September 2021 - 41

to other popular waterfowl species such as
mallards, American wigeon, gadwalls and
Canada geese. " We see them in the earliest
part of the season, which occurs in the first
part of October, " said Martin Hicks, wildlife
management coordinator for the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department in the Laramie
Region and a fellow waterfowl hunter. " By
November they're pretty much out of here. "
Green-winged teal can be an exception to
the early-season rule. Noelle Smith, migratory
game bird and wetland biologist with Game
and Fish, said green-winged teal often stick
around much longer than the other species.
" Late-season birds are often on rivers that
remain open, like the North Platte in the
southeast and the Shoshone and Bighorn
rivers in the Big Horn Basin. "
Wetlands in the Cowboy State provide
habitat for modest numbers of nesting teal,
but the majority of birds available to hunters
are migrants whose summer reproduction
areas are hundreds or thousands of miles to
the north. The timing of teal migration is
dependent on weather events on its summer
range which can nudge birds south as early
as late August.
" Conditions to the north affect when they
show up and local weather affects the amount
of time they stick around, " Hicks said. " A big
This female green-winged teal can be found late in the season in Wyoming on rivers with open water. (Photo by Troy Powell)
push can come through, then two weeks later
and they're gone if it freezes up. "
Teal hunters are advised to keep an eye
on the weather. Unseasonably cold temperatures
can move the majority of teal through
the state before the season opens, but most
years there will be at least a few birds. Mild
autumn weather with sufficient water in wetlands
for foraging typically creates the best
conditions for several weeks of productive
October hunting.
Three species of teal inhabit North AmerPopulations
of cinnamon teal have declined in North America for reasons not fully understood by waterfowl biologists.
(Photo by Elizabeth Boehm)
ica, all of which breed in modest numbers in
Wyoming and may be taken by hunters. All
teal populations are tied to water conditions
on their breeding range. Abundant precipitation
spawns copious numbers. An ongoing
drought may slash numbers by more than
60 percent.
Cinnamon teal are the rarest and least-frequently
harvested. Although the two other
species are generally thriving across their
range, cinnamon teal populations are
declining for reasons not fully understood
Wyoming Wildlife | 41

September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2021

September 2021 - 1
September 2021 - 2
September 2021 - 3
September 2021 - 4
September 2021 - 5
September 2021 - 6
September 2021 - 7
September 2021 - 8
September 2021 - 9
September 2021 - 10
September 2021 - 11
September 2021 - 12
September 2021 - 13
September 2021 - 14
September 2021 - 15
September 2021 - 16
September 2021 - 17
September 2021 - 18
September 2021 - 19
September 2021 - 20
September 2021 - 21
September 2021 - 22
September 2021 - 23
September 2021 - 24
September 2021 - 25
September 2021 - 26
September 2021 - 27
September 2021 - 28
September 2021 - 29
September 2021 - 30
September 2021 - 31
September 2021 - 32
September 2021 - 33
September 2021 - 34
September 2021 - 35
September 2021 - 36
September 2021 - 37
September 2021 - 38
September 2021 - 39
September 2021 - 40
September 2021 - 41
September 2021 - 42
September 2021 - 43
September 2021 - 44
September 2021 - 45
September 2021 - 46
September 2021 - 47
September 2021 - 48
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