Trophy bird thread

[Banded_spooney]

Starting what I hope is a long running thread of guys killing their dream bird. Pics and story required. I’ll go first. I’m a widgeon guy through and through. I’ve killed a few euro widgeon but I’ve spent 25 years obsessed with wanting to kill a Storm. Last week the sun broke after a stormy morning and a solo drake came down from the heavens right onto the Avain spinner. Got out as quickly as he came in but I killed him on the way out. Didn’t realize what I had until the dog came back.

Not a perfect storm but best one i will ever see. And no one I know has seen one as nice.

 

[Mojave]

Black Grouse, Austria last year. I was going to shoot a capercaillie this year in the same area, but they shoot them out the kitchen window of a cabin. So I am going to hunt them in Sweden in December on skis and try not to die.

 

[Taudisio]

Doubled with my dad. I told him to shoot the big one. He shot the solo bearded Tom that rolled into a mud puddle. Had a little over 11” rope. I meant for him to shoot the multi bearded bird. I wasn’t going to let him get away. Unofficially 6th largest bird killed in Oregon by NWTF standards with 4 beards. Didn’t hurt that I got the whole thing on video. I shot an unofficial 4th place archery turkey the year before. NWTF is a pain to get them scored without ruining the meat. I refuse to drive them 2 hours one way to wait and have someone else measure them.
Dad has an albino green head mounted next to an Eurasian widgeon on the wall. We have killed a few storm widgeon but none quite as full as yours.

 

[Oregon]

I’ve got some wigeon. No story, they just came into the decoys.


Aleutian Teal.

 

[Macintosh]

The equivalent of posting a pic of a skipper doe…
This is my first-ever mallard. In almost 40 years of hunting I’ve only duck hunted a very little, all with much more experienced friends, up until last winter. Ive shot a handful of ducks, but mostly woodies, teal, a couple black ducks, but never a mallard. So this was my first season 100% on my own, my scouting, my spot, my decoys, my setup, my calling, etc. This was an afternoon hunt mostly to scout for the next morning, this bird came in alone and committed 100% to the decoys, was a perfect 20 yard shot with landing gear down. So this represents a couple firsts.

 

[fatlander]

This is what I’d call a trophy bird. We fooled with him a handful of times throughout the whole season. We killed him on the last day. First call to him was around 7 am, finally got him to come in something after 1 in the afternoon.

24 pounds
1 5/8” spurs
11” beard


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KurtR]

Got this spec mounted. It was the last place my yellow dog got a retrieve before he got cancer and then the first place my black dog ran a real long blind i didnt think he had a chance Cedar was helping from up above . Picture doesnt do the mount justice.

 

[Banded_spooney]

I’ve got some wigeon. No story, they just came into the decoys.
View attachment 817851

This is the sexiest thing I’ve seen all day

Dirty Storm euro hybrid, is next level. I saw Matt Judy had killed one on IG. This one might be cooler.

 

[Oregon]

This is the sexiest thing I’ve seen all day

Dirty Storm euro hybrid, is next level. I saw Matt Judy had killed one on IG. This one might be cooler.

Not sure who Matt Judy is, but we’re pretty fortunate to shoot almost 1000 wigeon a year, so we have lots of opportunities for extremely handsome birds. Most unique puddle duck out there. Everyone different. On the sea duck side, old squaw only have more color variations.

 

[JeffP_Or]

Lucked into a redhead a few weeks ago; first one ever in hand. Pretty rare for the north Willy Valley and I rarely get divers on the places I hunt. A week or so after this, I lucked into a hen Can.

 

[Jaker_cc]

My wife finally wanted to go chase ducks with me late in the year last season. She pulled up and dumped this beautiful bull redhead with her first shot. It ended up being banded in Alberta Canada in 2012 as a mature bird. It was killed in south texas. She’s absolutely hooked and talks about shooting a trophy pintail this season.

 

[Lotsa Scribble]

Killer Pics!
shot about all of Thems, still partial w the Common Eider

...straight outta Narragansett

 

[Lotsa Scribble]

 

[Lotsa Scribble]

My Pic Post Skills need Lotsa Work.......

 

[loganwayne]

First ruffed grouse out of state, at the first place I had picked on the map within 15 minutes of starting a 9 day hunting trip. Was the first wild bird contact my puppy had. It all just kinda fell into place with this one, and it is a BIG bird. It's getting mounted now, I wish I would have kept the first grouse my old dog got with me.

 

[Cappy1099]

View attachment 817812Doubled with my dad. I told him to shoot the big one. He shot the solo bearded Tom that rolled into a mud puddle. Had a little over 11” rope. I meant for him to shoot the multi bearded bird. I wasn’t going to let him get away. Unofficially 6th largest bird killed in Oregon by NWTF standards with 4 beards. Didn’t hurt that I got the whole thing on video. I shot an unofficial 4th place archery turkey the year before. NWTF is a pain to get them scored without ruining the meat. I refuse to drive them 2 hours one way to wait and have someone else measure them.
Dad has an albino green head mounted next to an Eurasian widgeon on the wall. We have killed a few storm widgeon but none quite as full as yours.

Just got my mount back after 18 months. 4 year old bird. It’s gorgeous.

 

[cacklercrazy]

Starting what I hope is a long running thread of guys killing their dream bird. Pics and story required. I’ll go first. I’m a widgeon guy through and through. I’ve killed a few euro widgeon but I’ve spent 25 years obsessed with wanting to kill a Storm. Last week the sun broke after a stormy morning and a solo drake came down from the heavens right onto the Avain spinner. Got out as quickly as he came in but I killed him on the way out. Didn’t realize what I had until the dog came back.

Not a perfect storm but best one i will ever see. And no one I know has seen one as nice.

View attachment 817806

 

[Cappy1099]

Wow gorgeous bird. Eastern turkey for me. 4-4.5 year old bird. I was on a guided hunt in SC. Right after I pulled in the guide said there’s a struting Tom down the road get in the truck! We snuck down a tree row and he had a full size decoy. He said when I stick this think up he’ll come running. I called BS. That only happens on TV. Turns out he called it. That Tom was pissed ran right to us. Smoked. 11.5 bears. 1 1/4 spur. 24 lbs.

 

[Oregon]

Got me another one.

 

[Rogue Bay]

Starting what I hope is a long running thread of guys killing their dream bird. Pics and story required. I’ll go first. I’m a widgeon guy through and through. I’ve killed a few euro widgeon but I’ve spent 25 years obsessed with wanting to kill a Storm. Last week the sun broke after a stormy morning and a solo drake came down from the heavens right onto the Avain spinner. Got out as quickly as he came in but I killed him on the way out. Didn’t realize what I had until the dog came back.

Not a perfect storm but best one i will ever see. And no one I know has seen one as nice.

View attachment 817806

Beautiful bird! I’d give almost anything for a nice storm wigeon but I’ve never even seen one alive.