When the first hint of fall arrives, such as the current cool snap, many an outdoorsman’s fancy turns to duck hunting — teal hunting in particular.

They’ll get that opportunity to hear the unmistakable whirrrrr of wings and get their shots in at teal Friday, the first day of the special teal season in the Sportsman’s Paradise.

New Iberian Dylan Trim will be in their number. The 21-year-old University of Louisiana at Lafayette student can’t wait, although he is somewhat disappointed the season opener is on a Friday rather than the usual Saturday.

He’ll either be hunting teal in the Atchafalaya Basin on the Attakapas Wildlife Management Area, or in an agricultural field in the Gueydan area whenever he can go through Sept. 30, the last day of the season in Louisiana. If he travels west to the golden triangle of waterfowl hunting — Gueydan, Thornwell and Klondike — he’ll be hunting with Dave Romero of New Iberia, whose father has a lease near Gueydan.

Trim said he hasn’t had a chance to scout. He doesn’t let the presence or absence of teal influence him too much, he said, noting if they’re there a few days before the season, chances are they’ll be  gone and if the migratory birds aren’t there, chances are they will be.

“Birds we’re seeing now probably will be in Mexico by the time the 15th comes around,” Trim said Thursday afternoon.

And, vice versa, if the teal are no-shows early, they are often there when the bell rings.

“A lot of guys get discouraged and don’t go” if they don’t see teal in the days leading up to the season, he said.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries state waterfowl biologist Larry Reynolds said the recent cold front should push more teal into the state. Teal numbers are up 18 percent over a year ago to 7.9 million, he said Wednesday afternoon from his Baton Rouge office, with a majority of them funneling south through the Mississippi Flyway, which includes Louisiana, and the Central Flyway.

Trim, who started duck hunting when he was 12 with his father, Drake Trim, and other relatives, did get out and ride around the Charenton area Wednesday. He saw two or three different bands of 10-15 birds, he said, noting when he hunts teal in the nation’s last great overflow swamp he goes to Mud Cove, around Crew Boat and Raymond’s Cove.

“I didn’t see any good migratory flocks of 50. But I saw 25-30,” he said.

The ULL industrial technology major often fits in a teal hunt before class if the first class of the day is before 10 a.m., he said, adding Romero has a similar class schedule at ULL.

Trim, who graduated from New Iberia Senior High, keeps up with the latest hunting and fishing reports while he works part-time as a salesman at Cajun Guns & Tackle, where he started working five years ago.