My mallard stinks like fish.

[seanps]

Hey fellas. I'm hoping to get some advice.

I shot a nice mallard last weekend near a salmon-spawning river. Looks like she'd been spending most of her time in the water that had lots of dead and nearly dead salmon around.

I found salmon eggs in her crop when cleaning (like Marc, whose post I saw last weekend). No smell initially, but when she was plucked and clean I found she really, really smelled fishy. We're a little worried about cooking it, lest we stink up the house.

The bird's in the freezer now.

My question is: Is it likely all the ducks in that area are going to be that nasty smelling? If not, I'd head out tomorrow and see if I can bring a few more home (I'd love more, but there's only so much you can do with a single-shot 20 gauge!).

[Gunner]

There's a good chance that they'll all stink!If you are hunting near the Chehalis or Vedder(or some of the smaller salmon streams),most of the local birds will be grazing on rotten dog salmon.At this time of year if you can't hunt the birds feeding in the farm fields or the salt marsh you're better off leaving them alone.They are basically inedible! Gunner

[ruger#1]

The real tasty ones are in the sewer lagoons.

[f350ps]

Fillet it and cook it on a cedar plank. K

[Gunner]

Fillet it and cook it on a cedar plank. K

Are you speaking from experience Kelly? M

[Duckman]

Fillet it and cook it on a cedar plank. K

And then eat the plank?

[seanps]

Haha. Guess *that* bird is going in the trash.

Too bad!

[f350ps]

Ya Murray, I've whacked a few of them stinky ones. I used to shoot a spot up at Deroche during freeze ups and the Mallards would be gorging on dead dog salmon. If ya buried them in the garden they grew great Roses though. K

[Gunner]

I learned fast!One great December shoot on the Chehalis flats cured me of shooting "flying fishes"! I moved back to the salt marsh.I'll be on the Coast for another treatment Monday,I'll give you a call later in the week Kelly. Cheers,Gunner

[f350ps]

Sounds like a plan! See ya then. K