What's your favorite duck to...

[Kola16]

...eat?


Then what is your favorite duck to hunt/shoot?



My favorite to eat are definitely teal. I also like to shoot (at) teal the most although I have never gotten more than 4 in a day.

[johnr060]

Eat-definantly teal
Shoot- pintail
but they all taste good when you cook them right.

[ducksdogsdownriggers]

Teal, Wood duck, Can are tops on my list. 

[EJ4118]

Green Heads, The banded type

[Limhangerslayer]

I like woodies! wait a minute doesn't sound good.  Too late I'm going to bed.

[Tealer]

I love killing teal, but my favorite bird to hunt is canvasbacks.

[BiggLuke]

Teal are definately more tender, but green heads are my fav.
They're much more worth it. 2 teal is barely one green head. lol....   

[MountainWalk]

This is my first year of bird shooting, and as of now, I prefer to shoot teal. Wow are they fast!! Taste wise, I can't tell the difference.

[hdshot]

The young virgin ducks and geese.

Had ring neck duck for the 1st time this year and was impressed how good it was.   

[wraithen]

We've had more ringnecks show up than anything else. They are some dumb birds! I haven't eaten any yet but the breast skin seems to stick to the meat more than most others.

[L-ofalab]

the breast skin seems to stick to the meat more than most others.
[/quote]

That seems true for all diver ducks.

[wraithen]

Didn't have a problem with the buffleheads.

I know my least favorite is coot. Those things will swim right up to you and stare you down. If you ever get one to get off the water don't shoot it. They stink so bad I'd be afraid to eat one.

Still kicking myself for not realizing a canvasback landed in my dekes. I was really tempted to shoot him on the water. Really tempted.

[jplmyers]

HDSHOT, I'm with you.  The last duck I ate was a ringneck two years ago (missed last season in Afghaniland), and ever since then, it's all I have been able to think about.  Best piece of meat I have ever eaten!

[C-Money]

Hard to beat a mallard breast soaked in teriyaki marinade.  But hey, any duck that wants to light in the decoys is gonna get the same treatment.

[Tealer]

Hard to beat a mallard breast soaked in teriyaki marinade.  But hey, any duck that wants to light in the decoys is gonna get the same treatment.

That's a great post.

[jason4429]

I'm not picky either

[akirkland]

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

[lokidog]

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

 

Have to agree with this one, as long as they have not been out eating eel grass, wouldn't even shoot one out there anymore.

[Tealer]

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

 

Have to agree with this one, as long as they have not been out eating eel grass, wouldn't even shoot one out there anymore.

Milk, change it twice. Good to go.

[lokidog]

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

 

Have to agree with this one, as long as they have not been out eating eel grass, wouldn't even shoot one out there anymore.

Milk, change it twice. Good to go.

I don't mind eating divers, but even with milk, not sure I would touch one that's been in the flats more than a few days.   

[Tealer]

I used to say the same thing. But I found a sweet spot to hunt that was loaded with birds, so I had to find a way to prepare them. I also grind them up.

[lokidog]

Back in the 80's I was down in Coos Bay.  Someone loaned me an 8' dinghy to row out to some little bay islands for hunting.  In the beginning of the season the widgeon were great, but after about two weeks they just had a bitter taste to them which I assumed was from the eelgrass I saw them eating so I stoppesd shooting them, they made for some great live decoys though....   

Wood ducks in WI were pretty darn good, light colored and mild tasting.  Until I came to the west coast, woodies were the majority of ducks I had shot.

[Skagit_Hunter]

Teal or spud fed wigeon. But a corn stuffed mallards that hit the ground and has it coming out it's bill isn't bad either. How many birds have you seen explode when the hit the ground stuffed with barley or corn.....It is cool

[lokidog]

Teal or spud fed wigeon. But a corn stuffed mallards that hit the ground and has it coming out it's bill isn't bad either. How many birds have you seen explode when the hit the ground stuffed with barley or corn.....It is cool

Gotta love it when they are already stuffed.   

