This should start pushing some birds down into North Texas. We have some good #s write now, but I have seen fronts help and I have seen them hurt the hunting. I hope this ones helps.

HELLO BLUEWINGS goodbye dove

I'm not an expert, but I thought that teal migrated based on the time of year and not on the temperatures. I think they migrate in August and September regardless of how warm or cold it is.

I think most other ducks migrate based on food supplies and weather.

Yep, but they will also stay in one place longer if it's warm, seeing how we are getting a good cold front, the ponds north of us should be colder.

btw I think the moon plays a bigger role in the migration too

Well I don't think it will exactly be getting cold around here, so hopefully it will do us good.

Yep I should have said cooler

Full moon and north wind and away they go........

Full moon on Friday, September 4. A week before early teal.

Bluewing migration is triggered by a change in barometric pressure patterns and photoperiod.

No Sir! Not coldest front of season. 87 miles NE of metromess and was 62 2 wks ago. Only supposed to be 66 by sun am. Dove is all messed up. Harvested wheat fields that were holding hords of dove have remained wet and a lot of grain has sprouted=dove wont touch it. Some around, but numbers have moved elsewhere. As far as teal, been crying about this some time. Sniper John can back me up on this. For N.TX on teal opener, good luck gettin many shots. Maybe a couple of flights at first light and then dead. As mentioned earlier, full moon on 4th. My best teal hunts in N.TX were in middle of dog days of summer. Even though hot, fronts up north stalled over s.ks/n.ok and birds were always here. Opener used to be around 8th of sept and was always peak here for migration. Now they push it to 12th-16th every yr. That is great for coast but bad for north. I have never seen this many cold fronts pushing through ntx this early in yr. Work takes me all over Ok and have been seeing thick teal up there for past week. Hate to put a damper, but teal looks dismal at best. Peak is usually around full moon and cold fronts only enhance full migration. They dont worry about photoperiod or barometric pressure. I have been huntin when a front blows through. It can be unbelievable and has soon as winds shift to north, every teal within 100 mi. will be gone. It is an incredible spectacle and have seen it many times. These later openers have only hindered our season in ntx. They can have N and S zone for regular season. I beg the question, why not do it for teal season. Your TPWD dollars hard at work. FYI, I can hunt cheaper in KS as a non-resident than I can to hunt as a resident in TX. Go figure. Keep Austin queer. What a joke.

I feel for you N.TX hunters. It sounds like an earlier teal season opener would be better for you guys. We're not seeing that many teal here on the Katy prairie yet. Hopefully, they'll start showing up soon. Sep. 12 is not that far away!

You're right. Those idiot biologists at DU, Delta and USFWS wouldn't know a damn thing about what triggers migration in various species. I mean, why even read waterfowl biology texts when I can turn to teh intrawebs and turn up everyone's pet theories, wild conjecture and anecdotes?

Spot on. Cold fronts will help push them a little but they are going to migrate as the days get shorter. Same with Gadwalls and several other ducks. Mallards are more of a cold front duck.

Anybody that knows anything about ducks knows that many ducks migrate based on photoperiod and barametric pressure.

So i guess speaking from personal experiences of waterfowling in north texas for the last 21 yrs doesnt mean anything. Have fun on sep 12 and have a dove hunt lined up to salvage the day. But apparently I dont know anything so dont listen to me.

I agree with it triggering the migration of teal and other ducks, however many ducks do show-up in Texas during a full moon phase accompanied with a north wind.

Yes, speaking from personal experience in no way trumps the full body of waterfowl biology SCIENCE regarding what triggers migration in early-migrant species like bluewing teal, pintail and gadwall. Local weather patterns can affect local movements of the birds, but their migration from the breeding grounds to the wintering grounds is proven to be caused by changes in barometric pressure patterns (Meridional flow conditions allowing more frequent frontal passage) and by shortening photoperiod. Mistaking a movement of 50 miles for a migration pattern several thousand miles in scope is a bad anecdotal observation.

Fronts help the migration, they do not cause it, for these early birds anyway. If you are trying to get from northern saskatchewan to southern Mexico, you're gonna take every advantage you can to help make that flight easier, and what's easier than jumping a ride on a stiff north wind. So yes cold fronts FUEL the migration, however, they do not cause it.

^

THAT.

I am not intersted in pintail and gaddies during teal season. And you say wintering grounds. NTX is not there wintering grounds-mexico and beyond are. All i am saying is that for years, i saw the most teal ever along red river when the temps where in the 100s eveyday and lows were only in mid 70s. There would not be a sign of a front even close to texas and every hole with decent habitat was full of flocks. BW are very finicky regarding fronts and the peak travel through north texas during the first full moon in sept. They use these north winds to get down south in a hurry and dont like the cold. How many bw's do you ever see first day of big duck in n.tx? i can count em on one hand. i guess proof is in the pudding and we will see sept 12. Now dont go tell me I TOLD YOU SO if you are huntin down on the coast because the birds will be there. I am talkin dallas northward. If you find a spot with flocks of bws good. but if a front comes down evening before hunt, they WILL be gone. Thanks for the input, only trying to add a little insight. Bioligsts are smart, but i never see any around monitoring the bw migration along the red.

Huh. 50 miles is all it takes to decide whether you have a fanfabulous hunt or dont even see a bird. I will observe the ducks in DU magazine in off season, but sorry, sept 12 the guns are coming out!

Umm... changes in barometric pressure usually coincide with a change in weather like a cold front or rain storms.

David Finfrock, I know that. So basically you are saying that if a popcorn variety thunderstorm develops not due to a cold front, and the barometer changes, the teal will migrate south? That is interesting. And forget about the barometer when it comes to mallards. If you ever travel to nebraska and kansas in dec and jan, you will understand why we dont see mallards here like we used to.

Your continuing inability to differentiate between local movements and migration is fascinating.

Changes in median barometric pressure are seasonal. As summer turns to fall and Meridional flow allows cold fronts to escape the arctic with greater frequency, median barometric pressure decreases because cold fronts are low pressure systems. Conversely, anyone who's ever looked at a national weather map in the summer knows that high pressure systems lock in warm air for extended periods of time.

ETA: Meridional flow is best illustrated by a Texas duck hunter's favorite weather map item - a jet stream with a massive dip all the way through the Central Flyway ushering in a low pressure system.