The Best Teal Duck Decoys for Early Season

Quick List of the Best Teal Decoys

These are my top picks for the best teal duck decoys for early season:

• Best Spinning Wing Teal: Avian-X PowerFlight

• Top Recommended: GHG Pro Grade Teal

• Premium Pick: Avian-X Topflight Teal

• Best Foam Filled: Higdon Foam Filled Bluewing Teal

• Best Budget Teal Decoys: Northern Flight Teal

• My Favorite Teal Decoy Rigs: HEYDAY Texas Rigs

Do You Actually Need Teal Decoys?

If you have a dozen mallard decoys collecting dust in the garage and you are wondering, “Do I really need to buy special teal decoys for teal hunting?” The answer is no, your mallard decoys will work just fine for teal season. The combo doesn’t matter much, you could have 3 old mallard hens, a widgeon, 2 pintail and a leaky goose decoy from Facebook Marketplace and you are going to do fine.

That’s not to say that buying teal decoys is a bad idea. I use them every season, often well past the early teal season. But keep this in mind, they are much smaller than regular decoys and they can be difficult to see in heavier vegetation. It doesn’t matter what type of decoy you are using if the ducks can’t see them.

Most Recommended:

One thing I do recommend is a spinning wing decoy. If you are building a spread from scratch, a spinning wing decoy like the Avian-X Powerflight and one or two dozen of a good quality, best value teal decoy like the GHG ProGrade is all you need to get started hunting teal this season.

• A spinning wing decoy provides the flash that is like a magnet for teal.
• The Avian-X Powerflight is small and packable, making it great for warmer weather during early teal season.
• GHG ProGrade teal hold up to seasons of use and are the right combination of quality and value.

GHG Pro Grade Teal

Great value and quality for a teal decoy, these exact decoys have lasted me many hunting seasons.

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Avian-X PowerFlight

A spinning wing teal decoy is essential for early season teal hunting. Small and lightweight, this is packable and provides very effective motion for teal.

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When Should You Use Teal Decoys

I prefer to use teal decoys when hunting open water where I can get the decoys out and easily visible. Since they are small and lightweight, it’s easy to carry several dozen without taking up too much space. You might get mixed opinions on this, but I do tend to see teal landing with the teal decoys more often when running a mixed spread.

I think that has more to do with how the decoys are set up though. Teal often are flying in larger groups and it's not uncommon to have 10-plus teal zoom into the decoys at mach 5, put the brakes on, and hit the water in the middle of the spread. For that reason, I like to leave plenty of space between decoys so a large group can land.

In practice, this often looks like small groups of 2-3 tightly spaced decoys, with 5-6 ft of space between the next group of 2-3 decoys. I don’t usually use a specific pattern like a J or a V because the goal is to get the ducks to land in among the decoys.

Decoys for Teal in Heavy Vegetation

Early season can be a challenge. If you are hunting public land that is managed, there can be areas of flooded vegetation where there isn’t a ton of open water. As long as it’s not too thick, teal love this type of habitat. But it can be difficult to hunt.

If I am using teal decoys, I’ll make sure to group them fairly close together and in the spot that has the most open water. I find that the teal will key in on that and land on the outside edges, even if the vegetation is fairly thick. Don’t try to hunt areas where the grass is 4 ft out of the water and you can’t even see the surface. I’m talking about maybe 6-12 inches of grass while you can still easily see some water.

In these scenarios, my favorite thing to do is use mallard decoys that I have painted black. They stand out really well, even when there isn’t a ton of open water. Having a half dozen of those surrounding the area that’s the most trampled down seems to really pull the teal into the landing zone.

The One Decoy I Always Use During Teal Season

The only decoy that I highly recommend you purchase for teal season if you don’t already have one is a motion decoy. Teal will buzz around the marsh in large groups and having the flash of a spinning wing decoy really seems to draw their attention. If they fly by your spread to check out the flash of the spinner, often they will circle back around to land in the decoys.

If you are looking to buy a spinning wing decoy and trying to decide between a mallard and a teal, I suggest you go for the teal. It doesn’t make much of a difference in my opinion, it's the flash of the wing that the ducks key in on. But I personally like the size and weight of the teal spinners.

They often run on AA batteries and so it’s easy to keep spare batteries in the blind bag. They also get surprisingly good runtime because the wings are smaller and catch less wind. Being smaller, they are easy to pack in and take up less space than the bigger spinning wing decoys. I toss mine in a mesh decoy bag with the rest of my decoys and I carry the wings in a blind bag with my shells.

The Best Teal Duck Decoys

While a spinning wing decoy is crucial, it’s only one part of the spread. Once you have that flash of motion secured, the next question is what you should put around it.

There are a lot of good options for teal decoys, and you don't necessarily need to spend a fortune on a dedicated teal spread. I'll cover my top picks for traditional teal decoys, foam-filled decoys, and other options, along with the best spinning wing teal decoys. Whether you're building your first teal spread or just looking to add a few decoys to what you already have, I'll help you find the right option for your budget and hunting setup.

