Double on ducks...

[Dan Houghton]

OK so they are spoonies!!!! But man were they coming in on a string last weekend. Dairy pond outside Dublin TX. Clean double with a CH 12ga using Hevi-Shot Classic Doubles (I'm saving my RSTs for mallards!) 18 birds in the bag between 3 guns and I shot the only non-shoveler, a nice drake greenwing. Badger the brit made all the retrives. Fun day.

[Dave Suponski]

Dan, Congratulations!....:bowdown:

[Dean Romig]

Short n' sweet but well-told Dan! Tough to beat days like that. Good shooting, congrats.

[Rich Anderson]

Duck hunting in a T-shirt...that is just wrong on so many levels:rolleyes:

Are you going to eat the Manitoba Pintails AKA Spoonies??? I tried once and even the dog wouldn't eat them.

[Dan Houghton]

Richard, I stripped outta my jacket and heavy shirt after the shoot as it warms up quick down here. It was not cold to begin with at about 40 F at sun up and about 65 whilst taking the photos. As for consuming the spoonies, they won't go to waste. I make jerkey out of them that is actually pretty good. At least no one refrains from eating all I can make...

[Brian Stucker]

Spoonie Sandwich: One cleaned and plucked spoonbill boiled with some salt. Cook outside or open all the windows. Use only the breast meat...peel the skin off and remove from sternum. Bury the rest.

Get two pieces of wonder bread and apply mayonaise and pepper to taste. Add the spoonie breasts and sit back for a real surprise.

This recipe was given me from an old (95 yrs.) depression era hunter from Oklahoma. I kept giving him some bullsh*t about not getting any spoonies lately. That was a lie. Didn't have the guts to try.

Finally boredom got the better of me and, well...just try it.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Good work Dan, duck shooting is duck shooting. I shoot 'em all usually, even mergansers. *wink*

That's not a bad looking drake. Of all the "Hollywood Ducks" I ever shot, I'd never killed one in plumage until last year. And that's in 25 seasons of steady waterfowling. Hard to believe really.....

Destry

[Dan Houghton]

Destry, Thanks. Actually I have shot a few EXTREMELY nice Spoonie drakes and a buddy has one of mine on his wall that I'll try to take a picture of. I hunt in California every January and the bull spoonies are in full plume there. No gray on the back of the neck at all just a full white collar. I have a soft spot for them as I think they are very handsome but they get a bad rap because of the table quality and that oversized bill...

[Kurt Densmore]

At this point I would be happy to see 2 ducks of any species....You should post up some close up pics of that fine CH...

Kurt

[Francis Morin]

All of these trash ducks can be prepared- here's one way-- breast out the birds, and after picking out the shot and debris- Marinate for a week in a covered Pyrex dish- using Jack Daniels or Jim Beam- reserve the marinade liquid when you remove the meat- I usually drain the liquid through a screen to filter out any debris-- Use a cast iron Dutch oven and a deep hole fire pit with solid hardwood coals- add 1/3rd of the reserve liquid to 2/3rds. Virgin- must be Virgin-very important Olive Oil- coat the cold Dutch oven with that using a basting brush- pepper the pieces of the duck, and put both an unpeeled sweet onion and a clean rock aprox the same size as the onion in the pot with the meat- pour in a 12 oz. can of any "poker night" cheap beer at ROOM temperature- not cold- this, like the unblemished Olive Oil, is very important-

Cover, making sure the lid makes a tight seal, lower into fire pit and pack 100% with the red-hot hardwood coals- and then cover with dirt- wait about 46-48 hours, carefully brush away dirt and top layer of coals- should be cool if not cold to the bare handed touch- remove Dutch oven with tongs, remove lid and- this is CRITICAL- first remove the rock, again with the tongs and place on wooden carving board- if you can slice through the rock with a serated carving knife, the duck is ready to hit the bed of Uncle Ben's- if not, well that's why you have reserved the marinade- on the rocks with a splash of soda and a lime twist-or perhaps a nice Chianti and some Fava beans--

Anyway, all attemps at an "Ed Zernian" finish here, congrats. I did a double about a month ago on Mallards with the GHE 12-probably won't have that chance again until we see Dick Cheney enrolled in a Holland & Holland Shooting School--:corn::corn: