mergansers ??

[finngun]

new type diving duck to me...please tell me are these good to eat and
of coarse are these legal to shoot...[i guess they are]....regs. dosn,t has anything
about these ducks.
thanks about info....f-g:confused:

[MOOSE MILK]

Put on cedar plank cook uncovered 4 - 6 hours in low oven, rub generously with herbs, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco, through away bird and eat plank!!!

[blackwater moose]

Put on cedar plank cook uncovered 4 - 6 hours in low oven, rub generously with herbs, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco, through away bird and eat plank!!!


that is so funny and so true

[finngun]

[QUOTE=MOOSE MILK;1009672]Put on cedar plank cook uncovered 4 - 6 hours in low oven, rub generously with herbs, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco, through away bird and eat plank!!!

sounds like good recepy..thanx.. i eat all mallards my darling wife eat all mergeansers...

[Mr. Dean]

Mergansers are shot to preserve fish stocks. They can do a good number on sensitive species of salmon, steelhead..... They're a fingerling's nightmare.

[Freshtracks]

All ducks are edible. Just depends on what your taste buds prefer. ;)

[lorneparker1]

have any of the people above actually eaten one?

I havent but if someone cooked one up and said hey try this i would. I just couldnt bring myself to do it on my own.hahahaha

Lorne

[fowlweather]

they just arent that tasty, i heard a friend that uses them for dog retrieving practice, thats just about it

[Drillbit]

Are they schedule C then?

[lorneparker1]

no they are not schedule c.

[835]

Mergansers are great "Trainers" for the dog.

[field marshal]

Mergansers are great "Trainers" for the dog.
I guess so if thats what you are planning to target for your waterfowling??? Yeeeeechhhhh!!!!---Field Marshal.

[blindman]

I much prefer the fish tasting things I eat to have scales, not feathers! Years ago, I was hunting with someone who knew it all and he shot a Merganser and swore it was a Canvasback. Regardless of how we tried to convince him it wasn't what he thought it was, he later had to admit that he might have erred because when he roasted it, the smell in his kitchen was horrible.

[heyblast]

The Common Merganser is a fish eater and are poor table fair, the Hooded Merganser eats vegation as well as some fish and are okay at least the few that I've eaten. The Red Breasted I have no idea, don't even know if they exist on the west coast. They fall under waterfowl in the regs. you can shoot 8 Mergansers or combination of ducks and mergansers for a total of 8 daily limit. Best is don't waste the shot on them.

[Jagermeister]

My Dad brought one home years ago and had my mother cook it up. The cooking aroma was enough to cause one to reject the repast without having to taste it. My Dad said it was delicious, but then he hobo'd as a teenager during the depression and he had a taste for many things that I found unsavoury.

[hotload]

Put on cedar plank cook uncovered 4 - 6 hours in low oven, rub generously with herbs, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco, through away bird and eat plank!!!

Hahahahahahaha, Good One, actually, Great One
, no doubt I would sooner eat a wooden plank than a merganser........................

[Marc]

I've eaten them, take the skin and fat off of them and use the for makIng a stew with veggies and some summer savory.

Not the best eatin duck out there but will do in a pinch.

My wife's uncle's favorite duck is a merg but he's a true blood Newfie.

[Bucks&Ducks]

Put on cedar plank cook uncovered 4 - 6 hours in low oven, rub generously with herbs, salt and pepper, dash of tabasco, through away bird and eat plank!!!

bricks work good as well, got a bit more texture

[silvertipp]

sure you can eat them ,even live on but they taste like sh@#

[lorneparker1]

I've eaten them, take the skin and fat off of them and use the for makIng a stew with veggies and some summer savory.

Not the best eatin duck out there but will do in a pinch.

My wife's uncle's favorite duck is a merg but he's a true blood Newfie.

there we go!!

Anyone else that has responded actually eaten one?

Someone said they are a fish duck so they taste like crap. I have shot and eaten TONS of diving ducks (scuap, canvasbacks, buffleheads, etc) and they are damn tasty. Back in the market hunter days canvasbacks were the mostly highly prized duck and fetched more $$$ per pound then any other duck. And you wont find an oz of grain in a can. I have also seen TONS of mallards eat fish. they dont give a crap, they are opportunists. I havent tried merganser, and probably wont. but i wont go saying it tastes like shit cause i have never tried it.

[Lillypuff]

no such thing as good eating ducks or geese

[lorneparker1]

no such thing as good eating ducks or geese

http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/files/2010/02/double-facepalm.jpg

[Crazy_Farmer]

Big game hunters......

