SF Bay Duck hunting questions.

Hi folks, been a while and i dont get out to fish or spear much anymore and have been spending a lot of time with my daughter (almost 9 mos!!) its great and a big hcange so i decided to take up local duck hunting.

I got my license, refuge permit,  stamps, kayak , gear etc....

For those who hunt ducks locally what ducks are you taking maj of the time? the diving ducks? scaups? mallards? geese?

i know the limits but i would like people's opinions before i go out and start taking out birds that may not be ideal for eating.

What are the differences betwen the types of birds you are taking? one taste better than another? one have more meat?

I am using my kayak for hunting as well so i can stow away gear and move around over the levys as well. its just too convenient to pass up.

I went scouting in the hunt areas and they look great. The marshlands are excellent and there are a lot of birds and it has been a great learning experience for me about the local hunting areas. so close to home as well. im 5 minutes from Bair  / Greco Island.

i dont know when i will be spearing again and if i take more to hunting game i may just sell all of my spear gear to make the change. i dont have room for al lof it anyhow and i'd rather have it being used than sitting doing nothing.

any tips on bird cleaning and prep would be appreciated too. i look forward to a change in hobbies!

Thank you in advance!

john

well, i got a couple of small ducks (scaup) yesterday and it was fun calling them and getting them in range to shoot. they are fast and they change directions quickly.

i got two and ate them last night. they were ok. marinated them in dressing and cooked them up.

this morning i saw canadian geese flying south so i guess its migration times. time to look for them after work.

John, Good to see you out and about!!  (check your PM)

i know the limits but i would like people's opinions before i go out and start taking out birds that may not be ideal for eating.

What are the differences betwen the types of birds you are taking? one taste better than another? one have more meat?

I haven't hunted ducks since I was kid but I can tell you from experience that bay ducks (e.g. fish-eaters/divers) tend to be very strong in flavor. I don't know that scaup eat fish exactly but they are surface divers, which might explain why you found them to taste just "ok."

In my (limited) experience, the mainly seed/plant-eaters (dabbling ducks) are the best: mallard, pintail, teal...

Chuck & some others here can probably give you a lot more info. Happy hunting. 

hi pisciform, thats for the tip. i think these probably do dive under for food as one i had shot tried diving when i got to it before i used my paddle to knock it out. i will be more seltive and try for mallarts and pintails going forward. i'd like to see what the others are like and perhaps they are also bigger as well thogh harder to get at.

john

I am not a bird hunter, but respect you guys none the less (I suck at trap and skeet, even the clay pigeons laugh at my shooting them).  Way to go, it still amazes me with all the Uber anti gun people here, that you can still do it.  I am guessing no one has told Nancy P yet.

+1 on the taste difference between divers (fish ducks) and others.

Regarding cleaning them, if you shoot the smaller ducks, (teal, woodys, bluebills, cans etc) there is not a lot of meat on them besides the breast. We would skin them instead of plucking, and do them on the grill with just Lemon Pepper and Garlic salt.

You can get a little fancier with the fliers coming down from Canada.

I haven't hunted the Bay though - always make my trips home to MN and the Dakotas for the pheasant and duck hunting. I wouldn't mind giving it a try from a yak though - a shame I chose the mango colored on for visibility! 

I used to belong to a club in the bay.  Early in the season you'll get the local birds tht have a stronger flavor but later in thr year ducks from the north come down and tend to be better table fare.  Once you figure out the species of duck that youlike the flavor the best.  You'll probably do selective  shooting .  For me it's teal, pintail, mallards, and widgeon in that order.   Jim

China Camp has some duck blinds out on the water. Used to paddle around 'em to get to the sturgeon ground.

China Camp has some duck blinds out on the water. Used to paddle around 'em to get to the sturgeon ground.

HAHAHA Mooch sturgeon fishing. That's a good one:)

China Camp has some duck blinds out on the water. Used to paddle around 'em to get to the sturgeon ground.

HAHAHA Mooch sturgeon fishing. That's a good one:)

it's been done (after 4 looong years of trying)

Oh, the image of Mooch dodgin' bird shot as he's chasing sturgies...

Oh, the image of Mooch dodgin' bird shot as he's chasing sturgies...

We did hear the shot guns going off....never saw a duck in the vicinity....but I guess I was too busy starring at my rod tip for hours....hours...hours and hours...and then some more As much as I HATED it, I may do a go-out one more time this year before I turn Eskimo  

sorry for the thread-jack John.....it was EWB's fault