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Mallard snobbery #7913280 07/26/20 01:42 AM
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2flyfish4 Offline OP
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Well as we pass through the doldrums of the offseaon I figured this would be a good offseason topic.

Where does the mallard only purist stem from? I think we all love shooting greenheads as much as anyone. But to me one of the things I love the most about duck hunting is the variety of ducks. I dont think there is a better sound than a group of ringnecks lighting into the spread. Or the show a flight of teal put on. Is there a cooler duck than a widgeon? The beauty of a wood duck, I could go on about just about every species.

So the guys that only care about mallards, where does that come from? Is it an ego thing? An I'm better than you mentality?

What do you say?


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7913310 07/26/20 02:16 AM
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It’s all judds fault

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7913380 07/26/20 03:08 AM
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Talking to them the way the decoy the places they favor large wads of them.

I'm not a mallard snob. But if given the choice between hunting mallards or mixed bag. I'll be chasing the mallards.

I wouldn't pick up my gun for a ringneck or any diving duck. Including the coveted canvasback.

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7914089 07/26/20 10:11 PM
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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7914572 07/27/20 12:34 PM
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I'll shoot anything legal that flies in the decoys. I will say though, the way a mallard works, talks back to you when you call, how they will adjust to various set up, it's wild to see. Very few birds will work a spread the way a mallard does, and they taste good. I'm a proud member of the Spoon Platoon but given the chance to go chase green, I'm all in. I grew up on the coast and could damn near count the times I saw Mallards down there. In the old days there were more, but now they seem to get more and more rare. So for the guys that have been "spoiled" to getting their share of mallards, I can see how they got that way.


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7914859 07/27/20 04:26 PM
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It's one of those questions that if you ask 10 of them you'd get 10 different answers. There are tons of them, they're big, they work well, they get smart/wary, you can hunt them in a lot of different places from timber to dry fields. For others, it's all about opportunity. Lots of places north of us have mainly mallards by mid season. Kind of like those CenTex boys and their spoonies. peep


Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7914869 07/27/20 04:38 PM
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For the record, shovelers are at the other end of the spectrum. Mallards on one end. Shovelers on the other.


“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7915390 07/27/20 11:30 PM
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I shoot between 30 to 50% mallards, and they are the primary duck I'm after, for the following reasons:

1) They make a bigger splash when they hit the water...
2) They are better table fare than any other duck. The breast is bigger, they are easier to clean, they age better, and they smell and taste better.
3) They are more challenging to decoy.

Many times I go out and say "I'm only shooting greenheads", except for my kicker duck. I'm picky there as well. I don't shoot divers because they are hard to clean and they stink. But when I hunt and say I'm only shooting greenheads, its because I scouted them the day before and I don't want to fill my strap with nothing else.

My favorite kicker duck is pintail.

And I love shooting a limit of GWT, good eating, easy to clean, and they smell good.

Woodduck boring to shoot, but they look cool and are tasty.

Wigeon I do not see that many, but cool to shoot, I like their look, not as tasty as the other ducks mentioned above. I put them in same table fare class as gadwalls.

And don't tell me all ducks taste the same, the guys that say this all marinade their ducks, so yeah, marinade them all in gasoline they will all taste like gasoline.

You wanna know how tasty a duck is, salt and pepper only, leave skin on, age a week in the fridge, cook on hot cast iron. Don't try this with a ringer, you will have ringer burps the next day and they are nasty.

I will age them and week in pepper, but wait to salt them till ready to throw on grill..
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I like to cut the silver skin off and other junk off the back side, this gets hard with other ducks...
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Cast iron, little oil, when it starts to smoke it is ready... Fat side down...
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Cook as long as possible fat side down to render that fat, but it will need a flip..
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Let it rest a minute or 2 or all the juice will flow out...
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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7915488 07/28/20 12:39 AM
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Originally Posted by 2flyfish4

Where does the mallard only purist stem from? I think we all love shooting greenheads as much as anyone. But to me one of the things I love the most about duck hunting is the variety of ducks.

When I'm scouting and hunting, I love the variety as well. But when I pull the trigger, I only shoot what I want to clean and eat. If I choose not to pull the trigger on a ringer, I just do not want to clean and eat it, is that snobbery?

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7915497 07/28/20 12:44 AM
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I'm not a snob, but I would like to get into some green heads, having never killed one, I did kill a mallard hen my first time duck hunting years ago. Can we say100 pt. duck? bang

Last edited by RayB; 07/28/20 12:45 AM.

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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7915729 07/28/20 05:50 AM
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There is something different about how mallards work and commit to a spread.

I love all the different species as well and how they each have their own beauty and unique characteristics.

However, big fat greenheads cupping up in your face is something to behold.

One of my top 2 hunts I've ever been a part of was a 2 man limit of mallards hunt.

I went into work one day and a friend told me about all these ducks that were coming into some flooded pasture behind his house. I couldn't get over there for a few days but I was able to scout the day before the hunt. I couldn't see hardly anything through the cover but was able to at least get a glimpse of a few ducks and could hear them feeding. I could only get one buddy to go with me. We set up pretty much blind but had great cover. Shooting light came and went with nothing but crickets, Doubt started to creep in, thoughts of getting skunked started to take over. Then out of nowhere a pair dropped right in just like you dream of, then 2 more. They worked in perfectly but not so fast that you were done too quick. We limited out and then just enjoyed the show. Add in the fact that my dog Kimber is an absolute beast and a joy to hunt with, it was just one of those hunts I'll never forget!

