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sea ducks
- Thread starter evan9201
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Sea duck hunting is a blast, we shoot scoters and squaws here on Chesapeake. Even better on a combo cast & blast trip (sea ducks and stripers). Only problem I've found with sea duckin is at the end of the day you've got a bunch of sea ducks to do something with. :wink:
Hi Evan, I used to do a fair amount of sea duck shooting, some of it down your way in Plymouth. I never got a way to make them palatable so gave it up. What are you using for shot in your fowler? I have a new one on order and need to get some sot to try for ducks.
bigbore442001
50 Cal.
Don't laugh but I have found a good way to make duck meat like merganser pretty good. I maranade it in milk and sugar overnight in the fridge. Then I take the meat and cook it with Indian curry spice. It takes on a beef like flavor.
Sea duckin used to be the most popular hunting that was done here off the South West Coast of Nova Scotia.The Locals ...."Cape Islanders" are known far and Wide for their Sea duck hunting Prowess and having no Fear to take to the rough waters in small outboads in search of the Tasty flyers.
I grew up eating Sea duck Stew that my Daddy killed and my Momma cooked.
Mmmmm mmm Good grub! :thumbsup:
I'm thinking a Fowling Piece off the coast laying to decoys in an outboard would be good for "Keeping your powder dry" :v
I grew up eating Sea duck Stew that my Daddy killed and my Momma cooked.
Mmmmm mmm Good grub! :thumbsup:
I'm thinking a Fowling Piece off the coast laying to decoys in an outboard would be good for "Keeping your powder dry" :v
I end up using sea ducks like I do river ducks (cans, scaup, buffles, etc) and just cube the meat and use it in chili. Mine is generally hot enough that your taste buds are dead after the first bite anyway - it pays to grow your own Habaneros!! :bow:
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Still lots of it going on here. Three species of scoter, oldsquaw (long tail duck), harlequin, merganser and some species that probably aren't considered "sea ducks" elsewhere in the world: both species of goldeneye and both species of scaup, mallard, teal, wigeon and gadwall. Yup, our "puddle ducks" up here kind of figure the ocean is just one big puddle, and they were as likely to come into decoys or give you pass shots as the regular sea ducks.
As for cooking, that many species makes for quite a range of meat colors and flavor. Lighter ones like scaup and goldeneye are pretty wide open for how you use them. With merganser, skin them and trim off all the fat and cook medium rare. Darn near as good as a mallard till you go past pink, at which point they turn dark and livery. Scoter, harlequin and oldsquaw tend to be very dark and strong, but soaking helps. With them too, cooking only to medium rare helps keep the flavor mild. We cut the meat in cubes, soak it overnight in water or milk, then use it in stir fries. Darned good, but you better like liver if you're going to eat those species.
As for ML hunting, did it for years with my old Navy Arms 12 ga SxS in the days of lead shot. Water management was always a consideration, but for just about every problem there was a solution.
Be aware that of all the species I mentioned the surf scoter was the toughest to kill. With lead I'd use #4 or #5 shot for all the others, but switch up to heavy charges of #2 for surf scoter. Even then the SxS was important because a very quick followup shot was often necessary after you knocked the bird down and before it dived. Took to loading #2 in one barrel and #7 1/2 in the second so I had lots of small shot to help find the head on a partially submerged bird for the second shot.
As for cooking, that many species makes for quite a range of meat colors and flavor. Lighter ones like scaup and goldeneye are pretty wide open for how you use them. With merganser, skin them and trim off all the fat and cook medium rare. Darn near as good as a mallard till you go past pink, at which point they turn dark and livery. Scoter, harlequin and oldsquaw tend to be very dark and strong, but soaking helps. With them too, cooking only to medium rare helps keep the flavor mild. We cut the meat in cubes, soak it overnight in water or milk, then use it in stir fries. Darned good, but you better like liver if you're going to eat those species.
As for ML hunting, did it for years with my old Navy Arms 12 ga SxS in the days of lead shot. Water management was always a consideration, but for just about every problem there was a solution.
Be aware that of all the species I mentioned the surf scoter was the toughest to kill. With lead I'd use #4 or #5 shot for all the others, but switch up to heavy charges of #2 for surf scoter. Even then the SxS was important because a very quick followup shot was often necessary after you knocked the bird down and before it dived. Took to loading #2 in one barrel and #7 1/2 in the second so I had lots of small shot to help find the head on a partially submerged bird for the second shot.
paulvallandigham
Passed On
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A little help. The " Livery " taste is due to blood remaining in the meat, and our modern palates just not being used to eating bloody meat. I happen to like liver, cooked medium rare when its fresh, so it remains pink, and tender, and sweet.
However, with game animals- from Wild Board to venison, to ducks and geese- it helps to soak the meat in water with vinegar added to it. You don't need much to change the PH balance to acidic, and that will draw the blood out of the meat. I can't tell you a specific amount of time. I want the meat to look as pale as what I am used to buying wrapped in plastic, to be very honest. Liver is suppose to be strong tasting; other meat isn't! to my way of thinking!
