The News Outside

Well it looks like some of the other states in the flyway are going to a 6 bird limit instead of 4 for the September teal season. Personally I would have no problems if IL increased the limit too. Either way I can’t wait. Anyone else ready for mud and mosquitos?

Looking forward to going after them for the first time this year.  Have some learning to do.  Got any scouting tips for September?

We’ve had good luck around mud flats. Makes for tough hunting but the teal seem to like it.

Not a big fan of the 6 duck limit in regular season or the proposed 6 teal limit.  For me 4 ducks in either season would be a fun shoot.  If the teal are making a good come back let it continue, have to remember it doesn’t take long for mother nature to wipe out a good breeding season, but it does take a long time for the DNR to reduce a limit after they have established an increase.

I agree that 4 birds on any day is a good hunt. My experience has been that most of the hunts don’t provide an opportunity to take 6 birds. When the day comes and you’re on them good those 2 extra ducks can make up for 3 weeks of 1 and 2 bird days.

Then again, there’s guys that can bag 4 and 6 on a regular basis so I can definitely see where you’re coming from. Personally I’d rather see the 3 wood ducks in regular season go back and stay at 2 per day, keep the early season limit at 4 birds but allow 1 wood duck to be taken in September. Who am I kidding though, I’d still go even of it was a 2 bird limit

Depending on where and what you hunting over, I believe the 6 duck limit effects the management, probably more so in the regular season.  Think about 4 guys in a blind - thats a possible 24 ducks, again I’d be thrilled to shoot 16 or less get out of the blind as early as possible and let the ducks be for the remainder of the day.  Now with a 6 duck limit how many guys stay out longer
and educate a bunch of ducks to the point they change pattern to move later or avoid that area.  And once they gave us 3 woodducks I’ll doubt we’ll ever see 2 again - where we hunt we have kept are limit to two.

Teal season is going to be here before we know it!  I dont see a need to increase the limits, four teal per hunter is plenty.  If we hunt with a blind of 4 shooters, 16 teal is plenty to have a fantastic day.  Does the season open on September 1st or the week after this year?  I need to take a look now.

I think its the week after. Goose opens the first though.

Yep I just verified goose opens Sunday the 1st and teal the following Sunday the 8th. Be here soon!

where did you find the opening date of the 8th?  i can only find the 2012-13 digest online.  it has an opening day of the 8th.  i have never seen them open teal on a sunday.  always been a saturday so the 16 day period has 3 full weekends.  I just want to make sure I have it right before asking for vacation days!!  on the 4 or 6 duck per day limit.  I could go either way on it, have never shot a limit of ducks so it does effect me.  but i would like to see some of the other guys on the public water heading in earlier.

Good catch prison, I was looking at the 2012-2013 waterfowl digest on the ILDNR website.  It was the 8th last year, and I cant find the 2013-2014 waterfowl digest anywhere.  I am assuming it isnt out yet, but you would think with the first waterfowl seasons starting in about 50 days, they could updated the ILDNR website with the new digest.  I would assume early goose opens the 9/1 and teal opens the following Saturday the 7th.

I could be wrong but I don’t remember getting a paper digest for waterfowl til after august. Thats why the teal dates are printed in the hunting/trapping digest. But the h/t digest should be out shortly.  Squirrel starts in 21 days. Be nice to know of any law changes before the game warden expains them while writing me up!