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[QUOTE=835;1026510]Wonder if it was a Canvas back!
jk
mine big bird was 100% merganser ..maybe eaten something else than fish..before coming down..?
Wow..Hilarious.. Quite a thread! But a good thread and there is a couple things people should be aware of.
One thing should be known about the Mergansers that has already been mentioned somewhat by Mr. Dean. On the Central Coast they are no doubt one of the main predators on Salmon fry in the creeks. If you like Wild Salmon shoot every merganser you see, whether you eat it or not is up to you..Because they are not a popular edible duck their stocks are fairly healthy.
Mergansers have families of over a dozen chicks all eating Salmon fry. They are one of the most underrated predators on Salmon Fry and they just hammer the fry in the creeks. When Salmon Stocks are low, as they are now, it is a good idea to thin out the predators that consume fry.
Go ahead and try to eat them if you want, they are what they eat... You will be doing the Wild Salmon Stocks a huge favor by harvesting them whether you eat them or not...Shoot a Merganser save many Wild Salmon..
Do you have to eat them if you shoot one, or do you just have to take it to your residence like a bear?
Being new to bird hunting I didn't know what this thing really was till Quohon told me. Freaking flying dinosaur. Johnny told me they taste like shit but some folks still like them!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...o/IMG_4038.jpg
Well - just goes to show you - some folks are just shite-eaters extraordinaire..........
Shovel it often enough and pile it high enough - somebody's bound to try it.
About the only thing I do with mergansers. Pretty good quality common hen there steeleco
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f5...6_1024x768.jpg
If you are going to pound the "Sawbills" make sure you retrieve them all!!
Remember!!! They are classified as ducks ! Stick to the daily limits!
Far too many guys stand along our rivers shooting them and making no
effort to recover them!:evil: In the early 50's I and some buddies learned to
wingshoot by killing them by the hundreds on the Cowichan!! We handloaded
reclaimed shot by the thousands! Yes, we were real assholes back then, but
strangeley enough it wasn't looked down upon as it is now??? We even had
some of the Cowichan Steelhead "highliners" give us the odd "saw-buck" to
buy shells??:-D I know, how can I preach to you youngfellas about obeying
the migratory rules, when we were such blatant offenders.:icon_frow It's a different
game nowadays with so many "bunny-huggers in our midst. I'd hate to see
anyone lose their hunting priviledges by killing some fish preditors???:cry:
Cheers-----Field Marshal.
Certainly you do want to retrieve the birds and not leave them lying around.
If you do not wish to eat them, as some do, put them to use as fertilizer in your garden, feed your neighbours Cat or use them for Crab/Prawn Bait. Main thing is to take them out... as the old steelhead fishermen new as well.
It is unbelievable how much fry they eat and it will only enhance the fry survival rate if mergansers are harvested.
Kind of like Wolves.. you don't eat the meat but they need to be taken out so more desirable species will survive.