i recently picked this up for that reason:

http://www.amazon.com/Waterfowl-Identification-Lemaster-Method-Richard/dp/0811729826

 

:

:up: well said........................... would be a to fool around and get in trouble for killing a bird just to be killing it....................... look out ivorybill............

 

:

:up: well said........................... would be a b to fool around and get in trouble for killing a bird just to be killing it....................... look out ivorybill............

:fit::fit::clap:

 

Delta Waterfowl has an app for the iphone and droids for duck id

 

my duck id, is if it flies it dies, lol..... down here where we hunt, its usually a wood duck, a squealer or a summer duck......(my smilies dont work, but if they did, it would be the one sticking its tongue out!)

 

Whoa whoa whoa. You're here to tell me that Grebes are illegal to shoot? Them dudes taste just like chicken and they decoy just beautifully.

 

I have mixed feelings about your rant. Ive been hunting for 15 years and I can ID 95% of the birds I shoot in the air. There is always that one that "craps on you" and you throw up a snap shot. I guess we cant all have "super duck hunter eagle eyes" like you do:smack:

Now on the other side. If I kill a duck that I dont recognize ill pull out the book and look. Im sure not going to post a picture online and ask what it is. I might get called a topwater or something:biggrin: Actually its quicker to just google duck id and look at pictures than to wait on others to reply to your post:up:

 

I agree with you completely. And I have told myself the same thing. Unfortunately I never grew up hunting waterfowl, never thought it would be any fun in freezing water hunting a bird. Got my taste of duck hunting 4 years ago by experienced hunters and have been ate up about it since.

No matter how many books you read, apps studied, catalogs, you name it. You will never know the complete differences unless you get out there and experience it hands on. Wing beats, size differences, group differences, etc.... the book will tell you for sure but what it actually looks like, different story.

I know the differences between a mallard, teal, geese, and black birds but if I'm not close to a limit of any type of waterfowl and I know it is a duck that flys in my spread who cares shoot em'. I'm not the type that is going to wait for a greenhead to come in unless I know they are around.

Never will i post a pic of something I'm not sure of.

Good topic.

 

I have mixed feelings about your rant. Ive been hunting for 15 years and I can ID 95% of the birds I shoot in the air. There is always that one that "craps on you" and you throw up a snap shot. I guess we cant all have "super duck hunter eagle eyes" like you do:smack:Now on the other side. If I kill a duck that I dont recognize ill pull out the book and look. Im sure not going to post a picture online and ask what it is. I might get called a topwater or something:biggrin: Actually its quicker to just google duck id and look at pictures than to wait on others to reply to your post:up:

Anytime you are walking over to pick up something you just killed and don't have a really good idea what it was when you pulled the trigger you need to ask yourself why you even shot. I understand some people could have trouble identifying wigeon and gadwall on a cloudy day or teal and blackjacks from one another also but you have a pretty good idea that its one or the other when you pull the trigger.

The reason for this thread is because some knothead killed something that swam up in the decoys because it probably "looked cool" to him. He wasn't smart enough to figure out what it was for himself so he thought he'd put it on the internet and get some advice on it. I understand that you have to learn somewhere, but in the mean time while that guy is gathering up enough knowledge to where he doesn't shoot cranes and eagles while duck hunting I'll try to keep my distance from him... This shoot first and ask questions later metality probably isn't the safest or smartest to go by..

 

While I agree that you should Identify your Target/Duck, usually from my experience any bird that will decoy is LEGAL???..Im sure there are exceptions but i'm yet to see it? Like Molly said it prolly swam up in the decoys or something?....a couple years ago I did start a thread like this titled "Duck ID"...I knew it was a legal duck, some kind of diver at least because about 50 scaup buzzed over my head and I shot a Hen outta the group, the coloration just threw me off, that was the year that you could not kill canvasbacks so YES I did get some remarks about it being one...either way I wouldnt ever post some long neck eurasian grebe on here being that it is not in the waterfoel regs :head:

 

here is a question . Is it illegal to shoot a black bellied whistling duck ? look it up it is a real bird.......... but nowhere does it say that you can kill them that i have found............:head:

 

What happened to the Grebe Pictures.oke:

 

What happened to the Grebe Pictures.oke:

Wikipedia said there were about 22 species of Grebe

Little Grebe or Dabchick

Black-Necked Grebe

 

Guess those hybrid's just fly by ya'll with a free pass:biggrin:

 

Wikipedia said there were about 22 species of Grebe

Little Grebe or Dabchick

Black-Necked Grebe

Do them come in the timber

 

i didnt think they could be killed! anytime ive seen one shot at ...it always dives under...pretty fast diver i'd say:head:

 

A. A grebe is not a duck, can’t say that I can remember ever seeing one while it was flying, have had em swim up on several occasions though…… and for those of you wondering, they always swim back out.....

