Early Duck Season

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EARLY DUCK SEASON IS SHORT AND SWEET

Tennessee’s early wood duck and teal season opens for a five-day run on Saturday. It will run through September 16 and offer a four duck limit of which not more than two can be woodies.

Don’t forget to purchase your Federal Duck Stamp if you are age 16 and over. And, unless you have the Sportsmen’s License you will need to purchase supplemental tags such as the waterfowl (Type 005) which costs $31 and the annual wildlife management area license (type 091) which costs $51 or the one-day WMA permit (type 092) for $10.50.

Each year the early season is held in hopes of coinciding with the early migration of blue-wing teal. However, here in Tennessee we are limited to only five days whereas other states in our flyway have a much larger window of opportunity as their season last 16 days which includes three weekends.

Biologists keep saying the reason we have only five days is because we have wood ducks in our bag and other states are apparently jealous of that as only nearby Kentucky gets the wood duck and teal combo season.

For the last few years the blue wing teal numbers have increased and are now at all time highs thanks to a good hear on the breeding grounds. So teal are in good shape and why Tennessee cannot get the extended teal season like other states is somewhat of a mystery.

Bottom line is that Tennessee hunters are missing out on hunting opportunities at a time when the resource and all wildlife management data points to allowing the long season here in the Volunteer State.

It appears politics are at work in the Mississippi flyway council within the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Both TWRA and the USFWS should be working for the sportsmen in opening up opportunities in the field when waterfowl populations merit but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Meanwhile, sales of hunting licenses in Tennessee continue to decline or stay flat and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will soon address budget scenarios that will command cuts and reduction of services to sportsmen.

Tennessee’s first segment of the early season on resident geese closes on Tuesday, September 15. There is actually another segment slated for October 3-9 but for some strange reason TWRA does not list that segment in its Hunting and Trapping Guide brochure which is supposed to contain information and regulations for the license buying sportsmen.

The brochure is distributed statewide at all license agents and it’s the reference used by most sportsmen. Although TWRA has a website there are still a lot of folks who do not have internet service and the brochure is handy to keep in the truck, car, or desk at home for reference.

How can folks go if they don’t know the season is open? Go figure!

Steve McCadams is a professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area. He has also contributed many outdoor oriented articles to various national publications.

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