Any Duck Hunters? How has your season unfolded? (shotguns, best, cheap)

[jimboburnsy]

The Katie Prarie around my fair metropolis has been mostly dead for waterfowl hunting since the late 90's. This year we seem to be having something of a resurgence, but the great hunts are still happening along the Texas coast and inland from Houston around Eagle Lake.

Just curious if anyone has had any noteworthy bags or stories worth recounting.

Or maybe if there are any other waterfowlers here...

[M3 Mitch]

I have not been after waterfowl since lead shot was banned. A long time.

I *do* have a recent production 870, the plain finish one, that would be fine for steel or alternative shot, and there is a place to hunt right across the road from me. We do have a lot of Canada Geese around too.

But, partly because I have not had that great luck cooking ducks and having them "turn out" to be something I really like to eat, and partly because a Canada Goose is just so damn big, I have been sticking to upland birds.

Maybe the fact that I bagged a Mersanger one time and tried to cook it, and ended up with a smelly mess fit for neither man nor beast, has sort of soured me on waterfowl...

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

I have not been after waterfowl since lead shot was banned. A long time.

I *do* have a recent production 870, the plain finish one, that would be fine for steel or alternative shot, and there is a place to hunt right across the road from me. We do have a lot of Canada Geese around too.

But, partly because I have not had that great luck cooking ducks and having them "turn out" to be something I really like to eat, and partly because a Canada Goose is just so damn big, I have been sticking to upland birds.

Maybe the fact that I bagged a Mersanger one time and tried to cook it, and ended up with a smelly mess fit for neither man nor beast, has sort of soured me on waterfowl...

I've never harvested nor eaten a Merganser, but it sounds like they may fall firmly in the "Gumbo" category along with smilin' mallards.

If you get a another opportunity to cook with waterfowl, try this:

Pluck the birds, no breasting.

Pack the body cavity with roughly chopped onions and apples in equal portions. I find that macintosh and yellow onions are the best combination. Toss a dash of salt, black pepper and cumin over the apples and onions before you pack 'em in.

Dust the bird's skin with kosher salt, lay it breast-up in an appropriately sized pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Cover the breast with two strips of bacon before placing in the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and leave it alone for another 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the birds (big ducks like mallards require the full 30 minutes, teal may only need 15).

Open a bottle of "hearty burgundy" wine (read as "cheap red") and prepare 3/4 cup of wine for each bird in the oven. Don't forget to sample the wine. Open the oven and apply enough wine to each bird to ensure that every exposed surface is covered. Allow 15 more minutes at 350 degrees, then serve after resting for 10 minutes.

Excellent recipe that is elegant but still celebrates the strong flavor of the wild bird. Goes very well with wild rice (pour the reduced wine and duck jous from the pan over the rice) and either brocolli with hollandaise or grilled asparagus.

[North Beach Person]

Sick the 1st weekend, got busy the 2nd and they went out until 11/19. Lots of traveling geese coming through now, and staying, so it should be a good season. Also got a new farm to hunt that was about 200 acres of corn with some soybeans so I'm excited.

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

I *do* have a recent production 870...

Hey...a fellow 870 owner.

Mine is about a mid-1970's model Wingmaster. The signifigance of the gun to me isn't about the gun itself. It belonged to my cousin who died of cancer in 1978. I never got to meet him but I inherrited his favorite duck gun. I think of him every time I go to the blind.

I usually go with my dad when I do go. We hunt in the Southeast Missouri area.

I agree with you though. The steel shot sux. Last year I had a Mallard Hen about 50ft away from me get away because the shells I had were incapable of blowing over a paper cup.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by drjones96

Hey...a fellow 870 owner.

Mine is about a mid-1970's model Wingmaster. The signifigance of the gun to me isn't about the gun itself. It belonged to my cousin who died of cancer in 1978. I never got to meet him but I inherrited his favorite duck gun. I think of him every time I go to the blind.

I usually go with my dad when I do go. We hunt in the Southeast Missouri area.

I agree with you though. The steel shot sux. Last year I had a Mallard Hen about 50ft away from me get away because the shells I had were incapable of blowing over a paper cup.

I've played around with and owned a number of different shotguns. The 870 my grandfather gave me for my 12th birthday is still my primary shooter.

[M3 Mitch]

You *can* use other shot besides lead (illegal) and steel (ineffective) but the other options - Heavi-Shot and etc. - are expensive. So I guess we are, as usual, damned if we do and damned if we don't.

