Sea ducks 25’

[Jmoore]

My son and I booked a trip a year or so ago to get after sea ducks in Washington. Seeing as the ducks at home haven’t shown up this year, it was a welcomed trip.
First time doing this but will definitely do again. We had a blast and those birds are tough as nails.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Not trying to be a smart ass, but I've always wondered how one cooks a sea duck?
Are they fishy fleshed?
I'm interested for science!

 

[Jmoore]

Yes they definitely smelt fishy.
The guy we hunted with grinds it, adds pork fat, seasoning, and makes pepperoni and smoked links.

 

[Davyalabama]

Sea Ducks, scaup, red heads, canvas backs --- brown them on top of the stove, cook in the oven on 350 in a roast style broiler, make up some oyster dressing, mashed potatoes and giblet gravy (giblets come from the gizzard and heart of the ducks), green beans, brown-n-serve rolls,

Now, these ducks are not going to taste like pintails, mallards or woodies - those ducks eat grains and acorns. These ducks are going to have a very different taste. I prefer diving ducks to those other ducks in taste, because that's what I grew up eating.

 

[PeteinMT]

What outfit were you hunting with?

 

[jmez]

Question for the sea duck hunters. I've never hunted them. Most all the videos I watch they let them land and then shoot them on the water. What is the reason for that? If they shoot them on the wing it is generally as they are setting down.

 

[Jmoore]

What outfit were you hunting with?

We hunted with Tyler Grogan, Emerald Sound Outfitters. Can't speak highly enough for the young man.

 

[KurtR]

Question for the sea duck hunters. I've never hunted them. Most all the videos I watch they let them land and then shoot them on the water. What is the reason for that? If they shoot them on the wing it is generally as they are setting down.

Havnt hunted sea ducks but shot lots of divers and if they are not stone dead and dive it turns into a rodeo trying to get them killed and thats on small ish lakes.

 

[Jmoore]

Question for the sea duck hunters. I've never hunted them. Most all the videos I watch they let them land and then shoot them on the water. What is the reason for that? If they shoot them on the wing it is generally as they are setting down.

I've seen guys on the videos too, and our guide called it water swatting. He wasn't a proponent but said if that's what guys want to do it's legal and their trip.

I'm no expert as this was my first time, but I will say the birds didn't decoy in the same way as our puddle ducks. It was more of a controlled crash and splash instead of cupped up coming in. The shots were pushing 50 yds to the outside of the decoy strings, and that seemed to be as close as they wanted to come to the decoys. We were shooting full chokes with hevi-shot #3 and definitely spent more shells chasing/finishing cripples than we did knocking them down.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

As a Bird Nerd...looks like you knocked off both Goldeneye's?

You can edit out that Merg....like a fat chick at Last Call....sure...it happens, but......

Buffles......what did you think of their intelligence? Cagey bastards aren't they?

I've never seen an Old Squaw on the WA Coast. That would be right there with a Harli for me.

Cool trip. Congrats!

 

[Jmoore]

As a Bird Nerd...looks like you knocked off both Goldeneye's?

You can edit out that Merg....like a fat chick at Last Call....sure...it happens, but......

Buffles......what did you think of their intelligence? Cagey bastards aren't they?

I've never seen an Old Squaw on the WA Coast. That would be right there with a Harli for me.

Cool trip. Congrats!

Yes sir and thanks we had a great time.
My son is a duck hunter, way more than old dad. He is chasing 41 so the merg was a necessary for him.

We did take both Goldeneye and we have buffleheads back home but he hadn't shot a drake yet so when the opportunity came in he took it. I think he was more pumped over that bufflehead drake than some of the other birds he took.

We were hunting all over Puget Sound, using 4 different launch points on 4 days of hunting. Pretty coutry up that way for sure. We didn't see a lot of Old Squaws but those and the goldeneye were the 2 that decoyed the best. Hopefully we can draw one of those coveted WA harli tags and get back out there in the future.

 

[777dogman]

I breast out scoters and make sure all the fat and skin are off the breasts. Brine them for at least 12 hours with a Cup of kosher salt and a cup of brown sugar to a gallon of water. Warm water before adding salt and sugar so ingredients dissolve. Add ice to bring water back to a cold temp before adding duck breasts. Add a couple cloves of minced garlic and put in refrigerator until ready to grill. Add favorite seasoning and sear both sides until medium rare. Do not overcook!They are not teal or woodies but surprisingly good considering their diet

 

[Davyalabama]

Question for the sea duck hunters. I've never hunted them. Most all the videos I watch they let them land and then shoot them on the water. What is the reason for that? If they shoot them on the wing it is generally as they are setting down.

I think that goes back to the days of the old market hunters and the kids that came up through that passing it on down. I’ve hunted all kinds of ducks from “diving” ducks to puddle jumpers. I’m not old enough to remember the days of “kill as many as you want.” I did grow up in the days of the pt system and kill 9 bluebills and a red head as your last——6 male mallards——10 bluebills and 20 coots—— now this was each, not a group. 3 of us with 30 bluebills were fun days. Most of the time it was just dad and I so only 20. I never have cared for the taste of coots, too muddy. That gizzard, whooooo boy, it was 3-4 times the size of normal gizzards. That was worth killing them over.
My grandad came from MN with killing those ducks, his dad was an old market gunner. we did and still do shoot them off the water. Mallards and woodies don’t seem to deoy set in as readily as divers, so, we are ready to take them when in good gun range. Pintails, if they get close you better but his butt, you may not get another flyby.
FYI, a sawbill merganser, the big ones, are a trash duck to us. To lean, not enough meat even on the breast, greasyyyyyyy, just not a nice tasting duck.

 

[Jmoore]

I think that goes back to the days of the old market hunters and the kids that came up through that passing it on down. I’ve hunted all kinds of ducks from “diving” ducks to puddle jumpers. I’m not old enough to remember the days of “kill as many as you want.” I did grow up in the days of the pt system and kill 9 bluebills and a red head as your last——6 male mallards——10 bluebills and 20 coots—— now this was each, not a group. 3 of us with 30 bluebills were fun days. Most of the time it was just dad and I so only 20. I never have cared for the taste of coots, too muddy. That gizzard, whooooo boy, it was 3-4 times the size of normal gizzards. That was worth killing them over.
My grandad came from MN with killing those ducks, his dad was an old market gunner. we did and still do shoot them off the water. Mallards and woodies don’t seem to deoy set in as readily as divers, so, we are ready to take them when in good gun range. Pintails, if they get close you better but his butt, you may not get another flyby.
FYI, a sawbill merganser, the big ones, are a trash duck to us. To lean, not enough meat even on the breast, greasyyyyyyy, just not a nice tasting duck.

Thanks for this reply. Enjoyed reading and learned some things.