Guess the species

So I hunted Pac wma and did fairly well. Upon cleaning the birds I found this in the necks. So it was freshly consumed. Can u guess the species?

Of the ducks not the fish.

those are regular pot belly minnows that you find in any drainage ditch.

Yes I know that. I was asking what species of duck you think it was found in. I killed a limit of teal and every one was packed full of fish. So it just proves to everyone who refuses to eat divers because they are fish eaters that all ducks feast on fish. Not one of the 6 teal had seeds or grass just fish and sea snails. Opening day I killed 3 scaup and none of the 3 had fish, all were full of seeds. So I stand my ground and say it's a mental thing to say there's a big difference in taste between puddle ducks and divers. Only difference I see is that divers have bigger legs and smaller wings. I marinate in coca cola over night and I've served divers to friends who refuse to shoot divers and they had no clue until I told them. Ok sorry for the rant but that's my point for the day lol.

BJ,Was gonna actually guess it was either mallard or mottled duck(just feasted on teal/grey duck gumbo and Wifey roasted huge drake mottled duck-incredible flavor)!!Hope we see a few more of the greys I found this past Wed!!!Never woulda guessed teal but have talked to some grizzled ole veteran duck hunters who have seen mallards full of minnows.Do not think they actually favor minnows,they just happened to be in the thick grass they were eating an teal are voracious at eating snails-find plenty of small snails near your hunting area and bet ya bottom dollar dat teal will be plentiful!!!

Mandevillian

I was also going to guess mottled ducks or mallards because of the minnows. I’ve killed many of those that were full of minnows. May l ask if they were BW or GW teal? Thanks!!

2 bw 4 gw

Ok. Thanks. l always thought that GW taste way better than BW. BW can have a funky smell to them also. GW just smell cleaner and in my opinion cook up the best. Thanks for the insight. May start checking my ducks just out of curiosity. Good luck the rest of the season.

I love eating all ducks so if you have any unwanted divers send em my way. A limit is a limit for me lol. Coca cola overnight and bam taste great. Actually cooking nutria now lol.

Gladly shoot divers like Ring Necks,RedHeads,and of course the king of all divers,Canvasbacks,when we see them and believe it or not there are some around,especially late in the season!!Might have to try the Coca Cola marinade process.Wifey does brine boil for Spoonbills and Scaup and makes delicious gumbo,problem is smell they cause plus when they are boiled three times,the meat is bland,unlike when she makes gumbo with teal,greys,woodies,motttled ducks,mallards!!!Hope to get back in de groove next week!!!

Mandevillian

I have been trying to look for something new to marinade the ducks in. I use milk for a day or so, even before freezing them just rinse them off good before freezing. We have been frying them up same day or next day this season. I will try some coke next time. Thanks for sharing

What we do is to try our best to refrain from shooting ducks that take a lot of preparation and when I come home with quality ducks.greys,teal,widgeons(none this year but they hanging around),mallards,mottled ducks, no preparation needed,just roast em or make an absolutely fantabulous gumbo.On those hunts where I decide to target Dos Gris(extremely rare-think I have maybe two of dem beasts this year),Wifey will either give em to our older son(asks for any ducks!!)or boil the heck out of them with brine solution and do this three times and toss out brine solution and refresh for three brine boils(stinks up de house big-time)!!!Gotta try dat coke trick and just mentioned it to Wifey and she agreed it should work,now I gotta choot a few Scaup(not)!!!Bayoubob coulda come out with 3 greys and 3 Scaup Sunday if he wanted dem Scaup and instead,he came out with 3 fine greys!!!

Mandevillian

Another probability why divers are somewhat disliked down here is if you are going to pluck the ducks to clean them the divers are really tough to do compared to puddle ducks. Years ago most people I knew plucked the ducks completely then gutted them cleaning out the cavity. These days many hunters breast out the ducks cutting the meat off of the breast plate which is a lot easier, but considered somewhat wasteful by some.

I never seem to have too much trouble stripping any ducks,be they divers or dabblers and I even completely strip teal.When I am lucky enough to shoot either mallards or mottled ducks,I typically even strip the wings,unless they are blown up,not usually the case!!I learned from some Cajun guys how to strip a grey duck and can typically have one bare-naked in about three minutes,tops!!!All I do is to start grabbing feathers and pulling and use my thumbs as well to rub the body to remove most feathers,young greys are typically full of pin feathers,somewhat of a pain and I never use paraffin or boiling water and guess we are just fortunate in that most of the greys we end up shooting are mature specimens with little to no pin feathers.The divers I do target,Redheads and Ring Necks are a tad tougher to completely pluck but they come out superb and will take a limit of Ring Necks anytime,we just do not see many where we hunt,though Bayoubob and I met some veteran duck hunters that gave us some tips about where we might find some willing participants!!!

