Waterfowl wanton waste

[RUGER]

This discussion came up with a friend of mine last year and I happened to think about it this morning.

I see lots of comments on here as well as on facebook about the hero shots and how it pains some people.
Personally I like to see a shot of ducks lined up on a tailgate or on the deck of a boat. It helps bring back memories of that particular hunt for me when I go back through the pictures I have collected over my very short time as a waterfowl hunter.

This discussion lead to the question, "How many ducks do you think really get eaten every year?"

A popular belief is that many duck hunters now days get their 5 or 15 man limits then do the grip & grin and then stand around and start asking, you want these ducks?
Within my group that I hunt with it is usually not a big deal because we normally don't have but about 5 ducks so we are just talking about like 15 minutes of your time to clean them. :rotf:

Many people believe a large majority of ducks killed every year end up being thrown out after the pictures and maybe the plucking of the tail feathers off the drakes.


What approximate percentage of waterfowl do you think ends up in a ditch somewhere, tossed aside on the trip home or on the way back to the blind the next morning?

 

[Laxxxxxx]

Don't want to answer because I think a lot more than people would like to admit. Some people clean them just to have them in the freezer and say "hey look I have duck".

I eat all mine but it's been tough hunting


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[Pic IN the Casa]

Definitely not grandstanding by any means but I couldn't imagine tossing them out. I hate even leaving lost cripples behind. I'm fortunate to hunt with a group that feels the same way.

 

[Grnwing]

I'd like to think most hunters would eat their ducks or gift them to someone who will. If there's a duck that I am not going to eat, I don't shoot it.

 

[Bgoodman30]

We try to eat all our ducks as best we can.. Make big pots of gumbo at camp etc..

 

[TNGunsmoke]

We eat ours, or donate em to a wild game dinner. Been few enough the last few years, I couldn't imagine throwing any out. I do occasionally see one or two in a ditch, and I suspect it was a "We only killed one, not worth the time to clean it" type thing.

 

[Tenntrapper]

Probably no larger a percentage than that of doves and squirrels. I can't count the number of times I've been asked "do you want these?". I think most hunters still have some morals, don't like wasting, breaking the law, etc. In my opinion, it's one of the major contributers to the decreasing number of hunters. If you're not going to eat it, why kill it?
I shot my first 2 Woodies this year. They are in the freezer. I WILL eat them. If I don't like how they taste, I won't kill anymore. I won't kill them and leave them laying. That's just wrong.

 

[spoonie]

I eat a bunch of ducks during season mainly because I don't like freezing meat and its easy for a camp meal just searing the breast, it seems to get lost in the freezer or never thawed out when I want to cook something. what my crew doesn't eat we donate to a fella that will eat all he can get and is very appreciative for the food. I would say a lot of game gets thrown in ditches and creeks. I have heard of one group guys that kill a bunch ducks get ask what they do with all the ducks and there response was make sasuage… they feed them to the hogs then butcher the hogs

 

[double browtine]

Some ducks definitely taste better than others. They also make great jerky! Try slicing and soaking in Allegro hot and spicy and then grilling them or dehydrating them for jerky!

 

[chimneyman]

I believe a lot depends on where your hunting. If your hunting local and kill half dozen mallards your probably going to clean and eat them. If you travel out of state on a snow goose hunt and kill 50 or so. They are more likely to end up in a ditch

 

[DaveB]

I would say the type of duck is what determines what hits the ditch/trashcan. Some of them just do not taste good.

Some folks eat coots.

In California my buddy found about 30 snows in a gas station dumpster.

 

[drake799]

Every year I always seem to see some thrown on the road coming from hunting areas. I would say more get thrown away than people think.

 

[TimberMan]

More than we would like to admit. It is a shame to all hunters when people do those kinds if things. Never an excuse for it.

 

[rukiddin]

I'd add that for every duck thrown in a ditch, there's just as many that will stay in a freezer until the next "my freezer died" moment or they're eventually thrown out.

I love ducks, doves and all wild birds when it comes to eatin. I'll take every one every time. I'm "that guy" that people know will take them. Which is also why I think possession limits is the most asinine rule in the outdoors.