mergansers

[rosscrazyelk]

Not sure of the spelling, But I am looking at the pamphlet and they do not list them..
Can you shoot them?

[Kola16]

Can you? Yes. Would I? No

[rosscrazyelk]

Can you? Yes. Would I? No

Agreed.   I saw some today and I think the males are pretty cool looking..

[h2ofowlr]

If you shoot a saw bill you have to eat it.  Let us know how it was.

[Kola16]

If you shoot a saw bill you have to eat it.  Let us know how it was.

That is what I was getting at 

[rosscrazyelk]

Will try almost anything once. Let you know if I do..

[seth30]

Dang I had one swimming around the blind today, If I had know they were on the table I would have shot it.

[jechicdr]

I shot one once.  Will never do that again.

[BLKBEARKLR]

I shot one once.  Will never do that again.

Same here, a local person said to cook them in wine, I think that was so you could get drunk first and not care about what you were eating...........

[D-Rock425]

I blasted one last year.  Think of all those baby salmon I saved.   

[goosegetter79]

The only one I ever shot had a 4" squawfish in it's throat that fell out when the dog brought it to me. Last one I shot and will probably never shoot one again.

[Navyrep1]

I shot one once.  Will never do that again.

Nasty garbage birds....one bite was enough for the rest of my life.  Never again.

[callonetta]

If we hunt mergansers, we will target only those that day, take a fillet knife with you, as soon as the bird is in the blind we fillet the breast in layers and put them in water, soak the breasts in h2o for 24 hours, only in clean water since adding salt will sear the “fishy” flavor in. Cook or jerky as you desire, no different than shoveler or bufflehead.

[Special T]

I blast everyone i can!. Once upon a time there was a bounty on the damn things...

[Heartsblood]

I shot a hoodie hen last season and she cooked up just fine. Never did get one of those big commons tho'. Yet. 

[seth30]

I know the next time im out and they are close I will have a few pics for the forum

[WCTaxidermy]

Actually they aren't bad.  If you shoot one, let them soak in Buttermilk over night.  BBQ them over medium heat using Hickory chips.  Cook for 1 1/2 hours.  Then throw the Merganser away and eat the Hickory chips!

[bearpaw]

Actually they aren't bad.  If you shoot one, let them soak in Buttermilk over night.  BBQ them over medium heat using Hickory chips.  Cook for 1 1/2 hours.  Then throw the Merganser away and eat the Hickory chips!

 

[Special T]

I shot one and left it my buddies freezer when i left.. about 4 months after the season he called me up to chew me out.  He said his dog wouldn't even eat it!

[seth30]

I shot one and left it my buddies freezer when i left.. about 4 months after the season he called me up to chew me out.  He said his dog wouldn't even eat it!

Thats funny right there!!

[Mr56Jeep]

I always think it is funny how everyone wants to shoot cormorant because they eat so many fish but everyone is too good to shoot a Merg  . 

I haven't targeted a limit yet... but I have plans too.   

[Mackerson]

I shot about 8 of those things that kept showing up at the lake at my Parents' house where we duck hunt.  They were slaughtering the fish and making a mess.  I was carrying one by the feet and a 14in trout fell out of its throat.  I will shoot every one of those things that I see but I sure as heck wouldn't eat them.

[Kola16]

Sooooo....merganser feed at my house 

[Mr56Jeep]

I shot about 8 of those things that kept showing up at the lake at my Parents' house where we duck hunt.  They were slaughtering the fish and making a mess.  I was carrying one by the feet and a 14in trout fell out of its throat.  I will shoot every one of those things that I see but I sure as heck wouldn't eat them.

You go dawg!   

[Heartsblood]

I shot about 8 of those things that kept showing up at the lake at my Parents' house where we duck hunt.  They were slaughtering the fish and making a mess.  I was carrying one by the feet and a 14in trout fell out of its throat.  I will shoot every one of those things that I see but I sure as heck wouldn't eat them.

Wow. That's amazing! I could see a 14" trout inside a cormorant. But a merganser? Truly amazing.

[seth30]

I was in my blind last sunday and watched one eat dozens of small fish which I presume were salmon.  If I had know then what it was and that they are legal I would have saved some salmon.

[Heartsblood]

I was in my blind last sunday and watched one eat dozens of small fish which I presume were salmon.  If I had know then what it was and that they are legal I would have saved some salmon.

Why not save some mergansers and let them live? Everyone's gotta eat...

[seth30]

I was in my blind last sunday and watched one eat dozens of small fish which I presume were salmon.  If I had know then what it was and that they are legal I would have saved some salmon.

Why not save some mergansers and let them live? Everyone's gotta eat...

Im up for trying a bird once

[Heartsblood]

Im up for trying a bird once

Oh heck yes. I just wouldn't shoot 'em if I wasn't gonna eat 'em. 

[inchtowntracking]

Shootem when you see em

[lokidog]

I shot about 8 of those things that kept showing up at the lake at my Parents' house where we duck hunt.  They were slaughtering the fish and making a mess.  I was carrying one by the feet and a 14in trout fell out of its throat.  I will shoot every one of those things that I see but I sure as heck wouldn't eat them.

Don't get caught for wonton waste of game....

They taste just fine.  They are a bit stronger so just use a more flavorful sauce, or soak as mentioned.  Plus, also as mentioned earlier, you are saving a lot of baby, and not so baby, fish.

[Crispy]

Last year was my first merganser free season  .

The lake we hunt is full of common mergs with the occasional hoodie thrown in, so we end up taking them if nothing else is flying. Mature drake hooded mergs are quite pretty.

At this point I've eaten enough of them to know that sometimes it's better to be bored. Maybe bacon wrapped and grilled after a buttermilk or brine soak might not be horrid. 

[lokidog]

Curry with lots of onions and apples.  I do most of my ducks this way including divers and fish eaters.  I also do not soak them.  It is pretty hard to tell the difference between mallards and mergs when cooked this way IMO.  The bummer about common mergs is that even though they are quite large, they have quite small/thin breasts.