How common are Eurasian Widgeons?

[WSU]

I was glassing the ducks on Capital Lake today and saw a Eurasian Widgeon.  I also shot one a couple years ago close to Olympia.  I'm curious how common they really are?

[chester]

When I go out to the coast I usually quite a few around. I don't think they are that uncommon.

[singleshot12]

I would say one out of 200 on average. rare enough

[dreamunelk]

A few show up each year.  They are considered uncommon but, it is common for people to see some each year.  I would guess that very few are harvested.  Most that I have seen are in areas where they can not be hunter.   If I got one I think I would have it mounted.

[BiggLuke]

It's hard to say really how common they are....
They interbreed freely with american wigeon and the females are very closely colored.
Who knows?
Maybe 1:200 isn't a bad guess.
The most I've ever seen at once were 3 in a flock... or I should say PONTOON of maybe 2,000 wigeon on the puget sound right next to Port Orchard.
They stand out pretty well, I saw them from my truck going 50 mph. But who knows... maybe there were a lot more.
What ever the ratio... they are hard to come by and quite a trophy. Unless of course.... you hunt in china or russia.   

[TheSkyBuster]

It Took me a lot more than 200 American Wigeon before I dropped a Euro.      I see a few a year mixed in with flocks of Americans,  though I've never seen more than 1 at a time.    And Yes I had it mounted. 

[wadu1]

It Took me a lot more than 200 American Wigeon before I dropped a Euro.      I see a few a year mixed in with flocks of Americans,  though I've never seen more than 1 at a time.    And Yes I had it mounted. 

Now that is a good euro, well done

[cryfowl]

The best we've done was 13 in one season between two of us.  Pretty sure most people who hunt Wigeons a lot have shot a hen and never known it.  They look similar but if you know what to look for its easy to tell them apart.

[270Shooter]

I have never seen one on the east side of the state during waterfowl season. I did see one in February a few years ago in Yakima though.

[h2ofowlr]

I have one in my freezer that I still haven't mounted.  They are fairly common in the Bayview, Edison area.  I have a picture that I was trying to find where I had a dozen in the picture.  If you go past a field with wigeon in it up here and binoc it you will probably see a bunch in the flock.  Just challenging to pick out of the flock when they are dancing around over your decoys unless the light is right or they land in many cases.  The odds are that they are passed up if you are trying to pick out drakes as the darker head may look more hen like unless the sun is shining on it.

[4longbeards]

I got one during the '09-'10 season in the Edison area, but I think it could be crossed with GWT because it had some spots on it's shoulder similar to the spots on a Green-winged teal (hopefully the pic will post). Three of my hunting buddies have also taken Eurasians & we've all had them mounted.

[WCTaxidermy]

IN my opinion, I think the ratio is much lower than 1 in every 200, meaning 1 in every several hundred.  What is starting to become a norm is the Eurasion Widgeons that do migrate here, breed with the American Widgeons which causes some similarities like the Eurasion Widgeon photo that 4longbears just posted.  I think that bird is a cross between a Eurasion Widgeon and an American Widgeon.  Either way an Eurasion Widgeon is a trophy bird I'm still in search of and I have been hunting birds for over 40 years.

[lokidog]

In the years, I've only seen one down at the Long Island Refuge in a flock of regular Widgeon.

[Ricochet]

Saw five drakes the day I took this pic, not that rare here in the Willamette Valley.

[lokidog]

Nice pic.