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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7916180 07/28/20 05:31 PM
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Check my name. No shame in my game. I shoot em all. Even divers make good summer sausage. If I could only hunt one species for the rest of my life it would be wood ducks. Nothing better than seeing them zip through the timber.

Last edited by SpoonPlatoon; 07/28/20 05:32 PM.

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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7916417 07/28/20 09:09 PM
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I have seen more folks willing to shoot other species of ducks in the western and central fly ways. I have hunted in Arkansas, North Louisiana and western Mississippi. The old ways die hard there. I been chastised for blasting teal, redheads, ring necks, etc.. in duck blinds. It almost like baseballs unwritten rules in locations like Bayou Meta or flood waters out side Yazoo Miss. of the delta. Duck hunters shoot mallards and the odd woody to fill out a limit. In talking with old hunters, most have passed away; it came sport writers praising mallards in Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, printing mallard images on shell boxes and advertisements. Long before the vast number of social media and print was king. The market days when mallards were the table fare of choice for size and taste, The pure numbers in the Mississippi and Eastern flyway lead easier availability. There a few location where Cans are king, they can be hard to pluck and at times a very open water bird on the east coast.
I find this ideas really cool, much like the only shooting of birds with there feet down with 2 3/4 shell, birds are to plucked and presented at the table, only shoot drakes. But a lot of sports had funny quirks, much like fly fishermen using only dry flies or der hunters only kill does.

How we have changed the sport.

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7916841 07/29/20 02:51 AM
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I think it has to do with numbers. Outside of the blue wing real migration there's not many birds that group up in 30s 40s and 100s and decoy. It's just that you can go out with 4 or 5 guns and fill a strap of all mallards over a lot of the country. Obviously there are places where mixed bags are the best you'll do but for the most part sheer numbers along with size, color, taste and workability make mallards the prize bird.


Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7916884 07/29/20 03:33 AM
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I think it's because they're the bird that is most susceptible to calling, and they're the most abundant. They also decoy.

I will say that early morning wood duck blitz is exciting though, but that's just about being in the right spot


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7917078 07/29/20 01:07 PM
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Got my first one while mule deer/elk hunting in Colorado last year. There just aren't that many in San Antonio/ Hill Country area or further south towards the coast. I'm having him mounted.


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7917124 07/29/20 01:55 PM
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Love shooting a green head but prefer a mixed bag! I think one of the most fun things about duck hunting the central flyway is never knowing whats gonna come in. As far as eating goes mallard surpasses the majority of other birds like divers and such but my dog will eat a ringneck the same as it'll eat a mallard so nothing will go to waste. [Linked Image]


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7918518 07/30/20 05:22 PM
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Good discussions and I like what everyone had to say. I don't really believe it to be snobbery but decided to use the word to catch more peoples attention. No doubt mallards respond to a call better than any other duck, can be found in singles to huge wads. I had 3 hunts last year were I shot nothing but mallards plus my kicker. 2 of those hunts were all greenheads. I still like my mixed bag hunts though.


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7918527 07/30/20 05:28 PM
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Yall can have the greenheads, I will take Redheads all day long. REdheads make the best gumbo.

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7918639 07/30/20 07:43 PM
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I think for some it is like keeping score or having a winning hand...a straight flush. Nothing snobbish especially if that is what yo set out to do before the hunt.

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7918769 07/30/20 09:32 PM
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I'd say more impressive is a mixed all Drake grey strap. Shows a good eye. My age that's like bragging. roflmao

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: Aggieduck] #7921734 08/03/20 02:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Aggieduck
I think it has to do with numbers. Outside of the blue wing real migration there's not many birds that group up in 30s 40s and 100s and decoy. It's just that you can go out with 4 or 5 guns and fill a strap of all mallards over a lot of the country. Obviously there are places where mixed bags are the best you'll do but for the most part sheer numbers along with size, color, taste and workability make mallards the prize bird.


Man, you need to go to the coast to see Redheads and Bluebills by the 100s decoying.
I'm not a Mallard snob, and I don't belittle the other types of duck. I've never met a Mallard snob and I've hunted many states and places. Shoot at the legal duck that comes your way because every hunt is special. It is duck hunting. Keep it simple and don't overthink it.

**** First post here since just moving back to TX


cheers


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7922021 08/03/20 12:01 PM
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Old name coming back.

Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7922900 08/03/20 11:56 PM
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I’d like to know the draw behind the trend too. I personally like to shoot ducks. No matter the species. Each type has its pros and cons and all of them are fun to watch finish over the spread. I do gotta day that I particularly enjoy how GWT work a spread, how dumb gadwall can be, and a good ole hover from a widgeon.


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Re: Mallard snobbery [Re: 2flyfish4] #7924195 08/05/20 12:47 AM
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In Idaho there are so many mallards that I get excited to see something else.

I do however like shooting duck in dry fields instead of over water. That’s nice...

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