What kind of Bird?

[WA_duck_Hunter]

I was hunting Stillwater today and my dog was off leash and came back with this bird. The thing was frozen solid. It was folded up like some on had picked it up already and just left it. Im thinking maybe Bluebill or Scaup. Anyone on here know what kind of bird this is? Sorry for the bad cell phone picture.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Male ring-necked duck

[Currency Trader]

exactly..see the brown ring around the neck?

[New England Native]

I just read this in another forum wa duck hunter took some crap for not knowing.

[boneaddict]

He didn't shoot it, his dog brought it in. Theres a big difference.

[JBar]

exactly..see the brown ring around the neck?

Wouldn't that make it an over achieving brown nose duck?

[teal101]

He didn't shoot it, his dog brought it in. Theres a big difference.

But still the ringneck is one of the most common diver species in Wa and is found on many ponds mallards are too.  To not know what one is is hard to believe

[jackelope]

...the guy's got to learn what it is at some point, right? come on. keep the crap slinging on the other site.

[WA_duck_Hunter]

Thanks for the Information. I did post on another forum, man a lot of those guys are A-holes. I was surprised I didn't know it either, I take pride in my ability to identify waterfowl this one just wouldn't come to me.

[teal101]

Not to be a sticker in anyone's ass bust isn't it better to know the birds before entering the field?

Granted he didn't shoot it and I would assume wouldn't shoot one if he didn't know what it was.

[New England Native]

I was not trying to start any bad judgement. I should have been more thorough. It was nice to see that this site was more willing to help instead of getting ugly like the other forum. This other forum that I will remain nameless is starting to get nasty everyone getting mad for new hunters asking for help or pointers. I think we need to support new hunters and educate them to keep them out of trouble and our general perception in good standing with other non-hunters.

[runamuk]

He didn't shoot it, his dog brought it in. Theres a big difference.

But still the ringneck is one of the most common diver species in Wa and is found on many ponds mallards are too.  To not know what one is is hard to believe

Umm had I been out walking my dog and he brought me that duck I'd also be looking it up I haven't seen one before and if I have I did not recognize it.  I don't hunt ducks so me shooting one isn't even a concern but I do like to learn the species and their associated names.....

For instance, my hubby and his family call scaup, "bluebills", I think of bluebills and picture ruddy ducks...so having a good ID with photos and names helps. 

[jackelope]

Not to be a sticker in anyone's ass bust isn't it better to know the birds before entering the field?

Granted he didn't shoot it and I would assume wouldn't shoot one if he didn't know what it was.

the last part of what you said is the important part. if we don't help out the new hunters, whether or not this guy is a new hunter, we're all screwed.
somebody helped you i bet, right?

[Currency Trader]

I think we should string him up blindfolded until he can identify all the species by smell

[General Disarray]

This other forum that I will remain nameless is starting to get nasty everyone getting mad for new hunters asking for help or pointers.

Haven't seen you on there giving up your hard found hunting spots... There are tons of sources for info for hunters to get started, unfortunately most hunters are too lazy to scout and would rather type out a short post asking for "not your honey holes, but somewhere I can shoot a few ducks".  What I've seen from most new hunters is that they can't shoot a few ducks in any honey hole!  The way I see it, if you're too lazy to get out of the computer chair, I'm not sharing a freaking thing with you.  If I see you out in the field I will give you a few pointers.  If you look at that other site, there was literally a post nearly every day asking for help, not offering a trade of anything, just morons wanting people's hard earned spots.  Even if I know a few spots that I don't hunt a lot and someone might be able to shoot a few birds, why would I share that spot that might be someone else's honey hole?

As for duck ID, I have to admit, I couldn't tell a ringneck from a scaup and a Barrow's from a common on the wing.  But I also know that I won't pull the trigger on any of those or any diver for that matter.  I can spot a hen pintail in a flock of 100 mallards at 400 yards and for me, that's way more important than ringers and scaup...

[teal101]

Not to be a sticker in anyone's ass bust isn't it better to know the birds before entering the field?

Granted he didn't shoot it and I would assume wouldn't shoot one if he didn't know what it was.

the last part of what you said is the important part. if we don't help out the new hunters, whether or not this guy is a new hunter, we're all screwed.
somebody helped you i bet, right?

Yep my dad bought me an ID book and I learned all the birds.  The Lemaster method book.  \t has all the different bills in the front arranged by size.  Then it has every north American duck and goose with closeups of wings to show speculum for a good ID on the wing.  It also shows the profile in flight when they are blacked out to help better ID.

http://www.amazon.com/Waterfowl-Identification-Lemaster-Method-Richard/dp/0811729826

But the only reason my dad bought the book was so I could ID em and tell him to shoot or not

[sisu]

Keep posting and asking for advice or pointers. Any hunter that would give away "their" best spot is an idiot in my opinion, but remember all best spots were found by someone and will be found by another and they are not "yours" unless that secret spot is on your titled property. 

[DOUBLELUNG]

But the only reason my dad bought the book was so I could ID em and tell him to shoot or not

That brought back a fun memory.  A buddy and I had hiked quite a ways in with 2 dekes each and a 5 gallon bucket.  The buckets were to sit on in the flooded salt cedars, and this was back in the point system days.  We put the dekes in a little puddle of open water in the salt cedars.  It was his first year duck hunting, so I was calling out the id before each shot.  We'd killed several of a real mixed bag, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a pair of pintails crossing right to left at about 20 yards.  I didn't say a word, just pulled up and folded the drake right over the dekes.  Steve just looked at me wide eyed, then said "what was that?" when I said "bull pintail", he looked just like I'd broken his favorite toy.  I can still get a rise out of him 12 years later with that story.

[teal101]

HAHAHAHA pays to learn to ID em!

[steeleywhopper]

If I don't ever shoot them, then I don't care what there called. I don't shoot "black and white ducks" ever, and thats what I call them. Mallards, widgeon, pintails, and teal for this guy. I have been waterfowl hunting for 23years and have never had the need to know the name of anything I don't plan on shooting or eating. Give the guy a break

[Curly]

 

Exactly the same thing I was thinking.

[Opportunist]

  If it isn't a mallard, pintail, widgeon or teal it's a diver duck or a *censored*bird (which is what my dad called them) I thought it was a bluebill at first. I guess I'm an incompetent duckhunter, oh well.

[ghgetter]

I may be way off base here but bird id is more to me than knowing what birds I should kill for the taste. Bird id is me becoming the best duck hunter I can be. I dont want to take a new hunter into the blind and have a bird swing by us (whether we shoot it or not) and not be able to tell them what kind of duck it was. I agree that killing divers isnt a priority for me but being able to tell what every bird looks like on the wing is....just my two cents.