Ducks!

[Rman]

I finally got out duck huntin last night. It opened the 4th but i've been kind of busy. I trudged a mile through 8 foot cattails and 3 feet of mud and water with decoys on my back and a rifle around my neck with mesquito's eating me alive. You truly have to love duck hunting to put yourself through the agony.



For the record i'm a cheapskate and refuse to by a boat... that and i need something for exercise.



Oh yeah i only got one shot and only saw 4 ducks. It was still fun!

 

[mcoleman]

I used to duck and goose hunt all the time when I lived in Southeast Mo. Snow Goose season allows for lots of shooting.

 

[LSMITH]

I have been out one morning. 2 shots and 2 birds so far. Wood ducks too, the best eating duck there is IMO.



There sure are getting to be a lot of people duck hunting anymore, and most are poor hunters skyblasting and generally being jerks. Time to find some new spots... ...

 

[mcoleman]

I get great amusement listening to the ones that blow on a duck call like it's a Kazoo. And then wonder why the whistling ducks aren't coming to their blind. I have a really neat looking mounted Hooded mergansier. I like their coloring. Shovelers aren't real bad eating if you soak them overnight in italian dressing before cooking.

 

[Rman]

do any of you guys have any idea how to make swan eatible?



I've killed 2 of these things (in the past 3 yrs... it's a controlled hunt here) and both times they were utterly disgusting. I've tried sauces, onions (by the bag), potatoes and man its really bad.



Any suggestions would be kindly appreciated. And by the way, swan hunting is really fun. My 10 gauge has a hard time bringing those big ole birds down.

 

[mcoleman]

Try the ole italian dressing trick overnight in the fridge and then put them in the crockpot with BBQ sauce. That sometimes masks the strong fish eater ducks.

 

[Hale on wheels]

Whoa rhickman... you duck hunt with a rifle? You must be one heckuva shot



Seaon doesn't start until Nov 8 here. Hope it gets cold soon. 10 years ago we were breaking ice on the lakes to hunt. Since then I have hunted in a long sleeve t-shirt early in the season.

 

[jrandol]

Went up this past weekend to Arapahoe National Forrest and did pretty well. My family has been making the annual trip for the past 43 years to the same place for Duck Hunting fun and family camp time. We actually got into a few geese this year. All of this is the early season stuff. Good Times!



Here is my recipe for Ducks, dont know how it will work with Swan, never had it. But this one makes Ducks edible, i cant choke em down otherwise.



Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Celery, Garlic Salt, a little onion, and white rice along with the breasts (from the bird ) all thrown in a crock pot. Let it cook all day on low heat, its a pretty darn good meal!



Jeff

 

[Rman]

what you mean rifle? I use a browning 10 guage for swan, and a remington 12 guage for ducks. Thanks guys i'll try those recipes out.

 

[LSMITH]

Make some jerky out of that swan. Black pepper it heavy and cajun seasoning. Canada goose makes GOOD jerky.

 

[Rebel_Horseman]

I haven't been able to go duck hunting this year, and only got to go once last year. I live in northwest Louisiana not far from Arkansas. My friend went to diesel mechanic school with a couple of guys from Stuttgart, AR (hope I didn't misspell it too badly). Anyway, he went hunting with them once. they never blew a call once, just point the shotguns in the sky and pulled the trigger and bagged at least one every time! I too love to hear the guys that think they are playing the kazoo. Geez I sooo miss duck hunting. Can't wait to go again.



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[AKAMAC]

rhickman

I second the jerky thing.

Personally I would just breast them out, slice the breasts length wise int 1/4" strips, soak in teriyaki sauce for 3 days in fridge.

If you are going to cook 4th day, dump out old sauce in AM and fill w/ fresh stuff, leave on counter till room temp.

Grind some fresh pepper in a coarse grinder on to a cookie sheet, then pull meat out of sauce and flip both sides in pepper, set on smoker grill and smoke them till glazed but tender. I use apple chips for the fish eaters and snows and yes spoonys. Tastes like candy and can't keep the kids out of it.

P. S. I like Pintail the best

 

[Rman]

thanks gys i never thought of jerky. Pintails are very good, i still like wood duck. I have to go find those guys, mostly laid up in river coves and have to jump them.



I shoot coots mostly, all i cqan get to come by. I saw a pintail last night though, it's still early here. MOrnings are better to hunt but i have to work



I'll try the jerky thing with my swan, and use that other recipe for the next duck i get.

 

[Hale on wheels]

I knew you used a shotgun, but in your first post you inadvertently wrote you had your rifle around your neck, so I was trying to be funny. Guess it didn't work too well!



I hate the skyblasters too. It just teaches the birds where not to come back. I have tried for 12 years to blow a feed call well, and still haven't mastered it, so I don't do it while we are on the lake. I wish others wouldn't as well. It sure is fun to irritate my wife around the house with my kazoo though.

 

[Rman]

ahhh now i see, i'm a schmuck, oops. I only play with my calls at home. Hell i call swans with my mouth, those big lumbering birds are pretty dumb, but fly around with armor so i guess they don't have to be smart.



Any you guys ever been to one of those duck call competitions? I was at one at a show before, wow there are some really good guys out there.



I can bugle elk pretty good but that's about it.

 

[mcoleman]

Local fish farm owners are allowed to kill 2 blue herons a year here. We have done it for a friend of ours a few times. Those things make the wierdest noise whenever I lay into them with my 3 1/2 inch super mag. They are also hard to kill. They will get within 30 foot of you on the bank and sqauck at you scaring all the ducks off the fish farm ponds. OOPPS I just gave a away a big duck hunting secret. Fish farms are awesome places to hunt. The whole pond will be black with ducks until someone makes a move at daylight then WWIII starts. They usually have Canvasbacks, Mergansiers, Shovelers, teal and a few other fish eaters setting on them.

 

[Rebel_Horseman]

Never been to one of the competitions. I think I can call ducks pretty well.



"HEY GET BACK HERE YOU $$**&$*#$@@ DUCK! Dude I think my barrel is bent cause I know I pointed it straight at that sucker. "



Guess that doesn't count. I agree that it's sure fun to pester the lady with the calls. Bad thing is, she takes them and starts doing it back. I usually practice my calling when I'm driving down the road. Back when I had my gasser Z71 in college, I'd go through campus blowing my kazoo and man can I tell you I got some odd looks. You could always tell the duck hunters though, cause they'd be laughing their butts off.



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[mcoleman]

I'm sure I've gotten some funny looks when I'm driving around with my turkey call in my mouth practicing although they can't hear it as easy in the Cummins as they could when I drove my Suburban. I take it with me whenever I go to the Living Wildlife museum by Bass Pro. The city folk tourist type think I'm doing all of it with my mouth. Well I am sort of. The turkey run loose in there so you can pester them and stir them up a little. I got one to gobble one day and scared a lady half to death.

 

[Rebel_Horseman]

ROTFLMAO! That's frikkin hilarious. Kudos to you mcoleman.



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