2022 Waterfowl.

[ElkStalkR]

Agreed if you have a place to go with what your harvesting that’s all that really matters.

 

[Okie4570]

Dorkus' season recap:
My last day of ducks was today, can't go tomorrow. Overall season was really good for me until after the December 23rd freeze. After that, we lost a lot of momentum but still went quite a bit.

Top three ducks:
- Gadwall
- Widgeon
- Ringneck

My fourth best season by volume, I can only imagine how good it would have been if we didn't freeze everything up. I think I hunted 32 days, which is way down from the past.

I hope everyone at least got to the water and had a good hunt or two.

Yep I went two time lol. Sounds like you were on the birds though.

 

[Hangfire]

Didn't get to go even once this year because the pond we hunt was so low.

 

[Hangfire]

 

[fishincoop]

Most people who say they hate duck just have not had it prepared properly. I’ve eaten almost every time of waterfowl imaginable and the ONLY duck I have found not palatable no matter what I do is a Common Merganser. When I shoot those I literally cook the breasts up for my bird dogs.

Canada geese make amazing muscle jerky and that’s far and away my favorite way to make them

Best waterfowl to eat in my opinion…….snow goose by a mile. They get called nasty but when you eat nothing but grain for 9 months out of the year………People don’t know what they are missing they just believe the wives tales.

I’ve tried mallards, wood ducks, teal, gaddies, a few pintails, Canada geese, etc. in many different ways:
1. Soaked in plain water then cooked
2. Soaked in salt water then cooked
3. Marinated
4. Fresh off the bone
With all sorts of cleaning - picking:
Breast w/ skin, Breast w/o skin, Whole birds, Legs only…..

In all sorts of cooking methods: crock pot with ______, grilled med-rare, pounded -double dipped and fried, wrapped in bacon, wrapped with bacon & jalapeño, cream cheese, pepper jack, etc….., duck jambalaya, duck gumbo, duck & dressing, smoked over hickory/oak, smoked with _____, about every way mentioned in the thread.

My conclusion: a man either has the “duck tastes good” gene OR he doesn’t. To me, it’s just “flying liver” no matter how they’re prepared …. Love to hunt them, enjoy all that goes into duck hunting, enjoy the heck out seeing the day start in a blind with good friends; but there are days at the camp table when I think I’d be better off to shoot sporting clays and buy more chicken.

 

[Lakenut]

Finished out the season today with 2 green heads between 3 hunters. We split up on our place. I didn’t fire a shot the last 3 times out. I’m going out on a limb and saying this front will produce a decent push of birds over the week.

Hopefully next fall brings more water… and Arctic fronts.

 

[meatGrinder]

Didn't end up going today, couldn't bring myself to get out there to look at empty skies. Good season. Not sure if we'll be on this property again next year, but should be fun if we are.
80% Widgeon
10% Redhead
5% Ringneck
5% BWT

 

[Okie4570]

Finished out the season today with 2 green heads between 3 hunters. We split up on our place. I didn’t fire a shot the last 3 times out. I’m going out on a limb and saying this front will produce a decent push of birds over the week.

Hopefully next fall brings more water… and Arctic fronts.

I saw where some guys were just slaying the Mallards north of Salina, KS this morning. Still lots birds way north. This Saturday might be good for youth/veterans.

 

[Dorkus]

Didn't end up going today, couldn't bring myself to get out there to look at empty skies. Good season. Not sure if we'll be on this property again next year, but should be fun if we are.
80% Widgeon
10% Redhead
5% Ringneck
5% BWT

This was the first year in several that we didn't get a redhead. Congrats on the good season.

 

[Toothpick]

Boys finished the season with a heckuva weekend.
Saturday 4 shot 19 ducks on the Chevy truck with a banded mallard drake.
Today a 5 man limit of mallards.