MEMPHIS, Tenn. - July 8, 2021 - Ducks Unlimited Television (DU TV) heads south to the Texas coast this week for thrilling early season teal hunting at its finest.

Last season&squo;s teal migration lead to spectacular hunting for many on the Texas Gulf Coast. Blue-winged teal left the Prairie Pothole Region in early 2020 and staged in the area by the thousands, a testament to aggressive wetlands habitat development by Ducks Unlimited (DU) in partnership with agency partners and private landowners.

In this episode, Ducks Unlimited de Mexico President Bill Ansell (DUMAC) and DUMAC Director of Development Marty Nothstein join co-host Fred Zink and DU CEO Adam Putnam for some outstanding early season hunting. Teal showed up in droves, resting up before heading into Mexico&squo;s lush mangroves.

Mexico is a key region for teal and other ducks. The vital habitat south of the border sustains waterfowl throughout the winter, keeping them heathy and able to return well-rested and well-fed to northern breeding grounds in spring.

"DUMAC has shown that you can restore these mangrove habitats by ensuring the water salinity is brought back to proper levels,&dquo; Nothstein said. "That habitat improvement is not only good for blue-wings but many waterfowl species, birds and other wildlife.&dquo;

Wetlands conservation work in Mexico touches waterfowl, wildlife and people. And DUMAC spreads wetlands conservation knowledge through its RESERVA training course, educating biologists from Mexico and throughout Central and South America.

"We have a 62-day long program with 14 professional biologists concentrating on mangrove and wetlands restoration,&dquo; Ansell said. "Upon graduation, the attendees take back a wealth of conservation and water-control knowledge to their home countries. The RESRVA program helps many people through this process. The education passed on touches many lives.&dquo;

Also on this episode of DU TV, Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam shares the blue-winged teal story on "Insights&dquo; and Fred Zink covers duck call reed basics on his "Duck Talk&dquo; segment.

DU TV airs Mondays at 1 a.m., Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m., Fridays at noon, Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sundays at 3 a.m. (all times Eastern) on the Sportsman Channel. The Saturday 2 p.m. slot anchors "The Landing Zone presented by Ducks Unlimited&dquo; waterfowl and upland hunting lineup. Bonus content and classic episodes can also be found at www.ducks.org/dutv.

Follow DU&squo;s newest Twitter feed-@DUNews1937-to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:

John Gordon

901-758-3753

jgordon@ducks.org