I also don't like meat that tastes like vinegar! So, after getting the blood out of the meat-- this can take a couple of soakings over several hours-- I then soak it in cold water to get the vinegar out of the meat. I suppose a bit of sugar in the water might help get that done, but I would not go overboard with the sugar. I am talking about 1/4 cup of sugar for a kitchen sink full of water!
As long as the meat is soaking in cold water you don't have to worry much about spoilage. Just do this out of direct sunlight, and preferrably indoors.
I like to age my game when its from an old and tough bird, or beast. I put the meat, after the soaking, dried off with paper towels, in crocks, and large pans, covered, in the refrigerator, for a week. I rotate and rinse the meat and pans twice a day each day for those 7 days. This allows the meat to age, and for the enzymes in the connecting tissues, and meat, to break down the connecting tissues and tenderize the meat. If I could figure out how to rig a UV or Black Light inside my refrigerator to light up the meat, I would do that, too. Then the meat would tenderize in about 3 days instead of 7. After 7 days, the meat is ready to eat, or store.
In process of removing the blood and other strong tastes from birds like geese and ducks, any mud flavor in the meat is also removed. That makes much better fare, and can make it worthwhile to actually go out and hunt the birds. In the Midwest, where we don't exactly have access to a lot of saltwater, we have that muddy taste problem with several species of duck, and White and Blue Geese. I have even heard some people complain about the taste of Canada Geese, but I have smoked, and wet roasted those, and never tasted any " mud ". The meat is dark red, and tastes more like beef to me than to any other fowl I have eaten. I have eaten both wild and domestically raised duck, and like them both when they are prepared correctly. The domestic duck you buy frozen at your supermarket tends to be sweeter eating because of the corn the birds are fed to fatten them.
However, with game animals- from Wild Board to venison, to ducks and geese- it helps to soak the meat in water with vinegar added to it. You don't need much to change the PH balance to acidic, and that will draw the blood out of the meat. I can't tell you a specific amount of time. I want the meat to look as pale as what I am used to buying wrapped in plastic, to be very honest. Liver is suppose to be strong tasting; other meat isn't! to my way of thinking!
I also don't like meat that tastes like vinegar! So, after getting the blood out of the meat-- this can take a couple of soakings over several hours-- I then soak it in cold water to get the vinegar out of the meat. I suppose a bit of sugar in the water might help get that done, but I would not go overboard with the sugar. I am talking about 1/4 cup of sugar for a kitchen sink full of water!
As long as the meat is soaking in cold water you don't have to worry much about spoilage. Just do this out of direct sunlight, and preferrably indoors.
I like to age my game when its from an old and tough bird, or beast. I put the meat, after the soaking, dried off with paper towels, in crocks, and large pans, covered, in the refrigerator, for a week. I rotate and rinse the meat and pans twice a day each day for those 7 days. This allows the meat to age, and for the enzymes in the connecting tissues, and meat, to break down the connecting tissues and tenderize the meat. If I could figure out how to rig a UV or Black Light inside my refrigerator to light up the meat, I would do that, too. Then the meat would tenderize in about 3 days instead of 7. After 7 days, the meat is ready to eat, or store.
In process of removing the blood and other strong tastes from birds like geese and ducks, any mud flavor in the meat is also removed. That makes much better fare, and can make it worthwhile to actually go out and hunt the birds. In the Midwest, where we don't exactly have access to a lot of saltwater, we have that muddy taste problem with several species of duck, and White and Blue Geese. I have even heard some people complain about the taste of Canada Geese, but I have smoked, and wet roasted those, and never tasted any " mud ". The meat is dark red, and tastes more like beef to me than to any other fowl I have eaten. I have eaten both wild and domestically raised duck, and like them both when they are prepared correctly. The domestic duck you buy frozen at your supermarket tends to be sweeter eating because of the corn the birds are fed to fatten them.
dennis byrd
32 Cal.
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Evan9201
When i lived in New York, late 80's early 90's I used to hunt with a friend for sea duck's on the east end of Long island. What fun!! A great challenge and beautiful as well. We shot skunk heads and white wing scoter's as well as old squaws. Man great memories. Good luck.
My friend and I turn those ducks that many people wont eat into jerky. It is excellent! And on your return hunt's you can take a couple of baggies of your duck jerky as a snack.
Wal-mart sells a dryer specifically for making jerky. This is an excellent way to utilize an often difficult to palate bird.
Jet90
When i lived in New York, late 80's early 90's I used to hunt with a friend for sea duck's on the east end of Long island. What fun!! A great challenge and beautiful as well. We shot skunk heads and white wing scoter's as well as old squaws. Man great memories. Good luck.
My friend and I turn those ducks that many people wont eat into jerky. It is excellent! And on your return hunt's you can take a couple of baggies of your duck jerky as a snack.
Wal-mart sells a dryer specifically for making jerky. This is an excellent way to utilize an often difficult to palate bird.
Jet90
The Baron
45 Cal.
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I only ever went once, but I really enjoyed it. The Bay of Fundy in February is no place for the faint of heart! Watching a 20+ ft. tide was pretty fascinating too. Do you hunt both Scoters and Eiders? We only went after the latter. Eiders are a tough bird - best to have back up if you are shooting a fowler, 'cuz a wounded Eider that isn't finsihed quickly is a lost Eider.