Best Spinning Wing Teal: Avian-X PowerFlight

A spinning wing teal decoy is almost essential for early season teal hunting. Teal really key in on the motion and will often buzz the spinning wing decoy even if they want to land somewhere else in the marsh.

I use a Lucky Duck teal spinner, and it's one of my favorite motion decoys. But if I were buying a new spinning wing decoy specifically for teal season, I'd go with the Avian X Powerflight Teal.

The Powerflight Teal uses Avian X's patented "Angel Wing" motion. Avian X says the wings will continue spinning in winds up to 30 mph, which is useful when you're hunting those windy early-season days.

While I love my Lucky Duck spinner, for teal specifically I recommend the Avian X because of how it packs down. The stake is smaller and packs up into the included carrying bag. That doesn’t sound like it’s that important until you have your hands full wading through the marsh.

It’s also very realistic, and in my opinion the Powerflight Teal is one of the best looking spinning wing decoys available. It comes in at a very competitive price when compared to other companies spinning wing teal decoys.

So while you don’t absolutely need a teal spinner to kill ducks, it’s the one thing I would absolutely add if I was gearing up for my first early teal season. All you need is to catch the attention of those fast flying teal long enough to get them to buzz by your spread, and then the rest of the decoys can do the work of getting them to slow down and drop in for an easy shot.

Why Buy It?

• After location and scouting, a spinning wing decoy is the one thing I'd add to an early season teal spread. This is an essential tool for any new duck hunter going out for their first teal season.

Avian-X PowerFlight

A spinning wing teal decoy is essential for early season teal hunting. Small and lightweight, this is packable and provides very effective motion for teal.

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Top Recommended: GHG Pro Grade Teal

These are the teal decoys that I have been using since 2016. Like just about everything else, they have gone up in price since then, but I still think the GHG Pro Grade teal decoys offer some of the best value for the money.

The paint on mine has held up really well over the years, they look great, and they get the job done hunt after hunt. They aren’t the fanciest decoys on the market but they are durable and overall, my top pick for best value.

GHG offers the Pro Grade teal in three different styles which are blue wing, green wing, and early season hens.

The early-season hen decoys are an interesting option because they look more like the teal you'll actually see in September before they develop their full breeding plumage. If you're new to teal hunting, it makes sense to wonder whether matching those birds more closely would make your spread more effective.

In practice, I don't think it matters much.

I bought the early-season hen pack when I first started teal hunting, but years later, I don't worry about matching the exact plumage of the birds I'm seeing. If anything, a muted brown decoy can blend into the vegetation and become harder to see.

That's important because, in my opinion, visibility matters more than having a perfectly accurate early-season plumage pattern. The point of the decoys is to get the attention of passing teal, so I want them to stand out.

For that reason, if I was buying again I would get the green wing teal decoys. They're a little more colorful and we see more of those later in the season when that extra little bit of realism might make a tiny difference. If you want a solid teal decoy that will last for years and offers good value for the money, I'd pick the GHG Pro Grade every time.

Why Buy It?

• A top pick for best value for your money, I have been using these decoys since my first teal hunting season and they are still going strong.

GHG Pro Grade Teal

Great value and quality for a teal decoy, these exact decoys have lasted me many hunting seasons.

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Premium Pick: Avian-X Topflight Teal

If you want the highest quality teal decoy and don’t mind spending a little more, I recommend the Avian-X Topflight teal decoys.

Compared to the harder plastic decoys, these have more of a rubberized feel. The body has a little more flex to it and doesn't have the same hard plastic clank when you're handling or bumping the decoys together.

When I asked over 300 hunters what the most realistic decoy brand was, Avian-X won hands down. The paint is super durable and resists chipping compared to the harder plastic decoys.

One thing to know about Avian-X decoys is how the swim clips work. The holes in the keel aren't designed for attaching your rig directly. They're designed to let you move where the line attaches to the decoy, which can give the decoy some extra movement on calm days.

I actually like using the middle attachment point when the water is calm because it can add a little more movement to the spread. Just make sure your actual rig is attached to the proper attachment point above the keel so you don't accidentally lose your weight.

If you want the best quality teal decoy and don’t mind a slightly higher price point, these Avian-X Topflight teal are absolutely the way to go. Bonus tip if you are looking to build out your decoy spread pre-season: look for package deals where you can get a dozen decoys with rigs included. It’s a great way to get a top of the line decoy spread at a mid-range price point.

Avian-X TopFlight Teal 12 Pack

Buying a 12-pack with rigs is a great way to get a premium teal decoy at a better value.

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Why Buy It?

• If you want a premium teal decoy and don't mind spending a little bit more for a decoy that you will use for many seasons to come, you won't regret getting the Avian-X Powerflight Teal.

Avian-X Topflight Teal

Worth the upgrade if you are looking for a premium teal decoy. The softer plastic, swim clip keels, and better paint durability might not mean more teal in the spread, but these are a top-notch decoy that you won't be disappointed with.

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Best Foam Filled: Higdon Foam Filled Bluewing Teal

The GHG or Avian-X decoys will give you years of hunting use and keep right on going… unless you shoot them. That’s where the Higdon Teal Decoys come in. Since they are foam filled, they are essentially unsinkable.

