Amber’s Corner – Opening Day Teal Season

Teal season was among us and we were running out of options of places to hunt that morning due to the number of birds being very sparse. We scouted all of our old spots and could not seem to find enough birds to fill our straps. East Texas is usually warm enough during teal season that you could hunt in a pair of shorts and Muck Boots if you really wanted to and the water levels were really low and steadily dropping.

After talking to a few of our friends we had come up with a plan to where we would be hunting, we just had to make sure that we were there fairly early so that we could get the exact spot that we wanted. We left out that night at midnight in hopes that nobody else would be as dumb as we were to get there extremely early, but we were definitely not alone. We pulled up to our spot and realized that someone else had found the honey hole too as they pulled in right beside us.

We threw on all of our gear, got the dog ready, and started sprinting out to a small island in the middle of a marsh. After 15 minutes of running in waders, both groups made it to the island at the same time. My husband introduced himself to the three guys, chatted a few minutes, and instantly became friends. We all agreed that we would hunt together and have a killing spree. The teal did not have a chance.

Shooting lights was upon us and the teal were already starting to decoy. My trigger finger was getting itchy and Slim, our gun dog was just as antsy. When it was finally shooting light the birds were starting to fall. The number of gun shots made it sound like Independence Day. It was thirty minutes after the first shot rang out and we had already filled our limits. We sat there and just admired the number of birds that came in trying to decoy. It was magical.

We made it back to the truck and exchanged numbers with our new friends and took a picture with our 7 man limit of bluewing teal. We were filled with excitement, but most of all we felt accomplished. Not only because just a few days before we thought we would miss out, but because we made new friends that enjoy the sport just as much as we do. We learn new things every time we throw out decoys and chamber new shells. Hunting is all about learning and finding out new ways to do things.

No matter how many times you hunt, there is always a lesson to be learned and the one we learned that morning, was that you can make a friend anywhere; even at midnight in duck marsh full of vulture sized mosquitos.