If they're gone in the morning, I'd say hunt it in the evening. You'll probably only get one or two hunts out of it before your blow the roost, but if it's for early teal season, might as well do it if you aren't having birds in the AM.

If the same thing is holding true for big duck season, in my experience, you can probably get away with hunting it once a week in the evening.

Growing up we had about a 15-20 acre lake that numerous times I'd hunt it on a Friday evening after school and again Saturday morning and kill plenty of birds each time.

Lot's and lots of variables with hunting afternoons and I think there is no one set of rules or one way to look at it. I do think that we all will agree shooting them off their roost will blow them out fast. Here are my experiences hunting afternoons on both public and private.

First I will state that I almost always prefer hunting in the morning. That said, public water can provide some great afternoon shooting. It is very weather dependent. The worse the weather is it seems the ducks move more. High winds and bad weather can make for good afternoon shoots. Anything that will cause birds to move will help. Generally I don't like to hunt a spot the morning after we have had an afternon hunt. Normal routine is to find ducks in a spot bust them and set up to wait for their return. The ducks that don't return may or may not come back the next morning. The ducks that do return that you shooot at probabaly won't be back the next morning. So hunting the same spot the next morning after an evening hunt is risky. Exceptions would be during migrations. We shot teal this past Saturday afternoon and then went back to the same spot the next morning and had a really good hunt. Were they the same birds or new ones moving in? Hard to tell.

As for private we have had some excellent hunts shooting ducks coming in to feed in the bottoms. These birds are not going to roost they are moving early afternoon to feed. Most of the time you show up and no ducks are on the water They filter in for awhile to feed then leave to roost.. Lot different deal than ducks staying on a place all day.

A common pattern that I have seen are ducks leave the roost to feed in the mornings, then find a place to rest during the day, then feed again in the afternoon, then go to roost.

It's my belief and experience (at least here in N TX) that a roost is generally a haven that the birds have found for that night or at most a few nights. It's far from a permanent residence by virtue of the fact that we are not a significant migration destination, just a stop along their way.

Birds will leave their roost when disturbed and/or hungry. They fan out, searching for identifiable spots to feed or get out of the weather. They will move several times a day in their continuing search for other food, shelter and a place to get out of increasing winds or if they sense approaching danger.

While they may return to last night's roost for a day or several days, they will continue on their southbound journey until they find a spot that genetic imprints tell them is home for awhile until it's time - several months later - to begin selecting a mate, and then think about the journey back home to the North.

I'm strictly a morning hunter and usually for not more than 60 - 90 minutes. I will intentionally spook birds off our place as we arrive before LST rather than shoot them off. When I say spook I mean by driving in with lights on and making no effort to be quiet while unloading and setting up. 90% of the time those birds that I did spook will return for food or rest during the morning, some in just a few minutes. Shooting them out at LST is dispersing them for the day. Shooting birds off of a roost at LST makes no more sense (to me) than shooting them off at dusk when they come in for safe haven for the night.

But then ... I've only been doing this for 56 seasons now and I may be wrong.

Exactly. I hunt where the birds are feeding. Usually a few inches deep water on public lakes where there are nothing but houses in the surrounding fields. Blue wing teal will sometimes feed late in the day on those shallow flats and water vegetation before going to roost. We are not a breeding nor wintering area for blue wings up here other than a very few residents. And IMHO for early teal, to loafing areas might be more correct term than to roost in my part of the state. They just don't stick around long enough establish traditional roosts IMHO. On the coast maybe yes, but not up here. We are strictly in a migration corridor for Teal which have one of the longest migrations of any duck. They don't just feed in the morning and then sit on a roost the next 23 hours. As well, during our teal season, most public teal areas have more after work evening dove hunters than morning teal hunters stirring things up. In fact without them to stir the birds, it can make for a slow hunt on some areas.

Did you just agree with yourself or did I miss something?

No, I do often hunt teal season late in the day and explaining that the afternoon hunt is on the same area as the morning hunt where the birds are feeding, and that there is no traditional "roost" for teal in my part of the state. I meant to include and "exactly.." to part of what cappy said related to intentionally spooking the birds off to set up. Get on a good feeding area, you can bump them off just like you do setting up in the morning, shoot them coming back in and be done in a few minutes again same as morning, then do it again the next day. Morning or afternoon it plays the same. I am not talking about shooting a roost.

I am going with Sniper on this one. Teal and ducks are totally different animals. Teal are blowing through and they will not establish a roost as ducks will do. If they establish a roost it will be nothing more than a day or two. Most of the teal we are seeing are flying at night and hitting the water at daylight to feed and rest for the day. They are not typically flying to here, establishing themselves (Roost feed and loaf ponds). I say if you find teal shoot them, whether it be 9 am or 5 pm.