If you are new to teal hunting that might seem a little silly. How could anyone mistake their decoy for an actual duck? However, that isn’t actually the reason teal decoys get shot.

Teal are speedy. It is seriously crazy how fast they can rocket into your decoy spread and land before you have even lifted your gun up. This means that a lot of shots are taken low to the water. That shot angle means it is not uncommon for a decoy to take a few pellets.

The one downside to this style is that they are a little heavier, but it isn’t that noticeable on just one or two dozen decoys.

These Higdon foam decoys can take a hit and not sink, and so if you find yourself replacing those decoys that we like to call ‘sinkers’ a little too often, it might be a good idea to go with the foam filled ones.

Why Buy It?

• If you find yourself replacing sinking decoys or taking a lot of shots low to the water, these foam filled teal decoys might be the right choice.

Higdon Foam Filled Bluewing Teal

Want a decoy that can get shot without sinking? Foam filled decoys stay floating even if your hunting buddy water-swats a duck sitting right beside your decoy.

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Best Budget Teal Decoys: Northern Flight Teal

When I bought teal decoys for my first teal hunting season many years ago, they were cheap. I had a dozen decoys rigged and ready for hunting for around $40 bucks. As a college kid, every dollar mattered and getting the cheapest setup possible made more sense than trying to buy top of the line.

While the days of cheap decoys seem to be dwindling, there are still some decent options for putting together a teal spread without spending a bunch of money. The Northern Flight Big Spread Teal Decoys are my budget pick. They are worth looking at, especially if you can catch them during one of the early season sales.

There are a few compromises at this price though. They don’t have the variety of poses that the other decoys do. The 12 pack only features one body style. And some hunters don’t like the durability of the paint, so I wouldn’t expect them to look as good as the Avian-X decoys after years of use. But if your goal is to get a dozen decoys on the water without spending a ton of money, these are tough to beat.

At the end of the day, teal aren’t going to inspect your decoys or look at the different poses in the 0.2 seconds it takes for them to rocket into your decoy spread. I like looking at nice decoys, so I don’t mind paying a little more. But if I were back to my college days and needed to build out a spread, these are the decoys I would be hunting with.

Why Buy It?

• If you need a budget friendly starter spread that still provides decent quality, or are looking to add some cheap filler decoys to your setup.

Northern Flight Teal

When you need to add some decoys to your existing spread or starting fresh and looking to save some money without reducing effectiveness, these are a great option.

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My Favorite Teal Decoy Rigs: HEYDAY Texas Rigs

One piece of gear I highly recommend for teal season is a good Texas rig. My personal favorite for teal decoys, especially when hunting shallow wetlands, is the HEYDAY Texas Rig.

I use the 3-ounce version with the 2.5-foot cord. That holds teal decoys just fine, and I prefer the shorter cords because they are less likely to get tangled up when you're carrying a bunch of decoys. I toss all of mine in a bag and dump them in the water when I get to a spot but you can just as easily clip them to the included carabiner.

I've used several different styles of Texas rigs over the years, and these HEYDAY rigs are my favorite. The fixed weight on the end and sliding swivel make them incredibly easy to use. When you pick up a decoy the loop is right there to grab because the weight is fixed at the bottom.

I've used other styles where the loop is on the weight end, and I don't like them nearly as much. That's especially true later in the season when it's cold or when using longer rigs and you have to pull the entire thing out of the water just to find the loop.

The coated steel cable on the HEYDAY rigs is another thing I really like. I've never had one of the crimps fail, which is more than I can say for some of the other Texas rigs I've used.

Even if you're trying to keep your teal setup on a budget, this is one upgrade I'd make. The rigs will last for years, and being able to quickly deploy and pick up your decoys makes a noticeable difference when you're setting up in the dark or picking up a spread after an early season hunt and it’s getting hot.

Why Buy It?

• A quality rig that makes it easier to avoid tangles and set up decoys in the dark.

HEYDAY Texas Rigs

Teal love shallow marshes and keeping your rigs short helps manage the decoys when you are carrying in several dozen smaller decoys.

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Final Thoughts on the Best Teal Duck Decoys

You don't need a specialized teal spread to have a successful early season. Teal just aren’t that picky about decoys, and your location and scouting are going to matter much more than whether you're hunting over GHG, Avian-X, or budget teal decoys. However, I do think there are a few decoys that are worth getting if you are starting from scratch.

I'd add a spinning wing decoy first, followed by one to two dozen teal decoys. I’ve been using the GHG Pro Grade teal decoys since 2016 and still recommend them based on the price and quality. If you want to spend a little more (or don’t mind waiting for a sale), the Avian-X Topflight Teal are an excellent upgrade.

Don't overlook the rigging, either. A good Texas rig makes setting up and picking up a spread much easier. For the majority of shallow marsh situations, once you have used a good Texas rig you will likely never go back to any other style.

And if you're hunting teal in thick vegetation, don't be afraid to think outside the box. My all black decoys might not be the traditional choice, but I've had great success using them around the small pockets of open water where teal want to land.