The closest I ever got . . .
Weekend Duck hunt
- Thread starter CAJUNLAWYER
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LVSteve
Member
What is a Spoonie?
A Spoonbill.
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CAJUNLAWYER
Member
We also call them Shoveler, hair-lip mallard, smiling mallard among other things.
A drake in full winter plumage is a beautiful duck and lots of people who normally don't see them prize them for a mount. They are stupid and if you miss on the first try often they will circle back around to see what's up. They taste like **** unless you breast them out, brine them and put them on the pit. Then they taste good.
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It is a "Hollywood" Mallard.
I thought every one knew that?
I have found them easy to kill, with just one or two pellet holes in their body,
unlike a mallard or Pintail that have usually 5-6 in the body cavity,
to bring them down.
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Me and a hunting buddy deer hunted this weekend to close out NY deer rifle season. It was windy but huntable. Saturday evening I saw 15. No bucks. Sunday morning 4 doe. Sunday evening 2 doe and a 5 point. I shot a doe early Saturday 2:30pm) because it was not going to efffect my evening hunt. Lots of deer seen. And the woods were beautiful with about 12” of snow. Saturday night we had venison backstraps with mushrooms and onions , and steak fries. Mix in some Alexander Keith’s (Canadian beer) and a little bourbon and you got a pretty good weekend…….. however I like shooting bucks. If this were my last hunt it’d be disappointing lol.
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YeshuaIsa53
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Always hung the does by their rear legs, spread apart with the hanger, to clean. Sounds like a fine meal and great time, with many more meals to come.
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YeshuaIsa53
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LVSteve
Member
I don't think Spoonbills are considered ducks.
LVSteve
Member
I assume they taste like the mud they forage in.
LVSteve
Member
Never heard the term Hollywood Mallard, but I only hunt ducks using a camera.
As for their vulnerability, I've noted great variations in many species. Some keel over if you look at them wrong, while others like lizards appear to try to get on with life even after you've driven your truck over their back half.
YeshuaIsa53
Member
My partner called them Spoonies, and sometimes Spoonbills. I watched one get shot in our first early teal season. Those blue patches and early plumage
makes you very cautious during early teal. The guy shot it, waded out to get it, and came back without it. Said he couldn't find it.
Many creatures in the marsh will eat a duck quickly.
I hang them head up to rinse and drain. The following day the go upside down and get caped. Then they go in my buddies walk in cooler.
THE PILGRIM
Member
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CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Actually if you brine them-swapping out the water until it is clear and the breast looks grey-they are quite tasty. Duck meat has lots of blood in it that gives the muscle enough oxygen for the long flights and makes the meat so dark. You would be amazed at how much getting rid of that will tone down the taste.
As far as vunerability-Spoonies with drop dead of a heart attach just by hearing a shotgun blast it sometimes seems. Also they do not die pretty! Kinda of a "gawk-what the hell was that-as feet wings and feathers seem to fly out at improbable angles' and not the classic crumple and drop of , say a grey.
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YeshuaIsa53
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I breast and thigh all my puddle ducks, and breast what divers may find their way down the tubes. After rinsing well, I put them in water (not egg-smelling water) close the top, and let rest in the fridge overnight. Next morning, dump them in the sink, rinse again, and repeat in clean water after searching for bird shot in any holes made from bird shot, then back into the fridge for a second night in fresh water. Water is looking much better now. I do this a total of three nights in the fridge with fresh water. Let them soak most of the day the last day before cooking or freezing in water. Always date the freezer bag with magic marker, adding what type ducks.
I especially like them cooked in the crock pot with seasoning, onion, and soup. Falls apart. A shoveller with several other ducks is better than before all this, but still a bit nastier than most. Eat what you shoot. I do all my ducks like this, except any I pluck for the oven: which are few.
They say a Northern Shoveller that has made it to the rice fields for awhile tastes better than most. Who are those guys?
I especially like them cooked in the crock pot with seasoning, onion, and soup. Falls apart. A shoveller with several other ducks is better than before all this, but still a bit nastier than most. Eat what you shoot. I do all my ducks like this, except any I pluck for the oven: which are few.
They say a Northern Shoveller that has made it to the rice fields for awhile tastes better than most. Who are those guys?
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Great story Caje. Being a waterfowler I like those stories. Had many days like that...but I guided waterfowlers in Md 35 years and hunted with friends a lot. We had a farm in Md that we built a pond on with a pit with spring driven doors. It could shoot 10 and hold 20...and we took turns shooting. in the 25 years we hunted that before I left Md they/we took over 20,000 geese and ducks. The ol farmer kept a tally. He passed 4 years after I left Md at 96... we trained over 200 kids on waterfowl hunting. Of all the other kids we had out..the old guys liked my daughter...she was pretty and she could shoot. It always embarrassed her but tickled the old guys when she outshot the young guys. Last duck hunt for me was 3 years ago..here in Wyoming. A local farmer grew corn....went by the field one day and there were at least a 1000 ducks working that field. went to his house and asked if I could hunt ducks on his place...He didn't even know they were in his field. The next morning took a dozen decoys out to the field. the farmer went too. I shot a limit of drake pintails and surprised me he got a limit too...in under an hour. Of all the ducks I like to shoot Teal and wood ducks and pintails are my favorites. Good eating
