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John N. Felsher's Waterfowl Hunting Adventures
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September mornings mean the
start of another waterfowl season
start of another waterfowl season
TOP: Susan Melton and Larry
Shuff examine some
blue-winged teal they killed in
a rice field near Thornwell, La.
Blue-winged teal migrate
earlier than most other ducks.
To take advantage of these
early migrants, many states
allow hunters to bag teal
during special September
seasons.
BOTTOM: Susan Melton of
Westlake, La., shows off some
blue-winged teal she killed in
a rice field near Thornwell, La.
Shuff examine some
blue-winged teal they killed in
a rice field near Thornwell, La.
Blue-winged teal migrate
earlier than most other ducks.
To take advantage of these
early migrants, many states
allow hunters to bag teal
during special September
seasons.
BOTTOM: Susan Melton of
Westlake, La., shows off some
blue-winged teal she killed in
a rice field near Thornwell, La.
Sportsmen in many states get to sample a taste of waterfowl hunting
when the annual special September teal season opens.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows some states to set up
September teal seasons to take more advantage of lightly harvested blue-
winged teal. The speedy diminutive birds with the blue wing “shoulder”
patches migrate much earlier than most other ducks, sometimes arriving on
the Gulf Coast by late August. They frequently disappear for parts farther
south by the time the “regular” season opens in November.
Usually, blue-winged teal comprise about 90 percent of the September
harvest with the remaining percentage mostly made up of green-winged
teal with an occasional cinnamon teal thrown into the mix. Reddish
cinnamon teal mostly stay in the western states and Mexico.
Hunters in large rice-producing states, such as Arkansas and
Louisiana, often experience the best teal hunting in flooded fields, although
marshes also offer good hunting. Flooded timber and lake hunters bag
some teal during the September season, but not as many as those in rice
fields along the Mississippi River. Birds using the Mississippi, Arkansas and
Missouri rivers as migration corridors feed in adjacent flooded grain fields.
Dabbling ducks, such as teal, need shallow water to feed. Floating on
the surface, they stretch their necks to reach grasses or small invertebrates
on the bottom. Among the smallest waterfowl in the world, teal often land in
only a few inches of water. Shallow pools in flooded fields, plus the
availability of abundant waste grain, make rice fields excellent duck habitat.
Action in rice fields can come in fast and furious spurts. Teal
sometimes gather in large twisting flocks of birds and may darken the
horizon. At other times, they seemingly appear out of nowhere. Flying low
over the grass, they may materialize out of nowhere and land, or splash-
crash, into a rice field pothole before anyone sees them.
Not the brightest of birds, they decoy well and respond to calling. Use
whistles instead of mallard quacks. Sometimes, they remain swimming in
decoys even after people rise to shoot at them, especially young birds
making their first migration south during the less-heavily pressured
September season.
For hunting teal in rice fields, think light. Fortunately, September
hunters typically don’t need heavy clothing in the Deep South or Gulf Coast
states. A camouflaged shirt or light jacket usually suffices. Temperatures
may reach 90 degrees. Although most hunters wear hip boots or waders,
teal hunters can often skip the heavy rubber. Warm temperatures permit
hunting in old sneakers. Getting wet in a broiling September teal blind may
actually feel good.
Use light shot as well, No. 5 or 6 steel or 7.5 Hevi-Shot, and open
chokes over decoys. Masters of erratic flight, tiny twisting teal offer difficult
targets, but they don’t absorb much punishment. The reckless daredevils
of the waterfowl world make hitting them a challenge, but one or two well-
placed pellets can bring them down. Most shots come at less than 25
yards.
Bring light clothes and loads, but don’t skimp on mosquito repellent.
Mosquitoes thrive in wet fields. A Bug Tamer suit of camouflaged cloth over
mosquito netting makes an invaluable asset on those warm early fall
mornings.
While rice fields provide some of the best waterfowl shooting anywhere,
as a commercial agricultural crop, rice usually grows on private land.
Getting access to a quality rice field lease could cost several thousand
dollars per blind. Many good blinds come with long waiting lists.
For access to rice fields, most people hire a guide or lease a blind.
Some outfitters allow hunters to use their leased fields on a pay-per-day
type of basis. Near Walnut Ridge in northeast Arkansas, Charles
“Hammertime” Snapp Davy Crockett Hammertime Guide Service offers both
guided and do-it-yourself pay hunts.
