Ethics of feeding your kids merganser

[E.Shell]

I really like the puddle ducks Ive had. The teal, wood ducks, black ducks and mallards Ive had have all been uniformly great. Im sure it depends on what they’re eating locally though.
I have eaten a small handful of diving ducks, which was enough to not try that again. Survival food is an apt description, Id have to be awfully hungry.

I think that's pretty accurate and definitely sums it up for me too. I think Teal and Wood Ducks are best.

 

[AKG]

My brother and I bought our city kid nephew a hunting license during a short thanksgiving visit a few years ago when he was about 16. He wanted to duck hunt, unfortunately there weren't many birds flying yet. We did see a few mergansers on a pond we had access to. He put the sneek on them, jumped them, and knocked one down. He was pretty proud, my wife cooked it to a nice medium rare. He loved it. Had blood running down his chin raving about how good it was.

 

[j3h8]

How many waterfowl hunters have actually tried mergs vs just regurgitating information they've been told by old timers?

I have not yet shot a "lawn dart" because they are illegal to shoot here. Would give em a try at least once though.

'round here people talk about how awful jack rabbits or coots are and both are delicious. Idiots never tried them just spouting off about how stringy or disgusting they are without ever giving them a try.

 

[Yoteassasin]

You are eating lawn darts ! Savages ! They are crab bait at best and dog treats

 

[BigDuckHunter]

How many waterfowl hunters have actually tried mergs vs just regurgitating information they've been told by old timers?

I have not yet shot a "lawn dart" because they are illegal to shoot here. Would give em a try at least once though.

'round here people talk about how awful jack rabbits or roots are and both are delicious. Idiots never tried them just spouting off about how stringy or disgusting they are without ever giving them a try.

That’s a good attitude to have. I’ve heard people say that Canadians and antelope are both inedible. I think pronghorn are one of the better game meats and while Canadians aren’t my favorite, I’ve definitely found some recipes I like. If I would’ve listened to other people I never would’ve even tried either of them.

 

[Wrench]

In 1991 two friends and myself hatched this plan to fish a high mountain lake over spring break. We ended up stuck in the snow for 3 days and the lake was frozen except for one area that the sun warmed the rocks. That area had some mergs on it. I managed to kill one and we ate it with the lemon pepper we brought for fish. It wasn't good, but it was what we had to work with. I shifted to squirrels after eating the mud duck.

 

[Davyalabama]

We've killed and eaten a bunch over the years, especially when not much else was flying and some youngster (me) needed to be appeased to at least kill something.

Brown it on the stove, put it in a large roaster to finish cooking ---- using the gizzards and hearts to help make a giblet gravy --- mashed potatoes, rutabagas, green beans, oyster dressing, biscuits ----- Grandparents, parents, aunts/uncles, cousins --- big duck dinners ------mergansers fit right in with red heads and blue bills - a few golden eyes, teal, buffle heads ---- You could tell the mergs., they were a lot scrawnier than the others. They all ate good. Shoot, how I miss those times and people. I didn't know how good I had it.

 

[JDT1982]

My deceased Grandfather ate raccoons growing up in the depression. He said he would do it again if he had too, but he hoped it never came to that.

 

[Derekc6713]

With Canadas a good meat mallet is your beast friend. Cut them into strips beat that meat thin, bread it and fry it up and thank me later. I like to make goose parm with mine. A great recipe book is Hank Shaws “Duck, Duck, Goose” has a lot of great recipes even some that make divers and mergs taste good.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

Kill a merganser, save a kenai salmon

 

[Hnthrdr]

View attachment 839538Kill a merganser, save a kenai salmon

They are nest raiders too and will eat dabblers eggs

 

[gbflyer]

Mexican friend of mine did an authentic meal from his home for some customers one time. It was goat. He said “if they like it we will tell them it’s goat. If they don’t we will tell them it’s veal”

Same with the ducks.

 

[Maverick1]

Buddy once said bald eagles taste like chicken?

 

[2buffalo]

Dog food.

 

[Marbles]

How many waterfowl hunters have actually tried mergs vs just regurgitating information they've been told by old timers?

I have not yet shot a "lawn dart" because they are illegal to shoot here. Would give em a try at least once though.

'round here people talk about how awful jack rabbits or coots are and both are delicious. Idiots never tried them just spouting off about how stringy or disgusting they are without ever giving them a try.

I was told turbit (AKA vampire halibut, AKA arrow tooth flounder) were inedible. Same people said pink salmon were no good, and having just moved to Alaska I still liked humpies at the time. So, I kept a turbit, put a filet in the oven, and when I came back there was literally liquid fish on the sheet. Poured it on some dog food, and the dog wouldn't eat it.

That’s a good attitude to have. I’ve heard people say that Canadians and antelope are both inedible. I think pronghorn are one of the better game meats and while Canadians aren’t my favorite, I’ve definitely found some recipes I like. If I would’ve listened to other people I never would’ve even tried either of them.

With Canadas a good meat mallet is your beast friend. Cut them into strips beat that meat thin, bread it and fry it up and thank me later. I like to make goose parm with mine. A great recipe book is Hank Shaws “Duck, Duck, Goose” has a lot of great recipes even some that make divers and mergs taste good.

Eating Canadians, no wonder they don't want to be the 51st state..........

 

[kwackkillncrew]

How many waterfowl hunters have actually tried mergs vs just regurgitating information they've been told by old timers?

we eat all of them. if i go out and all i see are mergies i will shoot em. the only thing i dont like about them is that their skin is basically super glued to the meat (early season barrows are the same). I just noticed we can shoot cormorants in some of the areas i sea duck hunt. I want to try one of them also.