Fishy mallards

[Dutch Ppoacher]

Any bird that feeds on the salt flats will have a skunky smell due to the environment its feeding in. Just make sure to clean them well and before cooking brine them in a flavor you like.

i shoot my share of singles and doubles, theres no way to tell if they are resident birds, even taste is a tough one to go by.

just my 2 cents

[Lozzie]

Fed my wife and Inlaws Mallards I shot in Cowbay yesterday and there were no complaints. Typically I breast out my ducks and let them sit in the fridge in a bowl of salted water. It tends to dissipate coagulation and can also remove some gameyness. Give it a try and if it doesn't work for you, you can always buy chicken.

[Treed]

Actually, the statement he made that based on sampling over 50 odd years, in this particular region, he has noted that the ducks shot in a small groups tend to be fishy and in large groups are generally not fishy is exactly what science is. Backing it up with other evidence (smaller resident groups in sloughs, larger non-resident groups in fields) and the hypothesis that they are fishy because of their food is what good science is made of. He made no claims that this was true, or applied everywhere - just that it was his observation - with probably a nice big sample size .

[walks with deer]

Truth is most guys don't have the luxury to pass on birds.

And in truth if you pass on a loner in my blind I'd be pissed.

[BiG Boar]

I believe that the taste of fish is most likely coming from the way you're cleaning the bird. Some eat fish, some don't, but if you touch the outside of a fishy one, and then use those same hands to remove the breast, you will have some flavour head over there.

[Sako 75]

I have seen lots of mallards feeding on dead salmons/eggs on salmon bearing streams. I am pretty sure those mallards are fishy. I am fortunately (lucky) enough to hunt most of the mallards by nearby corn/grain/vegetables farms.

[Dutch]

Not only salmon or herring roe opened up greenheads before full of the little beach crabs they were in a large flock probably just being friendly...

[Stormy]

I'm confused by your seemingly hostile attitude toward my statements even though I've tried to explain what I've personally noted within my hunting areas for many years.

That's my personal observations sir, and if you can't accept that as it is, but would rather have 'scientific' evidence and imply that my hunting experiences are 'ridiculous' then I guess you're not the person I have thought you were. Good hunting to you, sir.

Dave, sometimes you should just ignore the drivel uttered by the cool guys - thanks for sharing your experiences with us, clearly you have had years and years of experience in the fields and marshes - so I'd take your word any day of the week over some "scientific evidence" that probably means squat in the harsh light of day!

[ACB]

A old Newfie friend of my family hunted out by the Vedder R. and Vedder canal and when he would get ducks out there he said you had to pull their bills open an smell them. If they smelled like fish his dog got a treat that night. This is a guy that ate seagulls during the dirty thirties in Newfoundland, I guess he figured he had eaten enough fishy birds.

[fowl language]

just a bit of info on fish runs in the southern regions. the very last run that is fished commercially is the cowichan area. a few years back we fish the area till the 20th of dec. the second last run to be fished commercially is the late fraser run which could be fished from the end of oct. till about the 20th of nov. this could well be the cause of fishy ducks in certain areas.