[Bullkllr]

HDSHOT, I'm with you.  The last duck I ate was a ringneck two years ago (missed last season in Afghaniland), and ever since then, it's all I have been able to think about.  Best piece of meat I have ever eaten!

Ringneck is some good stuff! Even though there a diver, I guess they eat almost entirely plants. Most of the ones I shoot on freshwater are stuffed with seeds.

Didn't have a problem with the buffleheads.

I know my least favorite is coot. Those things will swim right up to you and stare you down. If you ever get one to get off the water don't shoot it. They stink so bad I'd be afraid to eat one.

Still kicking myself for not realizing a canvasback landed in my dekes. I was really tempted to shoot him on the water. Really tempted.

Everyone says that about coot. How many have actually tried coot?
I have. While I never target coot, I find the meat actually ranks right up there with most puddlers. They eat only vegetable material. The breasts are huge in proportion to body size. Cajuns call coot something like "Poule Dou" and consider it a delicacy (I know, along with nutria, snake, gator...)
Try it, you might just like it!

[lokidog]

My mom always wanted me to dust a few coots for her.  If you fry up the breast pieces in hot oil like a steak, they are decent.  If you are  a gizzard lover, as I am, shoot coots!  Pound for pound, they have the largest gizzard of any.

However, they aren't ducks, so maybe we need a coot thread.....     I've only ever seen three here in W. WA during season.

[Skagit_Hunter]

My mom always wanted me to dust a few coots for her.  If you fry up the breast pieces in hot oil like a steak, they are decent.  If you are  a gizzard lover, as I am, shoot coots!  Pound for pound, they have the largest gizzard of any.

However, they aren't ducks, so maybe we need a coot thread.....     I've only ever seen three here in W. WA during season.

REALLY  .... You want a limit a day for the next 10 years on coots...... I have had them hop in the boat getting away from huge bass.....LOL Having them float by in flocks of 30 is a great decoy. Anyone in their right mind don't shoot coot. They only eat aquatic plants.mostly in muddy stank water. that is how they became named mud hens.

[singleshot12]

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

 

Have to agree with this one, as long as they have not been out eating eel grass, wouldn't even shoot one out there anymore.

Are you sure it's the eel grass? Brant eat eel grass and they are superb eating. I always thought what gave a duck bad taste was when they're feeding on crustaceans

My favorite duck to shoot *greenheads* always has been
favorite to eat by far would be *gadwall*

[lokidog]

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

 

Have to agree with this one, as long as they have not been out eating eel grass, wouldn't even shoot one out there anymore.

Are you sure it's the eel grass? Brant eat eel grass and they are superb eating. I always thought what gave a duck bad taste was when they're feeding on crustaceans

My favorite duck to shoot *greenheads* always has been
favorite to eat by far would be *gadwall*

This was just a guess.  The first birds of the season tasted fine but then they got yucky, kind of bitter tasting.

[singleshot12]

I can almost guarantee it's the sea food they end up eating later on when it gets colder. Pintail and mallard get the same way when surviving out in the bay eating clam,crab and shrimp larva.
They say the table fair of any duck over here vs. a duck from the east is like night and day.

My favorite duck to hunt are widgeon.

 

Have to agree with this one, as long as they have not been out eating eel grass, wouldn't even shoot one out there anymore.

Are you sure it's the eel grass? Brant eat eel grass and they are superb eating. I always thought what gave a duck bad taste was when they're feeding on crustaceans

My favorite duck to shoot *greenheads* always has been
favorite to eat by far would be *gadwall*

This was just a guess.  The first birds of the season tasted fine but then they got yucky, kind of bitter tasting.

[Kola16]

Would you guys shut up about how great water-fowling is on the east side. It costs enough as it is, and now I have to waste more money in gas 

[gadwall]

Hard to beat whacken those big mallards out of the sky but I like shooting them all.  I agree with many on here that teal are hard to beat as table fare.