Teal

Teal in water
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Teal in water

Blue-winged teal are second only to mallards as the most numerous duck in North America. Blue-winged teal are among the earliest ducks to migrate south during fall and the latest to head north during spring. Teal stay in Missouri a relatively short time, so the best hunting usually occurs when cold fronts bring winds favorable for migration. 

Topic Category
Hunting / Fishing Guide
Regulations
Seasons
Biological Information
Blue-Winged Teal
Green-Winged Teal
Seasons
Teal

Teal in water

Season Not Open
Teal: Hunting
  • September 7, 2024 - September 22, 2024
Hours

Sunrise to sunset

Notes

You may hunt blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, and cinnamon teal.

Northern shoveler, northern pintail, and wood ducks have similarly colored plumage but are illegal to hunt during this season.

Daily bag limit: 6

Possession limit: 18

Limits are a combined total of all teal species.

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Three permits are required.

  1. Small Game Hunting Permit
  2. Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
  3. Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp, Migratory Bird Hunting Permit, Small Game Hunting Permit, Small Game Hunting and Fishing Permit, Nonresident Daily Small Game Permit, Lifetime Small Game Hunting Permit (residents only), Lifetime Conservation Partner (Hunting and Fishing) Permit (residents only), Military Reduced Cost Permit

Waterfowl: Hunting: Allowed Methods

Shotguns, 10 gauge or smaller. Must not hold more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber combined. Use nontoxic shot only.

Hunting dogs

Motor boats or sailboats may be used, but only if the motor has been shut off and/or the sails furled, and the boat’s progress therefrom has stopped.

Waterfowl: Hunting: Prohibited Methods

Lead shot or other shot that has not been listed as nontoxic by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Rifles and pistols

Firearms that propel a single projectile at one discharge

Punt guns, battery guns, swivel guns, fully automatic firearms, traps, snares, nets, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosives, and stupefying substances

Motor vehicles or aircraft. Paraplegics and people missing one or both legs may hunt from a stationary vehicle

Sink boxes or any other type of low-floating device that conceals the hunter beneath the surface of the water

Electronic calls or electronically activated calls

Any sighting device that casts a beam of light on the game

Night vision or thermal imagery equipment

Live decoys

Bait

Season Not Open
Ducks, Coots, and Mergansers: Falconry
  • February 11, 2025 - March 10, 2025
Hours

Sunrise to sunset during the September teal season, one-half hour before sunrise to sunset during the remaining seasons.

Notes

Season is also open during the regular duck-hunting seasons, including teal and youth waterfowl seasons.

Daily limit: 3 birds, combined total of doves, ducks, and coots.
Possession limit: 9 birds, combined total of doves, ducks, and coots.

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For a complete listing of permits and regulations, see Rule 3 CSR 10-9.442 in the Wildlife Code of Missouri.