Like others said, dove mojos are DEADLY. Couple of those and anything duck sized floating on the water will suck them in like a magnet.

And wood ducks never frequent the same areas as teal...……...

Whatever you do, don’t get the decoys in the mud or throw them in gale force winds. Bad things happen

I have seen it too, and easy mistake even with those with experience.

During a good wood duck season, a bunch die during early teal season. Any time you see a single or pair come strait in, 95% of the time it is gonna be wood ducks. Normally early teal will be in groups, 10+, and if you are watching, you will see them working an area before they get to you, flying low, up and down, zoom'n around, no bird really flies like them, pretty easy to ID with experience.

For teal you dont need much. One or two dove mojos and a few decoys, you'll be good to go.

I've had birds land right next to me while I was putting out decoys and when I was picking the decoys up after a hunt. First year birds arent picky, its the older birds that are smart.