The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will open the state’s early teal season Sept. 19, giving hunters a nine-day window that runs through Sept. 27, the agency said in a Sept. 8 news release.
It is the second consecutive year Texas has drawn a shortened early season. The agency said federal survey numbers for blue-winged teal, the primary species targeted in September, remain below the threshold that would allow a longer hunt, and state biologists are forecasting a below-average opener.
The 2025 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, estimated the blue-winged teal breeding population at 4.4 million birds, 13 percent below the long-term average, according to the release. The May 2026 survey estimated 3.96 million birds, an 11 percent drop and below the 4.7 million threshold required for a 16-day season. The department said hunters can expect another shortened season in 2027-28 as a result.
“Breeding population size is only part of what ultimately determines the number of birds hunters see in September,” said Kevin Kraai, waterfowl program leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Hopefully, good production in the Prairie Pothole Region puts a substantial number of young-of-the-year birds into the fall flight despite the smaller breeding population counted earlier this spring.”
Department biologists said the migration itself is changing. Kraai said blue-winged teal now migrate across a much broader period, with substantial numbers remaining as far north as the Prairie Pothole Region into October and November while many do not travel as far south as they once did. A substantial share of the population now winters no farther south than the Texas coast, the agency said, and blue-winged teal has become the most harvested duck in Texas in many recent regular seasons.
The department said it chose the late-September window hoping season timing, weather and the full Harvest Moon on Sept. 26 would coincide with a meaningful migration event. Kraai cited the smaller continental breeding population, the narrow nine-day window and drying habitat across several important teal regions, and advised hunters to watch local water conditions closely and remain flexible.
The daily bag limit is six teal, with a possession limit of 18. Kraai reminded hunters to be certified through the federal Harvest Information Program, which the agency said lets biologists sample hunters for federal harvest surveys. Hunters also need a 2026-27 Texas hunting license, a migratory game bird endorsement and a Federal Duck Stamp, and state law requires proof of hunter education.
Season dates, regulations and bag limits are posted in this year’s Outdoor Annual, the department said.