Can you ID this duck?

[NcongruNt]

So some friends and I went out duck hunting this morning, and got 19 birds between the four of us. A couple Pin-tail, a couple of Wigeons, some Northern shovelers, and a whole mess of these birds I can't identify. I've looked through several bird ID sites and can't seem to find this bird anywhere. I have pictures posted below of what appears to be the drake of the species. I think the hen of this same species is the head you see in the upper left corner of the second picture.






Any ideas?

[NcongruNt]

I think I found it. The Ring-Necked Duck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-necked_Duck" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The head shape threw me off, but once I looked at the bills and other features online, they are the same.

[anygunanywhere]

Supper? Gumbo?

Anygunanywhere

[HighVelocity]

Looks like a dead one.

[NcongruNt]

Supper? Gumbo?

Anygunanywhere

Part of Christmas Dinner, I think. Depends on how well the recipes I have work.

This species of duck makes up the majority of my birds, and from what I can find, they have good flavor.

[brianko]

Why would you shoot at a duck (or any animal) that you can't identify before you shoot it? Doesn't that sort of take the "sport" out of hunting?

I found your photos rather offensive. Of course, I'm probably the only one here with that opinion. But I felt it had to be said.

Followup: Just noticed this is actually in a topic called "Hunting Photos." Who would have imagined...and I thought this was a CHL board.

[anygunanywhere]

Supper? Gumbo?

Anygunanywhere

Part of Christmas Dinner, I think. Depends on how well the recipes I have work.

This species of duck makes up the majority of my birds, and from what I can find, they have good flavor.

Mrs. Anygun cooks a great duck. She does a brandied cherry sauce that complements the gamey duck really well. Duck is a great holiday dish. I was never one for waterfowl hunting except for early teal which we would use for a delicious duck gumbo. When she worked for a pediatrician when our boys were growing up, he was an avid waterfowler and would trade us ducks for my venison sausage.

Anygunanywhere

[anygunanywhere]

Why would you shoot at a duck (or any animal) that you can't identify before you shoot it? Doesn't that sort of take the "sport" out of hunting?

I found your photos rather offensive. Of course, I'm probably the only one here with that opinion. But I felt it had to be said.

Followup: Just noticed this is actually in a topic called "Hunting Photos." Who would have imagined...and I thought this was a CHL board.

Spoken like a true sportsman. Spent a lot of time in the marsh, have you brianko? It is nice to see that those that choose to hunt can count on your support for their second amendment rights.

If you don't look at the photos they will not disturb you.

Anygunanywhere

[flb_78]

Why would you shoot at a duck (or any animal) that you can't identify before you shoot it? Doesn't that sort of take the "sport" out of hunting?

I found your photos rather offensive. Of course, I'm probably the only one here with that opinion. But I felt it had to be said.

Followup: Just noticed this is actually in a topic called "Hunting Photos." Who would have imagined...and I thought this was a CHL board.

He identified it. It's a duck, probably shot during duck season. Now he just wants to know what kind of duck it is exactly.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Why would you shoot at a duck (or any animal) that you can't identify before you shoot it? Doesn't that sort of take the "sport" out of hunting?

I found your photos rather offensive. Of course, I'm probably the only one here with that opinion. But I felt it had to be said.

Followup: Just noticed this is actually in a topic called "Hunting Photos." Who would have imagined...and I thought this was a CHL board.

Nothing offensive about his post or photos, but your post is quite offensive. This is your last warning, knock it off or you're gone. Don't post a response, don't send me another PM, just quit now.

Chas.

[LarryH]

My wife is tugging at my sleeve. She insists that I share with you HER duck recipe.

1. shoot a duck
2. pluck it and gut it (she won't do it)
3. don't you dare (her exact words) bring that thang in the house with the head or feet on
4. cook long-grained wild rice until almost tender
5. mix two cups rice w/ one jar of Major Grey's chutney (comes wrapped with paper)
6. add one tablespoon of almonds
7. stuff duck with mixture
8. rub teriyaki sauce on outside of duck
9. sprinkle with Tony Cachere's Cajun seasoning
10. place in roasting pan
11. pour can of beer (she says brand doesn't matter -- you may not agree) in bottom of pan
12. cover with aluminum foil
13. roast at 350 degrees until legs start falling off (wiggle legs every 30 minutes to check, then reseal foil)
14. when leg comes off in your hand, put duck on platter and serve

[NcongruNt]

Why would you shoot at a duck (or any animal) that you can't identify before you shoot it? Doesn't that sort of take the "sport" out of hunting?

