Maryland’s Early Teal Season Opens Sept. 16

Special Season Provides Additional Waterfowl Opportunity

Last year’s Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp featured a pair of blue-winged teal, painted by Jeffrey Klinefelter.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announces that the September teal-only hunting season will be open from Sept. 16 through Sept. 30. Shooting hours are one half-hour before sunrise until sunset, the daily bag limit is six teal (blue or green-winged), and the possession limit is 18 teal, or three times the daily bag limit.

Seasons and bag limits for all other migratory game birds can be found in the 2021-22 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping.

“The early teal season allows waterfowl hunters a way to get a jump on the season and experience all the great opportunities Maryland has to offer,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said.

All migratory game bird hunters, including landowners who are license-exempt, must possess a valid Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp/Harvest Information Program permit. All waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are also required to possess a federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (federal duck stamp), which must be signed in ink across the face to be valid. Hunters buying the federal stamp online may use the purchase code or printed receipt to show proof of purchase for 45 days. Hunters will receive the physical stamp in the mail from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within this time frame.

Hunters with questions may contact the department at 410-260-8540.