September 2021 - 43

Decoys like these of green-winged teal are often a good way to attract live ducks for the opportunity to harvest. (Photo by Jack Ballard)
rainfall had stock ponds brimming with water
and teeming with ducks. We primarily drove
roads adjacent to parcels of public land and
used binoculars to look for waterfowl on natural
ponds and man-made reservoirs.
One tiny reservoir held a half-dozen mal(Adobe
Stock Photo)
Teal time, meal time
There's more than a few outdoor folks who believe teal is the finest eating of all game
meat. Here's how my family prepares them.
1) You can roast a whole teal but we
grill plucked teal breasts with the skin on.
2) Preheat the grill so it's very hot. Rub
the breasts lightly with sesame or other
oil of your choosing.
3) Place the breasts skin-side down on
the grill for about two minutes. The skin
should crisp and fat begin to melt. Don't
allow dripping fat to catch fire.
4) Flip the breasts onto another portion
of the grill to avoid fat fires, and cook to
desired temperature. We aim for rare to
medium-rare. Overcooking teal or other
duck species yields tough, strong meat.
5) Sweet sauces are perfect pairs for
teal. We like plum, cherry, huckleberry
and a honey/coriander/Dijon sauce.
- Jack Ballard and family
lard drakes resting near the impoundment.
Cattails on the near end of the pond offered
enough cover to make a sneak, but wouldn't
bring a hunter within range of the ducks. We
split up. Zoe accompanied me on a lengthy,
looping hike around a hill into a draw below
the small dam. Lisa crept into the cattails.
The plan involved Zoe and I flushing the mallards,
which we suspected would fly in Lisa's
direction. If we didn't get a shot, she might.
Just as we approached the lower side of the
dam, completely hidden from the water, the
drakes unexpectedly departed. Since it was
Zoe's first waterfowl hunt, I coached her to
finish the stalk anyway as it would give her
a chance to practice sneaking to the pond's
edge in a crouch, then rising quickly to shoot.
The practice session quickly turned live when
an estimated three-dozen green-winged teal
erupted from a shaded corner of the pond we
couldn't see from the road. Zoe downed one
bird. Lisa took another as part of the flock
flew over her position.
Teal also are excellent for novice waterfowl
hunters new to using decoys. Among veteran
Wyoming Wildlife | 43

September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2021

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