Thanks for the duck recipe, Jimbo.

Since I mostly prefer white meat, I am going to be more of a threat to upland birds than waterfowl.

[rifleman]

I've been a DU memeber for well over 30 years, starting up in Canada. I even worked for them for a summer in the British Columbia Chilcotin and Cariboo areas, evaluating wetland habitat. I sorta got to love the little pals.

So I never really wanted to blast them out of the skies, but didn't hold the same silly reverence for honkers. About 3 years ago I bought myself a new Benelli SBE II in leftie. It sat in it's box until about 3 weeks ago, when I finally relented and got it out at the invite of a friend here who has his own duck pond.

Now, as an ex-wildlife biologist, I'm also well-enough read up on the problems with lead shot that I've decided to go steel for waterfowl. That contaminant has killed off numerous whistler swans off the Washington coast as they work the marine mudflats where hunters have historically blasted away with lead during the annual honker migration.

If you do injest even a single lead pellet, it wil, for the most part, be dissolved in the strong acid in your stomach, and you get to absorb some nice highly toxic lead. Your nerves, your muscles, your brain, etc; all get to suffer.

My SBE II is completely unfazed by steel, and my first three shots out of this nice gun dropped 3 mallards that have spent their past 3 months eating grains my friend has provided to them. They have not yet gotten into the mud and swamp bugs that lend that "lovely taste". I love roasted domestic duck, and hope I can get somewhere with wild duck meat. Perhaps a pre-cook low and slow to make it tender, followed by a high end finish to glaze it?

Steel offers very high speeds, so less lead (as in "leed", not the metal..) is required. Nope, you can't reach out quite as far (maybe 10-15% less yardage?), but then there's Heavi-Shot or others, which reaches outv furthe!. I know; the stuff's outrageously expensive (Why? Are the manufacturers taking advantage of us?), but for those few long shots, it's OK, esp. since I won't be eating any toxins.

(BTW, the local hardware store stock boy inadvertently stickered some Rem. Heavi-Shot last fall at $3.95/box. I sorta got greedy for a few moments there. Don't know what came over me! Went back the next day to clean them out, but the manager was there, busily adjusting the price up to $29.00/box. Oh well...)

Frankly, I hope to see the day when all lead shot is banned. Now I'll stand back for the vitriolic responses. But it's OK; this is my personal, but also educated, choice.

If you have a gun that doesn't support steel shot, use bismuth, or lead if you want. Just realize you are contributing to toxic contamination. If you're so sure it's not a problem, you should oughta prove it to us and injest, oh, one or two #6 pellets every other day for a week of so. It should then take about 2 months for the first symtoms to show up, and sadly, there's no recourse once the internal damage is done.

BTW, I'm a gun-nut, 2nd amendment & NRA supporter, as well as a gunsmith with over 38 years of experience. I fought the lead ban for many years, seeing it as just another gun-grabber ploy. But I"ve also got a graduate degree with a minor in toxicology, and have now read most of the thoughtful and careful studies. Lead's really NOT good.

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by jimboburnsy

I've played around with and owned a number of different shotguns. The 870 my grandfather gave me for my 12th birthday is still my primary shooter.

On saturday my company's gun club hosted a Trap & Skeet shoot. I don't have a skeet gun but I just went out for the heck of it. They were giving Turkeys away as prizes for wins (limit 1). I figured I'd be at a disadvantage and so I just stepped up and did what I know how to do. My 870 has a fixed full choke barrel so I've got to be dead on pretty much to hit anything.

I went 5 rounds without a miss. They called me out as a winner and tied with another guy so we had to have a shoot-off at long range. He stepped up and shot <dead bird>. I shot <dead bird>. He shot <MISS>. I shot <Dead Bird>. WOOO HOOOO! My first shooting competition and I won it without a single miss! Got me a Thanksgiving turkey to boot!

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

You *can* use other shot besides lead (illegal) and steel (ineffective) but the other options - Heavi-Shot and etc. - are expensive. So I guess we are, as usual, damned if we do and damned if we don't.

I've been seeing stuff about steel alternatives. I saw some shells at Walmart on Friday that were (i think) brass shot. They were like $30/box of 25 (ouch). For that price I'd only load my gun one shot at a time and hope for the best. LOL Even Steel shotshells are almost that bad. I saw some Remington Nitro Steel shells for like $27/box of 25.

Heck....I picked up some sport load shells for clays for $23/box of 100.