Getting closer to early teal season

Al Hansen

Al Hansen

Well-known member
I can't count the years that I have gone through the same thing. I get goose bumps when the mornings begin to cool off. I know that not in the too distant future there are ducks winging their way southward.

As that happens I then get into that training mode once again and I know that my four legged friends also know or have that same feeling as I do. Such is the case with Enchanted Desert Chipotle aka Chip. What a young guy he is turning out to be. The pictures will show his enthusiasm but what is the most remarkable attribute he has as a duck hunting retriever, is that he will not move in the duck blind. Yes, I give him permission to move his eyes and head but that's it. I have taken advantage of my other retrievers. First I trained Chili not to move and she only had to be spanked once as a reminder that she could not catch that bull sprig that was swimming out in front of her nose a mere 12 feet away one morning just before opener. She then taught Pepper and Habi. It was Enchanted Desert Habanero who taught Chip to do the same thing in the blind. I love it. Come on duck season!
Al

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself when I saw my enthusiastic boy come to me with the bumper and part of a dead piece of sage brush. He didn't care and neither did I. What could be better? In my way of thinking, not much.

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My instructor is Enchanted Desert Habanero aka Habi. She is a dandy and is a listener and has wonderful radar skills when duck season is on us.


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I then took Chip out to help teach Enchanted Desert Serrano what the word excitement means.


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I thought he did a good job of it. She caught on quickly.


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Now to start counting days, hours, minutes, and seconds until duck season.
 
Al
Jim Jr and I share your excitment for the early teal/goose opening here on the Mississippi.
Wis boz
 
Fellas y'all ain't never wrong I am amped up for our next month teal season. I'm in the northwest corner of Louisiana and we are seeing some teal already. Ohh and some awesome dog working pics, I hope my next pup turns out so steady as you have trained yours.
 
I agree. I used to real get into teal hunting.

Last few seasons have been really unproductive here but it doesn't seem to dampen my enthusiasm.
 
The banding crews on the Canadian prairies are having a hard time catching mallards because the traps are clogged with teal. I hope you have a great season.
 
Well I'm 35 this December. So this season will be my big 30th season since I been hunting ducks and geese since I was 5. And no matter how bad it gets come September 12 every year you can find me in a blind,

I do love it so.
 
The banding crews on the Canadian prairies are having a hard time catching mallards because the traps are clogged with teal. I hope you have a great season.
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Problem here is access and timing, but I hope they send some my way!
 
I'm all pumped for early teal season...er...I mean our 2 bonus Blue Wings early in the regular season...um...or maybe not.
All that big news last year about bonus teal and expanded teal seasons and nothing this year. It was suppose to be a 3 year test and now as Blue Wings go up even more all reference to it has been erased from the state site. I guess there must have been too many shooters who could tell a Blue Wing from a Wood Duck.

Oh well, I'll just watch them fly south after the first week.

Tim
 
Hi Jim---sure hope you are recovering nicely from the eye surgery and all is healing well. Your timing seems to be about perfect. I had to laugh because just yesterday when talking with a cardiac specialist in Albuquerque my question was; "Sir, if you use shock treatment to get me out of Atrial Fibrillation on Sept. 17, can I go duck hunting after I walk out of the hospital?" The young man smiled and said, "I don't know why not!"

Seems that as we get a little bit older sometimes obstacles seem to be in the way. One early teal season it was my corneal surgery and another happened to be my full replacement knee but neither hindered my ability to hunt teal. I still managed to get out there and hunt.
Al

Chaco was not quite 2 1/2 years old when he thought he was going to show Habi how it was done at the Rio Grande. You will notice that there is a lack of water in this picture but then it was August and we were in a severe drought.

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I have always loved Chaco because he never ceases to amaze me with his facial expressions.


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It was about this time when Habi decided to show Chaco that sometimes youth does prevail. She was not quite 6 months old back then. Maybe Chaco slowed down because it was 104F that day. The good news is that I brought plenty of water along.