B. I m very skeptical that those of you riding your high horse in this thread can honestly say that every shot you have ever taken in the timber (while duck hunting) was taken with 100% clarity as to what you were shooting at………..but maybe I’m wrong

I’m sure you all can ID a black duck / pintail cross that is flying amongst 30 mallards as they lite in the decoys ( on a cloudy day 2 minutes after shooting hours) and make a decision mid volley not to shoot or to shoot……….. actually now that I type out that scenario I’m 100% sure those of you bashing this guy are all 100% full of bull!




Carry on!

 

A. A grebe is not a duck, can’t say that I can remember ever seeing one while it was flying, have had em swim up on several occasions though…… and for those of you wondering, they always swim back out.....

B. I m very skeptical that those of you riding your high horse in this thread can honestly say that every shot you have ever taken in the timber (while duck hunting) was taken with 100% clarity as to what you were shooting at………..but maybe I’m wrong

I’m sure you all can ID a black duck / pintail cross that is flying amongst 30 mallards as they lite in the decoys ( on a cloudy day 2 minutes after shooting hours) and make a decision mid volley not to shoot or to shoot……….. actually now that I type out that scenario I’m 100% sure those of you bashing this guy are all 100% full of bull!




Carry on!

Right on.

We had a muscovy come in with about 20 mallards last Friday. It met its maker.:up:

 

Right on.

We had a muscovy come in with about 20 mallards last Friday. It met its maker.:up:

The real question is, did you know is was a muscovy when you shot?

 

The real question is, did you know is was a muscovy when you shot?

coons and coyote's deserve an easy meal, they gots to eat too

 

coons and coyote's deserve an easy meal, they gots to eat too

I thought thats what our friendly Arkansas Game & Fish Commission set turkey's aside for?

 

I thought thats what our friendly Arkansas Game & Fish Commission set turkey's aside for?

No they set those aside because sheffield and campbell are having a sword fight.

 

The real question is, did you know is was a muscovy when you shot?

Another member shot it and I'm sure he didn't really care. It was different and it got ground checked. Made for a good laugh when the dog brought that ugly sucker back.

 

As I expected many folks would completely take out of context what I had to say. All I was stating is if you knowingly shoot something and at the time of the shot you are saying man I didnt know what that was or if you have to ask what is that then maybe you shouldnt shoot it or just let it pass.

Im sorry but yes I can pretty plainly identify birds on the wing either by noise they make, color, wing patterns, or size. If your hunting in the timber then birds are even closer and should be easier to pick out hence the pick the green motto. I can see a gadwall hen and a pintail hen being confused on the wing they are similar on the wing in size and coloration but even then the pintail doesnt have white wing speculums the gadwall is the only bird that has that. As far as the black duck yea he is usually easy to spot and I have only seen one in my entire life. And he unfourtunatly didnt get shot!! Hybrids are rare and usually have a strong trait of one species so they are seen as a mallard first or a pintail or what have you.

My main beef is with the fact that soo many hunters today shoot ducks and even once killed still dont know what they shot and all they really know is a mallard or maybe a pintail. Short story example...Couple years ago I pulled up to a boat ramp on the river one afternoon and a couple of hands were pulling out their boat from a hunt. They asked me to take a pic for them of them and the birds they had taken so I agreed. They started bragging about how they had killed all these "redheads" and how they were covered up with them. When I get to their boat to take the picture I see Canvasbacks not Red Heads and waaay too many of em. I quickly explained what they had to them and told them the last thing they need to do is take a picture of it.

This is the main beef I have and it just seems like we are missing the point with folks on how to ID the birds they kill and in some cases even if its a duck!! I.E. the grebe:smack:

 

I agree with u avery. Even on cloudy days if a duck is landing into my decoys right at shootin time i have a prett good guess of what it is. Never have i shot something and gone i wonder what that was unless i was like thats either a gadwall or a mallard hen. Its not hard to tell. Yall need to stop taking crap out of context. Its a bit ridiculous honestly. The same guys that say to "respect your deer" say u cant possibly know every duck blah blah blah. Its crap. Know your target before you shoot oe hang your gun up and quit going 2 cents