[field marshal]

no such thing as good eating ducks or geese

Another brilliant quote from a high I.Q. HBC member!!!---Field Marshal.

[Lillypuff]

just my thoughts, field marshall. I shot a few and could not eat them theyt were shot in the pea fields. The co's I was hunting with would not even take them. One fellow got stuck with allof them. The only people I met that enjoyed them were from the rock. Too each there own. As for the personal comment how old are you 12?

[Foxton Gundogs]

have any of the people above actually eaten one?

I havent but if someone cooked one up and said hey try this i would. I just couldnt bring myself to do it on my own.hahahaha

Lorne

Ate them as a kid the "Old Mans LAW" you shoot it you pluck it and you eat it. I DON"T SHOOT MERGANSERS ANYMORE!!!

[ianwuzhere]

i have aten them- comparing to a mallard they are gross..i agree with foxton- i dont shoot em anymore, fly low- easy to shoot look kinda kewl but just dont taste good at all to me..

[Ian F.]

Eaten all 3 species....but no one wants to know the truth

[Freshtracks]

there we go!!

Anyone else that has responded actually eaten one?

Someone said they are a fish duck so they taste like crap. I have shot and eaten TONS of diving ducks (scuap, canvasbacks, buffleheads, etc) and they are damn tasty. Back in the market hunter days canvasbacks were the mostly highly prized duck and fetched more $$$ per pound then any other duck. And you wont find an oz of grain in a can. I have also seen TONS of mallards eat fish. they dont give a crap, they are opportunists. I havent tried merganser, and probably wont. but i wont go saying it tastes like shit cause i have never tried it.

Yes I've eaten them. If it was shot, it was plucked/drawn and added to the freezer. Amazing when one knows how to cook game, that it can be quite tasty.

Try quartering an onion and leave one quarter inside the body cavity overnight in the fridge. Optional to leave it while roasting. Use salt and white viniger to soak your birds overnight to draw out the blood. Some use milk, similar to preparing liver. Glazes and marinades!!

Yes, as one member noted but I never had the pleasure to ... Canvasbacks are very tasty.

Wonders how many valley hunters, smell the open mouths of their latest plump mallard. :p

[Freshtracks]

Eaten all 3 species....but no one wants to know the truth

Not sure if they could handle it Ian. ;)

[Bow Walker]

Me and my hunting buddies call them "double enders", and for good reason - they are basically of the inedible variety unless you're starving.

A lot of the coastal diver ducks are in the same category.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Another brilliant quote from a high I.Q. HBC member!!!---Field Marshal.

Would it be a thread without? Seems to almost be a law, in the imortal words of Bill Engvol " Here's Your Sign" LMFatAO

[Foxton Gundogs]

just my thoughts, field marshall. I shot a few and could not eat them theyt were shot in the pea fields. The co's I was hunting with would not even take them. One fellow got stuck with allof them. The only people I met that enjoyed them were from the rock. Too each there own. As for the personal comment how old are you 12?

\i enjoyed waterfowl when I was in Alta and Sask, I enjoyed them when I was in the Cariboo and the Yukon and I still enjoy them on the Island but then again there are ROCKS in all the afore mentioned places. lol

[yamadirt 426]

only one i shot got breasted and thrown in to the peperonni mix, couldnt tell by the taste but it stunk to clean.lol my partner shot one a week later and i was lmao as he was dry heaving when the dog brought it back.

[WaderGator]

x2 on the pep. tasted ok in stick form mixed with a bunch of mallard

[finngun]

today i made stew out of merganser,, and i didn't mix meat with another duck.. and quess what? it taste exellent.no fishy taste not at all. maybe because i marinated meat 2 days in milk..

i coudn't taste difference between mallard or mergancer i will always eat and shoot that big duck..i recommended every duckhunter to do same..

[duck stamp]

Mergansers are great if you like eating a mix of duck, fish and muc in the same meal.

[finngun]

prejudice is something what is not easy get rid of-- am i better cook than you?///and i didn't mix meat with another duck///quess what? it taste exellent.no fishy taste not at all//

[Bow Walker]

You got lucky. I'd advise not pushing it. You'll get a regular tasting one and you'll regret it......

[835]

prejudice is something what is not easy get rid of-- am i better cook than you?///and i didn't mix meat with another duck///quess what? it taste exellent.no fishy taste not at all//


Wonder if it was a Canvas back!
jk

[Bow Walker]

:) :) :)

[finngun]

[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..?

[Nekhani]

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..

[BiG Boar]

Do you have to eat them if you shoot one, or do you just have to take it to your residence like a bear?

