2010 Cackler comes back to life.

[Crazy_Farmer]

Yea, I've done one or two in nylons but stopped after a couple guys said not too. I guess it's each guys choice. But my ended up fine aswell.


I gotta say though the more I look at this bird the more I'm curious.

Coloring is darker and works for both subspecies but the colouring on the photo is leaning to an aleutian, it has the darker negative ring underneath the white ring which is more aleutian

A fairly big thing is the check patches, a major trait of aleutians is separated cheek patches underneath, not 100% of them all but a vast majority. It has no separation at all

The head doesn't seem flat ontop and puffy near the bill so cackler

Weight, looks like a cackler compared to the mallards, aleutians are normally in the 3-4.5 lb range, this sitting next to the mallards I don't think weighs over 3.

Culmen could be a good thing to know, 32-38mm aleutian, 26-32 cackler.


Like all subspecies there is a lot of overlapping traits based on their breeding areas and evolving all together close by

[f350ps]

Have to agree with CF on this one, size and breast color tells me it's a Cackler. I shot one a few years ago that only had half the neck ring and wasn't much bigger than a Mallard. Should have mounted it cuz it sure was crappy to eat! K

[fowlweather]

it must be a cackler then, but a good fight

all the ones i have shot have never had those, my dad has an aleutian mounted in his office that he shot, it is an aleutian for sure though, he had a CO come look at it because he had never shot a cackler ever before, he didnt know what it was, the CO confirmed it as an aleutian

[Spirit's Master]

Beautiful mount. Almost makes me want to shoot it myself.

cwf

[lorneparker1]

it must be a cackler then, but a good fight

all the ones i have shot have never had those, my dad has an aleutian mounted in his office that he shot, it is an aleutian for sure though, he had a CO come look at it because he had never shot a cackler ever before, he didnt know what it was, the CO confirmed it as an aleutian

Most co's i know cant tell the difference between a hen mallard and black duck, let alone an aleutian and cackler! lol.

Nice mount and bird Marc!

[longshot]

Yup definately no doubt a western cackler, beautiful birds for sure... My dad shot 2 a few years ago, but we ate them...

[waterfowlin101]

That is a cackler 100%. Short culmen makes it quite obvious.

The neck ring is very common on adult cacklers.

You can see how many have some variation of it in this picture..


Here are a couple cacklers that have a very pronounced neck ring....alongside some that don't. We see these everyday of the season...


Other subspecies also have a defined neck ring. This is an adult Taverner's goose...NOT an Aleutian.


Hope this helps! Great mounted bird by the way!!!

[longshot]

Hey I see you are new to the site... how bout an introduction?? What region are you in?? Your hunting intrests??

[lorneparker1]

Id venture to say hes from oregon! Just a guess though!

[303Brit]

Nice looking bird Marc, and as always great work by Craig. Shoulda got one of ours mounted from this year.

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