Mandevillian

I also hunted PAC this weekend. One of the dosgris I shot had a throat full of those same minnows as well.

I usually pluck the teal and skin the rest. I debone the breast and cut it into cubes, marinate in coke overnight in the fridge (fresh can coke works best because it's the acid in the drink that tenderizes the meat and the sugars cut the game taste.) The next day I cut a pack of bacon in half and wrap each piece. I leave the coke on for the flavor. I don't use any other seasonings. Then I bake or grill em until the bacon is golden. Superb! The wings, legs, heart, liver, gizzards I marinate in coke overnight then drain and season with Tonys, lemon pepper, garlic, worsteshire sauce and cook down in a cast iron pot with onions on the stove top then add chicken stock, cover, toss in the oven on 325 for an hour and a half to 2 hours. While that cooks I fix up some beans and rice. Delicious. I don't like to waste and think breasting the birds is wasteful. I take the animals life so I eat whatever I can off of it. Only time I throw a limb out is if the bones are shattered to the point where I can't remove the shards. Don't want anyone choking on bone fragments. My buddy showed me the coke trick about 3 years ago and I live by it now. Works for any wild game meat.

BJ,Ya sound like me feeling that breasting out ducks,especially big greys and widgeons and mallards is tad wasteful.I also keep the hearts,livers,gizzards and on divers,I usually discard those but might try the can Coke method.I am chomping on de bit to redeem self for goofy mistakes made both yesterday and Saturday and change of venue might also help ole Bayoubob and I.Think I hunted about 15 different spots last year and this year have hunted probably 5 different spots this early in season,though tough to move when ya know ducks like one spot over plenty others.Guess we like to move around so as to not pound de ducks and get them even more skittish than they already are!!Gerard and I watched ducks just about circle the entire marsh before coming in for closer looks,though their closer looks still about 5 yards shy of effective range!!With 2 Beretta's blazing,sometimes we tag-team skittish birds that with one shooter might be about impossible to effectively down!!

Mandevillian

Yeah that new pond I found is the ticket. I only hunt once or twice a week so every time I go it's like the first time and the ducks have no clue I'm there. I had 2 teal land close enough that I could have whacked em with the paddle lol. Hopefully the big ducks like the spot too if they ever show up. It only has about 6 to 8 inches of water and it's crystal clear with plenty of fish and grass and seeds. Think that will be my spot till the end.

Know de feeiling bout total concealment as buddy and I were so well hidden that we coulda netted a teal each if we woulda had landing nets in our hands👍We had probably 9 giant palmetto branches stuck in ground surrounding both of us. Love way they help us hunt and blend in with the existing marsh grass.

Mandevillian

I just usually climb into a pack of roseau and break em over. Grows back every year. Sometimes grows so much I have to find a new spot because it's too much work to break it all down. That's my buddy in my blind 2 years ago. Can't hunt it anymore cuz it just grew out of control.

Awesome blind dat I know dem ducks do not realize holds a hunter or two every now and again!!!Where we hunt the marsh grass is ultra-thick and Bayoubob sets up nice blind using the Palmetto branches to completely conceal his location.I like setting up my Chapman pirogue on smallish islands and even in strong winds,the gunwales of the Chapman serve well as supports for the Palmetto branches so they do not get knocked down and getting mottled ducks to come as close as I got one last Wed not easy but does happen if ya completely concealed and ya aint got lotta decoys employed.Think my strategy of having pair of huge black duck decoys employed near entrance to my pond and well away from my hunt location had everything to do with pair of huge mottled ducks winging their way in,only to have one come home with me!!!!Spot I am headed Wed has nice stands of Roseau just like dat picture but taking a picture would give away super-secret spot!!!

Mandevillian

Haha. I paddle for over an hour to get to my spot. Not many ppl have that drive. Very rarely is there a hunter close enough for me to see. Usually the closest person to me is a quarter mile or more. But that's where the ducks are due to minimal pressure. I remember when there was a hunter every 100 yards but now it's few and far between. Maybe get 4 hunters within a mile of me on opening weekend but that's the most it gets. Sometimes that's bad because the ducks find a quiet spot and they never get up so after 7am the flight is over.

BJ,Now ya really sounding like de ole Mandevillian and I used to routinely paddle over an hour one way to access some incredible ponds in Big Branch and just got off phone with a guy who joked about one of my spots,calling it 'Indian Joe' as it was a pond ya never had any competition for due to no good access for the boating-in crew and ridiculous paddle for those brave souls like me dat got ridiculous amount of aerobic exercise traversing big bodies of water to get to 'where de ducks want to be ' vs where you want to be!!Used to whack many a solo limit out there and will once again hit dat spot but only later in year when die-hards like us only ones out there.Been ok season so far and at least I was fortunate to bang out nice solo limit on glorious hunt,just need few more like that and hoping for a few consecutive limit hunts soon!!!Got right ingredients,except for volume of ducks but those in the know know where to find em!!!