[Steeleco]

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/v305/steeleco/IMG_4038.jpg

[Bow Walker]

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.

[Crazy_Farmer]

About the only thing I do with mergansers. Pretty good quality common hen there steeleco

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/Crazy_Farmer/P1040616_1024x768.jpg

[field marshal]

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.

[Nekhani]

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.

[The Dude]

Mergansers are shot to preserve fish stocks. They can do a good number on sensitive species of salmon, steelhead..... They're a fingerling's nightmare.

While you're at it, shoot every Loon, Kingfisher and Heron you see.

[The Dude]

We handloaded
reclaimed shot by the thousands!

How does one reclaim shot? Panning?

[MFERGIE]

Me and my hunting buddies call them "double enders", and for good reason - they are basically of the inedible variety unless you're starving.

A lot of the coastal diver ducks are in the same category.

Ive always called Cormorants "double enders"....look like geese flying until they get close... What I can say about ducks and geese in general is they take on the smell and taste of whatever they are eating. Most birds where I shoot are between the foreshore and the fields everyday and I can say that ive shot a few beautiful drake mallards that were full of fish and tasted identical to bufflehead, spoonbill and merganser. I suggest soaking in a bucket of salted water for an hour or so and getting creative with some spices...I love eating bufflehead as much as i like shooting them and man are they fun to shoot!

[The Dude]

I used to hate Black Cod until I learned a trick: You soak it in milk in the fridge overnight. Tastes awesome after that, takes all the oily fishyness away.
Anyone ever try this with fish ducks?

[field marshal]

How does one reclaim shot? Panning?
They used to mine it at the local trap and skeet clubs!! Bucky Kennet's sport shop would sell it in old peanut butter tins for $1.00 a tin.
And no it was not round anymore, but it still worked just fine!---Cheers---Field Marshal.

[f350ps]

They used to mine it at the local trap and skeet clubs!! Bucky Kennet's sport shop would sell it in old peanut butter tins for $1.00 a tin.
And no it was not round anymore, but it still worked just fine!---Cheers---Field Marshal.
Ah Ha, now I know why I shoot Expert blended load so well, it was all those years of shooting reclaimed lead. I still have a couple bags of that in the basement. K

[Bow Walker]

Ive always called Cormorants "double enders"....look like geese flying until they get close... What I can say about ducks and geese in general is they take on the smell and taste of whatever they are eating. Most birds where I shoot are between the foreshore and the fields everyday and I can say that ive shot a few beautiful drake mallards that were full of fish and tasted identical to bufflehead, spoonbill and merganser. I suggest soaking in a bucket of salted water for an hour or so and getting creative with some spices...I love eating bufflehead as much as i like shooting them and man are they fun to shoot!
I did the same thing once - my wife decided tt try making Duck a la Orange with a hen mallard (IIRC) and the smell in the kitchen was like she was baking a fish - and not a fresh one at that!

[Sasqman]

After reading this entire thread...................I think the Merganser hen I took on the weekend will be appreciated by my crustacean friends in Indian arm much more then me........... then I can enjoy the crustaceans.:-D Lesson learned. Save my shell.

[ianwuzhere]

my dog didnt even want to eat them.-not very good table fare

[sparkes3]

tastes sorta like turrs ,thats probally why da bys from the rock like em.

[Nickchee]

I used to hate Black Cod until I learned a trick: You soak it in milk in the fridge overnight. Tastes awesome after that, takes all the oily fishyness away.
Anyone ever try this with fish ducks?



As a chef I'll tell you there are a couple tricks to bleach, hide or trap unpleasant odors or tastes. Alot of lesser restaurants will use these tricks like soaking calamari in milk or buttermilk to extend the life so it doesn't taste fishy. The same was used for you're black cod. Dairy is a good way to trap oils from many things like oily fish, pungent foods, chilies, and even game meats. While acids like citrus or tomatoes can cut oils and defuse flavors and spice. I personally use these tricks when I find certain foods to have unsavory flavors but still feel obligated to eat it because I've harvested it. I had some venison I found overly gamey to feed the family so I made a bolognaise with the meat using the acid in tomatoes to defuse the gameyness and turned it into lasagna using the cheese to trap the remaining flavors oils. It turned out really well and that's just one example of ways to use the tricks. But I won't ever eat a mergie! No saving those lol


Hit me up if you need any tips for cooking or questions.

[Foxton Gundogs]

They make great training birds for the dogs :mrgreen:

[Drillbit]

I'm in! Always knew what they were good for, didn't know they were shootable.