EARLY TEAL: Don't be late for this early waterfowl season 
 ... we'll explain on Passport to Texas ... 
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PTT from TPWD and the SFWR Program

Last year's early teal season was a brief nine days. This 
year's season is almost twice as long.

This year we're going to set September teal season from September 
ninth to September the twenty-fourth. And considering that we have 
more than a million birds than we had last year - things are looking 
good. 

Dave Morrison is waterfowl program leader for Texas 
Parks and Wildlife. Length of season is determined by the 
findings of spring breeding ground surveys.

The September teal season is based on blue wings. And we have a 
triggering mechanism. Anything below 4.7 [million], we've got a nine 
[day season]; anything above 4.7 [million], we get a sixteen [day 
season]. This year the breeding population for blue wings was between 
5.5 and six million. 

Blue wing is the second most abundant waterfowl species 
in North America, but harvest rates are low, which helps 
to make the early season one of our more biologically 
sound waterfowl seasons in the state.

Blue wings are very early migrants. They'll blow out of the breeding 
grounds and start migrating earlier than most species. And so, without 
September teal season, a lot of times those birds just weren't available. 
So, it makes sense, We're getting an opportunity to take these birds 
before they move out of the United States into Central and South 
America; and provide opportunity for hunters that's not going to 
impact the population. 

You can log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site 
and find more information about early teal season. 

That's our show for today ... Supported by the Sport Fish 
and Wildlife restoration Program ... funded by your 
purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor 
boat fuels ... 

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.