collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks  (Read 1787 times)

Offline Mikey The Cat

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2022
  • Posts: 36
  • Location: SW Washington
Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« on: December 14, 2023, 07:34:26 AM »
Topic came up in conversation recently -

Washington state lists buffleheads (and common mergansers, hooded mergansers, and other species) as Sea Ducks, and as such, require the hunter to obtain, possess, complete, and return to the WDFW a "Sea Duck Harvest Record" at the end of each season -

I (personally) shoot none of the above, so it's a moot point for me. But I know that buffleheads catch hell in lots of location, e.g. Puget Island and Chinook, to name just two, and was just curious how many hunters, even avid duck hunters, knew of the bufflehead's sea duck status -

And...discuss -

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 50475
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2023, 07:37:17 AM »
I wouldn’t have.   Not sure when this became a thing.  They are as common as dust here in the east.  Hooded merganser with the exception to “common”, though I just had a great photo shoot with several.

Offline ASHQUACK

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+4)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2010
  • Posts: 928
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2023, 07:42:14 AM »
Wow, news to me. And I was an avid sea duck hunter. I've hunted sea ducks since the early 2000's. I wonder when they added those to the card.

Offline Stein

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+11)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Sep 2013
  • Posts: 12908
  • Location: Arlington
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2023, 07:42:29 AM »
I'm not sure that's true.  Page 23 lists them as a duck, sea ducks start on page 24.  Page 26 lists sea ducks as scoters, long-tailed duck, goldeneyes.

Quote
Immediately after taking a band-tailed pigeon, brant, sea duck (scoters, long-tailed duck, goldeneyes)
in western Washington, snow goose (Goose Management Area 1) or any goose in Goose Management
Area 2 — Coast & Inland into possession, you must fill out the required harvest record card information
in ink within the designated spaces provided.

Here's the WAC 220-416-060:

Quote
Hunters must physically possess a special 2023-2024 paper or electronic hunting authorization and harvest record card for sea ducks when hunting scoter, long-tailed duck, and goldeneye in Western Washington.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2023, 07:50:09 AM by Stein »

Offline Mikey The Cat

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2022
  • Posts: 36
  • Location: SW Washington
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2023, 07:47:52 AM »
Just saw a presentation from Kyle Spragens in which buffleheads are listed as sea ducks. The classification was to me, I'll admit, a surprise; same with the mergansers, especially the hooded merganser. I have a call in now to confirm, and will post a retraction if said backtracking is deemed necessary

Just an FYI sort of thing, I reckon -

Offline ASHQUACK

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+4)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2010
  • Posts: 928
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2023, 07:50:57 AM »
According to the eregs page, the only ducks listed are still the 3 scoter species, goldeneye, Longtail and Harliquen. Which is the way it has been forever.

Offline ducks4days

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2021
  • Posts: 933
  • Location: Ravensdale
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2023, 09:10:24 AM »
Just saw a presentation from Kyle Spragens in which buffleheads are listed as sea ducks. The classification was to me, I'll admit, a surprise; same with the mergansers, especially the hooded merganser. I have a call in now to confirm, and will post a retraction if said backtracking is deemed necessary

Just an FYI sort of thing, I reckon -

Spragens is...... an interesting person. If it isnt in the regs published by WDFW, it means as much as anybody else's opinion.

Taxonomically, they are classified under Mergini, which includes cavity nesting ducks such as bufflehead and mergansers, as well as true sea ducks such as scoter, harlequin, longtail, etc.. Biology can get weird sometimes. Management-wise, it doesnt make sense to classify birds who will never in their lives see salt water as sea ducks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mergini
What country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants.

Offline Mikey The Cat

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Jul 2022
  • Posts: 36
  • Location: SW Washington
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2023, 09:15:23 AM »
Retraction -

So, it seems that while bufflehead and mergansers are (technically) sea ducks, the WDFW doesn't require a harvest record card for them (specifically) as there's not as much concern (for those) in terms of harvest pressure or population status -

No card needed for bufflehead or mergansers -

My mistake. I learn something new every day - Mikey The Cat

Offline follow maggie

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2008
  • Posts: 3323
  • Location: Fargo
  • Just me, just being a nomad
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2023, 09:17:01 AM »
I can’t see why they’d classify buffleheads as sea ducks. I saw a lot of them in my area this year. North Dakota is a long ways from the sea.

Offline metlhead

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 1662
  • Location: sw wa
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2023, 11:46:50 AM »
Sea ducks can be found many places. Lots of scoter and longtail come through the midwest.

Offline h2ofowlr

  • CHOKED UP TIGHT
  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2008
  • Posts: 9120
  • Location: In the "Blind"! Go Cougs!
Re: Buffleheads = Sea Ducks
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2023, 01:25:00 PM »
Retraction -

So, it seems that while bufflehead and mergansers are (technically) sea ducks, the WDFW doesn't require a harvest record card for them (specifically) as there's not as much concern (for those) in terms of harvest pressure or population status -

No card needed for bufflehead or mergansers -

My mistake. I learn something new every day - Mikey The Cat
Good deal.  I have a buddy that would wear out a pen if they had to be marked.  He is a bufflehead specialist.
Cut em!
It's not the shells!  It's the shooter!

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

11th Annual 'Pull For Scouting' Clay Crushing Classic by high_hunter
[Today at 12:27:18 AM]


AKC lab puppies! Born 06/10/2025 follow as they grow!!! by high_hunter
[Today at 12:21:33 AM]


Ritzville Rifle Buck - GMU 284 by high_hunter
[Yesterday at 11:49:16 PM]


Antlerless Moose more than once? by shootem
[Yesterday at 11:25:51 PM]


Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull Tag by high_hunter
[Yesterday at 10:42:24 PM]


2025 Draw Results by kramman
[Yesterday at 10:27:20 PM]


My wife drew quality deer DESERT rifle 10/18-10/26!!!!! by high_hunter
[Yesterday at 10:17:15 PM]


Palouse buck deer by blumtnelkndeer
[Yesterday at 10:14:00 PM]


Drew Quality by Jimmer
[Yesterday at 09:34:00 PM]


Nevada guide draw Mule Deer by Beastmonger1987
[Yesterday at 09:33:34 PM]


Quality Swakane by Rainier10
[Yesterday at 09:09:17 PM]


Son drawn - Silver Dollar Youth Any Elk - Help? by VickGar
[Yesterday at 09:06:22 PM]


Observatory quality bull rifle by buglebuster
[Yesterday at 09:00:02 PM]


Anterless 1334 muzzle loader by Bdawg
[Yesterday at 08:46:31 PM]


A little Martini Cadet varmint rifle I have been working on by JDHasty
[Yesterday at 08:43:33 PM]


Pogue Quality by geauxtigers
[Yesterday at 08:38:35 PM]


Bow mount trolling motors by Happy Gilmore
[Yesterday at 08:06:18 PM]


2025 OILS! by HUNTNORTHWEST
[Yesterday at 07:46:27 PM]


A question for any FFL holders on here by Knocker of rocks
[Yesterday at 07:34:49 PM]


Last year putting in… by MADMAX
[Yesterday at 07:25:41 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2025, SimplePortal