2024 Texas Teal hunting season starts this weekend

TYLER, Texas ( KETK ) – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced that this year’s teal hunting season starts on Saturday and lasts till Sept. 29.

According to TPWD, hunters should be happy because recent rain lifted East Texas lake levels up to near capacity, creating acres and acres of flooded shorelines for teal to feast on. While East Texas may have gotten plenty of rain the TPWD said that their Canadian breeding grounds have been in a five year consecutive drought driving their population down.

“Unfortunately, the final blue-winged teal breeding population estimates are now at a two-decade-long low,” Kevin Kraai, waterfowl program leader for the TPWD, said. “The population estimate this past May was 4.55 million birds and is down 15 percent from last year’s estimate.”

Despite this severe decline, Kraai is hopeful about this season’s numbers because of the recent rainfall across East Texas.

“Despite the decade-long decline in the breeding population, production of blue-winged teal is expected to be strong,” Kraai said. “Overall, I anticipate an above-average teal season this September across much of Texas due to the wet conditions.”

The daily bag limit for teal is six and the possession limit is set at 18. Next year’s early teal season is being restricted to only nine days because of the waning population, a move the TPWD hasn’t had to make since 2005.

TPWD reminds hunters to make sure they get Harvest Information Program certified , have their license and purchase a Annual Public Hunting permit before going out this season.

To learn more, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department online .

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