Mandevillian

I would paddle an hour across big branch but the lease is in the way!

We don't need no stinking leases!!!Take a look at the pirogue blind I hunted yesterday and the picture does it no justice.Wished I had connected on a duck or two and woulda taken picture from a retrieve.The blind was a tiny island(best hunts out there typically hunkered down on tiny islands where dem ducks not expecting hunter hunkered down)!!The Palmetto branches look a lot like the tall grass so prevalent out there and easy to set up,takes about 5 minutes,can't get any easier!!!

Mandevillian

Nice blind. I pitty the fools that hunt these big permanent blinds on a lease block for 2 to 3000 a year. They have no idea what they miss out on. I see the ducks holding in one pond I move to that pond and it don't cost a dime! Been hunting public land all my life and if you know where to go and when to go you'll have the best hunts ever. Only difference is ppl like us don't get followed by fancy cameras. Hunting solo is my passion because of the peace and serenity. All the millions of stars before sunrise, then the sunrise itself paired with ducks buzzing every which way. I'll probably pass a way in my blind lol.

Got some wild game about to hit the cast iron. What you think it is?

Yep,BJ,de way we hunt is so mobile I typically can move my entire spread in less than 10 minutes and set up my blind in about 5 minutes. Try doing that with permanent blinds. Shoulda taken before and after pics as ya would not believe what Island looked like and no one could believe how camo’ddat Chapman was. Think ya got some coots there or maybe my favorite Scaup 😬.

Mandevillian

Actually some nutria. Was quite tasty too. Easy shot, clean kill, lots of meat. Like hitting Wal-Mart and picking up free groceries lol.

BJ,Dat nutria rat reminded me of years ago when my older son and I were I very fine and productive Delacroix lease(never did build permanent blinds,thankfully)and we were having one of dem days dat nothing was flying and my son,probably at the time maybe 18 or so-he is approaching 30 and a dad himself-decided to chase some huge nutria that were ridiculously plump and plentiful and he popped 4 of dem beasts and we brought em home and guess what--Wifey looked at both of us like we were fools for bringing home rats and she refused to cook em and we buried all 4 only to have our beloved and strong black lab,Rex,dig em up and my sister-in-law's beagle,Pierre',dug up them rats again after we re-buried em!!Fast-forward to last night's client meeting with a super couple and the hubby turns out to be avid waterfowler and was a captain on Big Branch dredge and he and I shared comical duck stories,not the nutria story,and his wife commented on how awesome nutria can be!!!Gotta keep Wifey happy and one of these days she and I gonna write recipe book for some of her incredible duck dishes!!!Gonna hit dem NShore ducks hard tomorrow and Th and Sat and Sun and headed to Abita KC buddy's home for Saints-Panthers tail gate party(hope we destroy Panthers in our home)!!!Hope balance of first split fares tad better than first few hunts!!!Always Second Split to redeem self for dumb mistakes and capitalize on my knowledge of our pristine marsh!!!

Mandevillian

Yes I agree. I'm at work in lake Charles. Trying to find public land I can maybe score a couple geese on. I'll make one more hunt Saturday before the split. I've hunted/eaten nutria my whole life and it's amazing. Tonight will be nutria spaghetti and next week I'm doing a nutria/sausage gumbo. Can't go wrong. 2 easy shots that cost around a dollar and got about 9 meals out of it. I was raised on the poor side of things so we were given one box of shells a season so I found it a lot easier to shoot a still nutria than a flying duck and there's a lot more meat. I'd save duck shots for big flocks on the water where I can kill a few at one time. Never really hunted a blind as a kid always used the stalk method to sneak up on the crowded small ponds. Fire 2 shots and pick up a limit and then go find a few nutria. These are the first I've had in years only because I havnt seen any where I hunt because of the salt water intrusion. Now it's closed off and fresh again so they are back but only problem is the gators are back too. Have to collect downed birds quickly or a gator or hawk will steal em!

BJ,been fortunate and have lost very few birds this year,none to hawks or gators but poor shooting has cost me a few!!My situation on those few greys we have had circle around has been to goof up and not take em on their first(and closest pass)unlike other years when they would circle,circle,circle some more and finally get close enough to drop a few and not have to chase em down and blast em on water.Like the new DC Cutdown 2.0 polycarbonate call as with the proper air pressure,can reach into stratosphere and at least get their attention and I have seen situations where blowing dat call extremely loudly will cause ducks to not want to drop way too far off and frustrate the life outta us!!!Guess they see live birds,be they coots or greys and they love company and no plastic,life-less decoys!!Hope my poor shooting string comes to abrupt end tomorrow!!!

Mandevillian