I found your photos rather offensive. Of course, I'm probably the only one here with that opinion. But I felt it had to be said.

Followup: Just noticed this is actually in a topic called "Hunting Photos." Who would have imagined...and I thought this was a CHL board.

He identified it. It's a duck, probably shot during duck season. Now he just wants to know what kind of duck it is exactly.

Quite right. It's a duck. I shot it yesterday. It is duck season. There are only a few restrictions on specific species of duck. They are generally easy to identify, and these were not similar in appearance to any of the restricted species.

The fact that someone got offended because I posted pictures of a duck I legally shot but was not a species I was familiar with confuses me. We're in a "Hunting Photos" section of the forum - people post pictures of dead hogs and coyotes and deer all the time. I was cleaning ducks and sorting them for eating. I wanted to know what kind of duck it was, to make sure it was suitably good for a family dinner.

My wife is tugging at my sleeve. She insists that I share with you HER duck recipe.

Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, and don't have proper space to deal with plucking ducks. I already breasted these ones out, so I can't make that this time around. The recipe sounds great, though. I'll be sure to use it in the future.

[KD5NRH]

He identified it. It's a duck, probably shot during duck season.

"Duck" is not the limit of legally required identification.

The daily bag limit shall be 5 ducks with the following species and sex restrictions - two scaup, two redhead, and two wood duck; only one from the following aggregate bag: one hen mallard, or one pintail, or one canvasback, or one "dusky duck" (mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black duck, and their hybrids); all other ducks not listed - five.

There are several species listed with a one-duck limit, and if you don't know what you're shooting at, how can you be certain it's not a variant of one of those species?

Do you really think the GW would let you off if you claimed to think that your sixth whitetail of the year was a pronghorn because you couldn't see it very well before you shot it?

[NcongruNt]

He identified it. It's a duck, probably shot during duck season.

"Duck" is not the limit of legally required identification.

The daily bag limit shall be 5 ducks with the following species and sex restrictions - two scaup, two redhead, and two wood duck; only one from the following aggregate bag: one hen mallard, or one pintail, or one canvasback, or one "dusky duck" (mottled duck, Mexican-like duck, black duck, and their hybrids); all other ducks not listed - five.

There are several species listed with a one-duck limit, and if you don't know what you're shooting at, how can you be certain it's not a variant of one of those species?

Do you really think the GW would let you off if you claimed to think that your sixth whitetail of the year was a pronghorn because you couldn't see it very well before you shot it?

As I stated above, I am aware of the restrictions. The ducks listed are rather distinctive and identified pretty easily (and some don't even come around these parts). This was my first duck hunt. I went with experienced friends. I made sure I knew the rules and restrictions before I went, and familiarized myself with the species of concern. I find it unreasonable to expect a person who is going hunting duck for the first time to be able to readily identify every single species of duck he comes across. I was aware of the restrictions and am familiar enough with those species to identify them and stay within the law.

But thanks for the warm welcome to the hunting community.

EDIT: In response to the last part of your post, it's not really a fair comparison in the first place. There's only a few kind of deer (at most) that will live in a given area. There are dozens of species of ducks to potentially shoot, given the migratory nature and sheer number of ducks that pass through any given area. You also can't really compare IDing a standing deer to a duck on the wing. You don't shoot a moving deer, but you do shoot a moving duck. Nonetheless, we are required to be aware of the few species that have limitations, and I have done that.

[brianko]

Nothing offensive about his post or photos, but your post is quite offensive. This is your last warning, knock it off or you're gone. Don't post a response, don't send me another PM, just quit now.

How, exactly, is my post offensive? I mean, let's engage in some rational debate here...I posted a question, and I posted an opinion. Last time I checked, this forum was chock-full of opinions, so why ismy opinion any more offensive than any other opinion posted on this forum?

As for my question, I note that TWPD sets bag limits on ducks based upon species. So if you don't know what kind of duck you're shooting at, how, exactly, do you know when you've reached your bag limit?