“We have some unguided hunts in the rice fields for people who like to
do it themselves,” Snapp explained. “This is for people who know how to
hunt and don’t need a guide. They just need access to the property. On
the morning of the hunt, they come to our lodge to have breakfast with us.
Then, they follow one of our staff members to the parking area so they
don’t get lost in the morning. They set their own decoys and use their own
all-terrain vehicles, call their own birds and can use their own dogs. They
do everything by themselves except build the blind.”
For more booking trips, call Snapp at (800) 541-5590 or see www.
arkansaswaterfowl.com.
when the annual special September teal season opens.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows some states to set up
September teal seasons to take more advantage of lightly harvested blue-
winged teal. The speedy diminutive birds with the blue wing “shoulder”
patches migrate much earlier than most other ducks, sometimes arriving on
the Gulf Coast by late August. They frequently disappear for parts farther
south by the time the “regular” season opens in November.
Usually, blue-winged teal comprise about 90 percent of the September
harvest with the remaining percentage mostly made up of green-winged
teal with an occasional cinnamon teal thrown into the mix. Reddish
cinnamon teal mostly stay in the western states and Mexico.
Hunters in large rice-producing states, such as Arkansas and
Louisiana, often experience the best teal hunting in flooded fields, although
marshes also offer good hunting. Flooded timber and lake hunters bag
some teal during the September season, but not as many as those in rice
fields along the Mississippi River. Birds using the Mississippi, Arkansas and
Missouri rivers as migration corridors feed in adjacent flooded grain fields.
Dabbling ducks, such as teal, need shallow water to feed. Floating on
the surface, they stretch their necks to reach grasses or small invertebrates
on the bottom. Among the smallest waterfowl in the world, teal often land in
only a few inches of water. Shallow pools in flooded fields, plus the
availability of abundant waste grain, make rice fields excellent duck habitat.
Action in rice fields can come in fast and furious spurts. Teal
sometimes gather in large twisting flocks of birds and may darken the
horizon. At other times, they seemingly appear out of nowhere. Flying low
over the grass, they may materialize out of nowhere and land, or splash-
crash, into a rice field pothole before anyone sees them.
Not the brightest of birds, they decoy well and respond to calling. Use
whistles instead of mallard quacks. Sometimes, they remain swimming in
decoys even after people rise to shoot at them, especially young birds
making their first migration south during the less-heavily pressured
September season.
For hunting teal in rice fields, think light. Fortunately, September
hunters typically don’t need heavy clothing in the Deep South or Gulf Coast
states. A camouflaged shirt or light jacket usually suffices. Temperatures
may reach 90 degrees. Although most hunters wear hip boots or waders,
teal hunters can often skip the heavy rubber. Warm temperatures permit
hunting in old sneakers. Getting wet in a broiling September teal blind may
actually feel good.
Use light shot as well, No. 5 or 6 steel or 7.5 Hevi-Shot, and open
chokes over decoys. Masters of erratic flight, tiny twisting teal offer difficult
targets, but they don’t absorb much punishment. The reckless daredevils
of the waterfowl world make hitting them a challenge, but one or two well-
placed pellets can bring them down. Most shots come at less than 25
yards.
Bring light clothes and loads, but don’t skimp on mosquito repellent.
Mosquitoes thrive in wet fields. A Bug Tamer suit of camouflaged cloth over
mosquito netting makes an invaluable asset on those warm early fall
mornings.
While rice fields provide some of the best waterfowl shooting anywhere,
as a commercial agricultural crop, rice usually grows on private land.
Getting access to a quality rice field lease could cost several thousand
dollars per blind. Many good blinds come with long waiting lists.
For access to rice fields, most people hire a guide or lease a blind.
Some outfitters allow hunters to use their leased fields on a pay-per-day
type of basis. Near Walnut Ridge in northeast Arkansas, Charles
“Hammertime” Snapp Davy Crockett Hammertime Guide Service offers both
guided and do-it-yourself pay hunts.
“We have some unguided hunts in the rice fields for people who like to
do it themselves,” Snapp explained. “This is for people who know how to
hunt and don’t need a guide. They just need access to the property. On
the morning of the hunt, they come to our lodge to have breakfast with us.
Then, they follow one of our staff members to the parking area so they
don’t get lost in the morning. They set their own decoys and use their own
all-terrain vehicles, call their own birds and can use their own dogs. They
do everything by themselves except build the blind.”
For more booking trips, call Snapp at (800) 541-5590 or see www.
arkansaswaterfowl.com.
