Trophy bird thread

[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.

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

 

[Rogue Bay]

I don’t have any good field photos but here are a few of my trophy birds. Photo 1 is a big gander Tule white-fronted goose, the only one I’ve shot. Photo 2 is my one and only Black Brant. I’ve shot a lot of wood ducks, but this drake was an absolute giant by wood duck standards and had perfect plumage. He dwarfed the other woodies we shot that day.

 

[Navaluk]

Drew a nonresident mountain goat in Nevada in 2010. To help get in shape I hunted Himalayan Snowcock in the same area first. Ruby Mountains 10,500 feet. Shot one of my few doubles on birds.

 

[LongWayAround]

This is my coolest bird. As far as I can tell, he is a Dusky Call Duck. A breed that was formerly used for live decoys.

A friend and I were hunting a huge mallard feed on the bank of the Missouri River in western Iowa. Wind was ripping, blowing snow. We were taking turns shooting single drakes when this little dude dropped out of a huge flock.

I wasn't sure what he was, but he was coming right to my boots. When I shot him, I thought it was a black duck. Neither of us knew what it was that day.

It's about 2/3 size of an average drake Mallard and has curly tail feathers.