Question on duck taste

[browningboy]

How do the local ducks taste? I know with the prairies they taste awesome, but here in the lower mainland, the boundary bay ducks would assume taste bad? Like a fish eating bear?
Or the ones in Chilliwack? More feed but are they any better?
Just spoiled by the prairies and only heard the ducks don’t taste good here?
Honest question

[saskbooknut]

Ducks taste different depending on species, and what they feed on.
Ducks feeding on spawned out salmon, or amphipods in the eelgrass are definitely not desirable.
Diving Ducks on the Prairies are no treat, in my experience.

[mastercaster]

Made some cutlets (breast pounded flat, dipped in egg, and covered with a spiced up panko) cooked in hot oil the other night. Taste just like the ones I make from deer. I'm surprised at how similar both duck and goose breast meat and deer are when I season them with Montreal steak seasoning barbecue them as steaks on the barby. That said, most of the duck breast meat is processed into pepperoni, smokies, or jerky. Pop by and I'll give you a package of pepperoni or some breast meat to try and you can judge for yourself.

All my ducks are shot in the Fraser Valley,,,,not at the salt mashes.

[silveragent]

Depends also on the breed. Green wing teal everywhere are a treat. Mallards, pintails in my book are good. Sea ducks are weird. Shovelers taste like mud. All IMO.

IMO ducks in Boundary also feed in farm fields so you can't assume they are eating stuff out in the bay. I mean they are because I see them but they are also flying back and forth inland to the bay. Their diet is varied.

If you have experience from the prairies I assume you know how to cook them since whenever I give ducks to my non-hunting friends I always tell them to eat them rare or they will come out like liver.

[Ron.C]

https://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showt...ight=Duck+thai

Saltwater marsh ducks (by my taste) are fishy
My favourite recipes are either stir fry or pad thai. Pad thai being the best by a long shot. My wifes dish in post 13 in linked thread

[ACB]

Coastal ducks rarely have the fat like the prairie birds that have been feeding on cereal grains. A couple ways that I enjoy the coastal birds is in a stew with gizzards and hearts and cubed skinless duck with red wine and chanterelle shrooms, yummy. Or if the bird has a nice layer of fat I'll pluck it and slow roast it rapped in bacon and stuffed with a nice rice stuffing. Salt and peeper to taste.

[MichelD]

I have always enjoyed my mallards whether shot in a field or off salt water.

I don't find pintails bad but my wife just won't eat them. She says to her palate they taste metallic. I think they feed on a lot of tiny sea snails in Boundary Bay, for what that's worth. Widgeons, easy to shoot, not quite as choice as mallards, but certainly edible.

Snow geese are okay but not as choice as Canada geese.

I don't over spice ducks or geese, just put an apple in them, sprinkle with marjoram and roast whole.

I don't go for overspicing anything with Costco no-salt seasoning, steak spice or anything else that obscurs the flavour.

Jerky and pepperoni? Nah, I am not an in between meal snack guy. That stuff all tastes the same and is too salty anyway.

[Livewire322]

They’re all absolutely awful tasting and you should definitely stay home and not go out to try and shoot any

[browningboy]

Thanks for the responses! Sounds like sticking with mallards and teals are a good bet here, have to check out the lower mainland map! So most people part of a club like associated wildlife or just ask farmers? Non salt water areas.

[silveragent]

Associated takes years to get into so if you are banking on that you would be picking up a different sport in the meantime.