The slow-moving cold front that swept into Iowa during the second week of August offered some much-needed relief from the stifling heat and humidity of late summer. The temporary change of weather also provided a sharp reminder that fall hunting seasons are just around the corner. For Iowa waterfowlers, the fall seasons begin with the September 1st opening of the annual special teal season.
Initiated in 2014, Iowa's bonus teal seasons represent the best change in waterfowl hunting regulations to occur in my lifetime – a recreational windfall offering sixteen continuous, back-to-back, sunrise to sunset, fun filled bonus days of waterfowl hunting that do not subtract so much as a single hour from the state's regularly scheduled 60-day duck seasons. Hard to beat an outdoor gift like that. I'll be quick to admit my bias.
My fascination with teal goes back to some of my earliest memories. The first wild ducks that I saw and actually got to handle were the blue-winged teal that my dad brought home from his early season hunts. As a toddler, I didn't know that blue-wings were the first ducks to abandon their summer breeding areas to head south.
I didn't know that blue-wings traveled faster and farther down the flyways than any other duck. I didn't know that most blue-wings would spend the winter in such faraway places as Central and South America. I knew nothing of the teal's incredible speed and aerial agility.
What I did know, however, was that blue-winged teal were beautiful. Ad.