It is the first waterfowl season. We have perfected our aim with the doves, practiced marking birds (that is hard for me – I’ve always had a bucket-nosed lab that could find anything and retrieve it), and checked to make sure the gun was plugged to 3 shots and that we had non-lead pellets. Put on a little camo and bug spray and away we go.

The new thing is that we have to sign in online to hunt the Bottoms. The days of getting your gun, sneaking out on a dike or mound and killing a limit are gone forever. Hunting pressure and safety require some attention and management. If you are taking youngsters, please do it right. We have to play by the rules, or just not play.

I’m sad to say that I know some good hunters that don’t choose to hunt anymore, and have put down their guns and picked other venues for themselves and their grandkids. I see both sides – and it makes me sad. We have lost some of the spontaneous joy in this evolution of rules and regs.

Everything is harder now – Walmart doesn’t have any 20 gauge shells. I don’t know if that is unintentional or planned. That is our preferred caliber for teal. There’s not even any lead shot for upland game. Lots of other stores have those shells – I don’t get it. I will ask the manager — they have to know. It just seems strange.

I got my deer tags and HIP stamp there and don’t mean to abuse or speak negatively about them in any way. The folks working in sporting goods are just so kind and helpful. I am waiting for the post office to get my duck stamp. KWEC doesn’t even have duck stamps yet. 

I have always really enjoyed teal season. My son would drive from Florida to come hunt teal. We plucked all our birds and then split them down the back to lay flat in the skillet – it was a lovely meal and a great tradition. June 7, 1995, seems like yesterday. He was 27.

There are three species of teal in our local population. Blue Winged are the majority and easy to identify. Green-winged are a little smaller, and just so pretty it takes your breath. Cinnamon teal are infrequent but so pretty with red eyes – some of my favorite photographs highlight these birds.

Tanner Swank is a fabulous artist and did a drawing of a flock of teal for me. It is a special honor to have it on my wall. He comes from a strong line of hunting and birding tradition, and Charlie and Karl will be heroes forever. Jason has grown his wings, and Gene and Kim set a high standard. We are so lucky to have those people in our area. Curtis holds the fort at KWEC. All those people give me more confidence every day that we WILL protect our Cheyenne Bottoms.  

I guess you can tell it’s not “just a teal season.” It’s part of the fabric of our lives in central Kansas and I am grateful to share all of it with my friends. Thanks to everyone! Here’s a few pictures...

Doc

Doctor Dan Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast. He can be reached at danwitt01@gmail.com.