![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teal-Decoy-Setup-300x172.png\")
<\/a>Teal aficionados prefer the tradition of bringing out their prized little teal decoys, but it’s hard to say how much of a difference actual Teal decoys make.\u00a0 That being said I don’t like to test my like and bring out my aged collection of teal paired with a few mallards.\u00a0 You really don’t have to spend a lot to buy a set of Teal decoys.\u00a0 With a few sets of the budget Avian-X Decoys<\/a> you’ll be good to go. I like to bring out a couple dozen deeks to build up some confidence.<\/p>\nIf you don’t have a large hunting budget there’s a lot of other hunting equipment you should buy before decoys dedicated to a short season.\u00a0 Don’t worry if you don’t feel like spending the cash, you shouldn’t need a dedicated teal setup for the first few weeks of the hunting season. Teal will readily decoy to just about any other puddle duck decoy.<\/p>\n
Find The Right Spread<\/h4>\n
All you’re really going to need is a few dozen high-quality decoys. Since the water is extremely shallow you should shorten your decoy strings to match the bottom. Try not to cover a lot of ground since Teal tend to bunch up. If you have the extra cash to buy a few more decoys use a more open spread creating a wider canvas. From the distance it will create a much bigger impact on the ducks.<\/p>\n
Take Advantage of The Wind<\/h4>\n
Since all waterfall lands going into the wind make sure you set your decoys up accordingly. Take full advantage of the wind it set up your decoys with a landing pocket front of your blind. Since teal tend to come in close you’re going to want to set up your decoys closer than you think. Try setting up a basic blind around shoreline vegetation it doesn’t have to be to elaborate. If you want you can even simply wear camouflage since teal season is most often in September.\u00a0 Instead of setting up an elaborate blind, most of the time I’ll bring along some cheap camo netting<\/a> and a couple stakes to setup a basic “instant blind”.\u00a0 Throw in your favorite hunting blind chair<\/a> (I love the ALPS Outdoorz Blind Chair<\/a>) and you’ll be off to the races.<\/p>\n Your first step is going to be to locate the birds, but that’s easier said than done. When hunting public waterfowl areas give a call to your local parks service. State waterfowl biologist should be able to give you basic info on the migrations and local waterfowl populations. Try scouting all of the public reservoirs, marshes, coastal areas and large lakes a few days before the season. Keep an eye out for mud flats with extremely shallow water.<\/p>\n Bring along your favorite pair of hunting binoculars to try and identify some birds.\u00a0 If you don’t have luck one day be willing to give some other areas a try.\u00a0 Changing water levels will make a big difference on this shallow water bird.<\/p>\n You should never expect the same size flocks like you see with other species.\u00a0 Even though there are lots of teal in an area that doesn’t mean they’ll fly in a large flock.\u00a0 Most of the time their populations will vary from day to day as more birds start to filter in.<\/p>\n Gunning for teal is really a humbling experience even for expert gunners. For less experienced shooters it might even be a day filled with frustration. Twisting, darting and flying at speeds over 50 mph through trees and brush make them extremely challenging. Your first couple birds will most likely be the result of blind luck versus skill. Instantly going into evasive action maneuvers they’ll explode in all directions.<\/p>\n Flock shooting is almost impossible with birds that move this fast. It’s especially ineffective when aiming at tiny targets that react as a group. It’s extremely important to visually find one bird that you want to take out and stay on it. No matter how difficult it is, follow-through shooting will bring you the most birds. Pick out a bird, swing with it, follow through and shoot. They’ll go down easily using light fast loads. My go to shot is 2 3\/4 in No 4’s With 1 ounce shot. You shouldn’t have to spend a lot on shells to take out teal.\u00a0 With a little practice you’ll be taking down more birds than you ever thought possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The beginning of every duck hunting season is marked with the early teal and wood duck seasons. Normally teal season begins in September before the regular duck hunting season begins. Hunting teal gives you the advantage of early-season ducks that lack fear. That doesn’t mean that hunting teal is going to be easy. Being one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[7,8,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTeal Hunting Tactics<\/h3>\n
Don’t Expect Big Flocks<\/h4>\n
Best Teal Duck Hunting Calls<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Best-Teal-Duck-Hunting-Calls-300x255.png\")
Skip the specialty calls and buy a high quality mallard call.\u00a0 You’ll have a lot of luck using a basic mallard call like this Buck Gardner Double Nasty Call<\/a>.\u00a0 Mallard calls will bring in a ton of birds if you know how to use one.\u00a0 Make sure you stick to the soft calls spread out slowly.\u00a0 Don’t use any loud highballs or other demanding calls.\u00a0 Soft quacks, sit down calls and feeding calls are going to be your bread and butter.\u00a0 If you want to throw in a little variety try using a Widgeon Whistle or specialty Teal call <\/a>.<\/p>\nGunning Teal<\/h3>\n
Don’t Get Tempted With Flock Shooting<\/h4>\n