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bc sportsman
08-22-2007, 05:01 PM
What is your view on the taste between the following:
1) Canada Geese
2) Snow Geese
3) Ross Geese

What about the various ducks:
4) Marsh ducks such as Mallards, Pintails, Teals, Harlequins etc
9) Divers such as Canvasbacks, Goldeneyes, other ducks

Never had wild ducks or geese before. If there are some species that just don't taste that great:eek: then I prefer knowing so that I don't hunt them.

Thanks guys

ROEBUCK
08-22-2007, 06:00 PM
i enjoy both snow geese and canada geese, i prefer dabbling ducks to divers ,you cant beat a nice plump roasted mallard ,in my opinion any wild game is better than tasteless meats from supermarkets

Dirty
08-22-2007, 06:16 PM
They all taste the same it's called pepperoni.

Ian F.
08-22-2007, 06:55 PM
There are very few bad duck, but there are a hell of a lot of bad duck cooks!

Canvasback was worth 50 times all other birds during market gunning, there is a reason for this, hands down best.

Next for me would be wood duck, then teal

I find Canada, mallard, gadwall, pintail all about the same

Snow is mild as are redheads and bluebills

Stronger ducks include goldeneye's, scoters and harlies

The only birds I'm not fans of are RB mergs and Common mergs and Old squaw, Used to shoot OS for dog training, they are perfect for that, but being between dogs haven't bothered.

The secret to duck is cook it rare and treat like red meat and not like duck!

Ian

bc sportsman
08-22-2007, 07:02 PM
Thanks Ian and Daniel. I appreciate hearing from both of you.

Bow Walker
08-22-2007, 07:58 PM
We used to call Mergansers "Double Enders" for a very good reason. Another endearing term that we used was "Shitters" cause that's what they tasted like.

Canada geese are great, Snows as well. As Ian says - it's all in the cooking. My first wife tried to make Duck A L'Orange when we were first married.

Well, the acid in the fresh oranges reacted with the stronger tasting Goldeneye and :eek:..............well let's just say that we found something else to do besides eat supper.:wink:

There were three of us brothers who were all hunting together for a few years. We would duck hunt, deer hunt, and fish for fresh caught, shrimp fed Coho then fill the freezers. Come Christmas time Mom 'n Dad used to hold an open house on Boxing Day, for everyone who was interested - family and friends.

The fare was leftover turkey, baked ham, and a wide sampling of the game that the 'kids' provided. I was into scuba diving at the time and in addition to the game meat, I used to contribute abalone, scallops, red snapper, ling cod and what ever else. Somehow there weren't a lot of leftovers from Boxing Day.

Ahh, those were the good ole days...........:smile:

MichelD
08-23-2007, 09:56 AM
I am blessed with a woman who loves to eat waterfowl to the point that she's the one who encouraged me to buy a shotgun and get bird hunting, and she plucks and cleans my ducks as well as cooks them like a chef in a five star hotel.

(oh yeah, I do my share if I have a lucky day)

Like Daniel said, a plump roasted mallard is succulent and hard to beat, Canada is excellent as well.

Snows are fine in my opinion, but not up to the standard of Canada geese.

4ptbuck
08-23-2007, 11:04 AM
I like ducks the best, Mallard. But there isn't a whole lot of meat.
Snows would rank #2. With Canadas as third.

I don't find much of a difference between the taste of Canadas and Snows. The difference I find is in the tenderness. In hunting snows, I end up with a lot more 'grays' or younger birds, as opposed to pass shooting Canadas.

Elkhound
08-23-2007, 11:23 AM
mmmmmmmmmm birds. I really need to do more waterfowling.:grin:

Marc
08-23-2007, 11:47 AM
You may find that wild duck tast a bit like liver. It's a dark meat. You either like it or you don't. My wife will eat Canada Goose ut she wont go near duck, she finds them to gamey.

I agree with Ian, golden eye has much to be desired. It's a soft mushy type of meat, same with buffle head.

bc sportsman
08-23-2007, 01:23 PM
We used to call Mergansers "Double Enders" for a very good reason. Another endearing term that we used was "Shitters" cause that's what they tasted like.