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You know, John, after giving it some thought, I guess if I had been that kid in the candy store, but knew about duck hunting, I would opt for some of these. How about the acrid smell of burnt powder, taking a deep breath of methane while tossing out decoys and the excitement of waiting to hear whistling wings when it was still too dark to shoot? I would much prefer that to candy.
Al


I love taking Habi out in the early morning hours. She had just turned 6 months old at the end of August when these pics were taken. Little did she know that in 2 weeks she would be retrieving her first teal.

You know it doesn't take much to excite your retriever however it all boils down to how much time you care to spend with your duck blind partner. A simple command of "Sit, Habi." What could be easier?


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Then to bring out what seems to make all dogs smile and that is a tennis ball. I sure try to make things fun for her and she in turn responds in a positive manner.


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We keep our sessions short and fun. I love getting up early and taking a walk with one of my dogs just about when the sun comes up. Can't help but think about ducks then.


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Al, great narrative and pics! The same holds true at northern latitudes: Cool mornings equates to dog training drill time!

Carl, there is a USFWS requirement for State-level participants in the Experimental Early Teal Season framework that requires a three year participation interval.
 
Good to hear from you, Clinton. I'll look forward to finding out how you do when the season opens.

Thank you for the comments on the pups. When you mentioned hoping that your next dog is as steady think about a couple of things prior to buying that pup. When picking a dog from a litter, what are the parents like? If they are hyper don't expect their offspring to be any different. Are you willing to spend the time necessary to train it? Once you think your dog is trained how often will you go out during the year to keep on practicing? How many times have you heard in your life, "Practice makes perfect?" Good luck, Clinton.
Al


Habi is a retrieving machine but she, too, needs fine tuning.

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How many can tell their dog to sit, then hold a piece of blueberry pancake within an inch of your dog's mouth and still have their thumb and index finger attached? Try it. A simple "no" is all you need. If the dog knows what NO means you have mastered a great deal. This is when I teach them the word "Gentle". Helps me with my dogs when retrieving. I dislike dogs that bite down on a duck or pheasant and crunch it. I happen to appreciate a dog with a soft mouth so they know what "Gentle" means.


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Poor Habi. I told her, "no" and she backed off waiting for my command to let her know it was all right to eat the morsel. She did, by the way. It was a happy ending!

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Kevin, I sure hope that the teal cooperate this year for you. Here is what I hope your first day is like.
Al


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Habi was almost 7 months on this, her first retrieve in 2012.

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Brad, thanks so much for sharing that great news from Canada. Our season was cut short to just 5 days this year. We normally get a 9 day season but this year NM Fish and Game opted to give the falconers a 5 day duck season of their own. Sure is strange that they couldn't have done that in the first place and still given us a 9 day season.
Al
 
Hey Tim. Since you live in God's country when it comes to ducks I wish you nothing but the best. Maybe you will see a few still coming through from Canada---Good luck.
Al
 
A good cool morning to you! At least I am hoping that you have one. We are supposed to get up to 101F today. It normally cools down to the mid 60sF by early morning but not today. I just checked and it is 80F at 5:53AM.

Rick, do you have an early teal season up there?
Al
 
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Great pics Al
Hope your teal opener is a good one.
I personally cant wait till Dec freeze sends me some nice fat birds with no Bugs. LOL
 
I know what you mean,Doug. The farmer who gives me permission to hunt his pond killed a 62" western diamondback not too far from that pond. So not only do I have to take along the mosquito spray but keep a weary eye open for the crawling critters.

Last year when he called me to come down he told me to be careful because they had killed two huge rattlers just less than a 100 feet from where I set up to shoot.

Hope you are doing well, Doug. Any puppies?
Al
 
I know what you mean,Doug. The farmer who gives me permission to hunt his pond killed a 62" western diamondback not too far from that pond. So not only do I have to take along the mosquito spray but keep a weary eye open for the crawling critters.

Last year when he called me to come down he told me to be careful because they had killed two huge rattlers just less than a 100 feet from where I set up to shoot.

Hope you are doing well, Doug. Any puppies?
Al
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Yeah , watch out for the snakes Al

I dont normally have to worry about snakes as I dont start any bird hunting till it gets cool/cold out.
By then they should be sleeping

We have 2 black puppys left from Ravens litter and 2 from Baileys litter.
 
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