Canada geese are great, Snows as well. As Ian says - it's all in the cooking. My first wife tried to make Duck A L'Orange when we were first married.

Well, the acid in the fresh oranges reacted with the stronger tasting Goldeneye and :eek:..............well let's just say that we found something else to do besides eat supper.:wink:

There were three of us brothers who were all hunting together for a few years. We would duck hunt, deer hunt, and fish for fresh caught, shrimp fed Coho then fill the freezers. Come Christmas time Mom 'n Dad used to hold an open house on Boxing Day, for everyone who was interested - family and friends.

The fare was leftover turkey, baked ham, and a wide sampling of the game that the 'kids' provided. I was into scuba diving at the time and in addition to the game meat, I used to contribute abalone, scallops, red snapper, ling cod and what ever else. Somehow there weren't a lot of leftovers from Boxing Day.

Ahh, those were the good ole days...........:smile:

That brings back memories for me. I used to scuba every weekend and come back with ling and other tasty sea morsels that would last me the the week. Help defray the living costs while going to UBC.

We live exclusively on game meat now (for red meat) with the exception of chicken and fish. Hope to replace some of the store bought chickens with ducks and geese this year. First time and we'll see how it goes.

As for salmon, for lack of a boat, I charter once a year out of Sooke (Reel Excitement fishing charters) and always get my limit of springs plus the other species. The salmon usually lasts us till December. One day I'll be rich and buy a boat so that I can fish for salmon year round locally. Not too excited about catching a salmon off my canoe. Probably would end up being towed out to Alaska.

Thanks for all the info guys. :D

NEEHAMA
08-23-2007, 01:24 PM
duck=pepperoni
goose=sunday night family roast dinner!! just the best!!

bc sportsman
08-23-2007, 01:25 PM
While we are on topic, how does everyone clean their birds? Only have cleaned grouse in the past using the 'step on wings and pull' method.

Anyone use a drill operated plucker? Skin out? Boil first and then pluck?

f350ps
08-24-2007, 08:09 AM
For me it's a juvenile Snow all the way. Can't beat em. K

ROEBUCK
08-24-2007, 08:22 AM
My father and i always used to pluck our birds but this took so long, so we both started to skin them out you do lose the tasty skin, but you can do a goose in a couple of minutes , sometimes we would cut and pull the breasts out on some smaller birds like teal and small gamebirds

mattysco
08-28-2007, 03:17 PM
i found canada goose a little 'fowl' haha

Ian F.
08-28-2007, 05:44 PM
I'm a boob man!

Breast everything!

I think I've plucked 3 birds in the last ten years and they where gifts. I'll even make goose roasts, 2 breasts, bone out the legs, flip the breasts, put the leg meat between with some bacon and garlic, insert in ham netting, treat like roast beef!

Not long now boys, not long at all!

Ian

thatskindafunny
08-28-2007, 06:55 PM
Took up puddle jumping ducks 2 years ago. Shot 2 mallards one day. Cut the breast out and fried them up the next day. Haven't been duck hunting since. Yuk, tasted like liver. Too bad as puddle jumping is good for a nice walk out in the farm. But maybe just maybe I should get a good receipe and try one more time.

rbduck
08-28-2007, 06:59 PM
I guess I`m kinda spoiled when it comes to the waterfowl I am lucky enough to shoot. There is nothing like a fresh roasted corn/barley fed prairie Mallard. The Canadas and Snows here are hard to beat also. I`ve shot Mallards with so much corn in them, they could hardly fly, as the corn was still in their mouths.
Keeping in mind, I shot my first Mallard in the Delta Marsh outside Vancouver and a lot in the Ladner Marsh. How about at the end of Williams Rd at #1RD in Richmond or by Steveston? Spent years hunting those areas.
Nothing is wasted either, plucked or skinned, whole birds and/or breasted with thighs and legs.

Good luck this year to all you waterfowlers.

Ron:biggrin:

Jimbo
08-30-2007, 11:05 PM
Mallards are # 1 by far. Widgeon are at the other end of the scale !

MichelD
08-30-2007, 11:23 PM
Well rbduck,

You were lucky to be in on the glory days.

Those areas you mention are now closed tighter than a bull's ummm...

Well, you know what I mean.

It is now a no shooting area.