O yes, people target them when looking for a fun shoot, as you can see from the above photo. I too am looking for a nice drake but it's a little early and they still had some grey mixed in with the green on their heads. The buffies unfortunately skirted our spread and I did not see the group of redheads I had seen while scouting.
I didn't say anything about all divers, we eat all the ducks we shoot including Buffleheads, Goldeneyes and Redheads. I know mergansers taste terrible though (fed one to a drunk guy in college!) and I was questioning whether these guys were going to eat 15-18 fish ducks. As waterfowl hunters I think we should eat what we kill, that's why I don't shoot mergansers. Shooting a nice drake merganser for a mount is different, wasting a whole truckload of ducks does not seem to make for ethical hunting. Just my opinion.....
Here in PA the waterfowl regulations come with this warning.
You wouldn't catch me eating any Mergansers!
WATERFOWL CONSUMPTION ADVISORY: In a recent Pennsylvania Game Commission study of Lake Erie waterfowl, contaminants such as PCBs, DDE, and mercury were found in all mergansers tested, as well as in some buffleheads. These contaminants may also be present in other Pennsylvania waterbodies and contaminated waterfowl could migrate to other areas of the Commonwealth. To avoid potential health impacts, the Game Commission offers the following advice on waterfowl consumption, applicable statewide: 1.) Mergansers should not be eaten; 2.) Other diving ducks if properly prepared should be eaten only occasionally; and 3.) Dabbling ducks and geese can be eaten safely if properly prepared. Proper preparation includes skinning and removing the fat before cooking; cooking to an internal temperature of 165 F as determined by a meat thermometer; and discarding the stuffing (if prepared in this manner) after cooking.
we cut the mergs into thin strips and throw in the dehydrator and make jerky treats for the dogs.. they love it. if we didn't do that we wouldn't shoot them I refuse to shoot something just to throw it away.sure saves money on good dog treats
You really shouldn't feed your dog any Mergansers. Read the link below before you subject any animal to the effects of PCBs etc.
"In summary, PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of serious health effects. They have been shown to cause cancer and a number of serious non-cancer health effects in animals, including effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system. Studies in humans provide supportive evidence for the potential carcinogenicity and non-carcinogenic effects of PCBs. In addition, the different health effects of PCBs may be interrelated, as alterations in one system may have significant implications for the other regulatory systems of the body."
I think all these posts emphasize my point. Why shoot ducks you can't or shouldn't eat or feed to your dog? It's not that hard to go scouting, find some grain fed ducks that are edible. If those don't exist back there, then I feel sorry or you guys that live in the industrial wasteland..........
My buddy works with some Hispanic guys that eat all our divers. I shoot whatever I fell like shooting. It all gets eaten a I have no problem with it. Helps the fish population too.
I still can't believe how many people say that mergansers taste bad I used to believe that 10 years ago, when I accidentally shot a hooded merganser thinking it was a Bufflehead. Because we like to eat what we kill we cooked it with the rest of the ducks and didn't keep track of which one it was when we ate them nobody thought they got the merganser the other ducks were bluebills ringnecks and redheads. While I don't specifically target them or Scout for them when one comes in I always shoot. For recipes I usually just use the ones in the DU magazine Scott Layseth is an amazing chef!!!! Now after 10 years of shooting them I'm still waiting for my first one that taste fishy in fact I'm waiting for the first one that I can tell apart from the" good divers "such as bluebills redheads and canvasbacks, maybe I have found a rare strain of Merganzer that likes to eat corn? . I guess I should thank you guys for passing them by that just means there's more for me. Plus in Wisconsin at least mergansers don't count against your duck bag limit. Don't always believe what you read ! shoot one and clean and cook it properly you may be surprised
I still can't believe how many people say that mergansers taste bad I used to believe that 10 years ago, when I accidentally shot a hooded merganser thinking it was a Bufflehead. Because we like to eat what we kill we cooked it with the rest of the ducks and didn't keep track of which one it was when we ate them nobody thought they got the merganser the other ducks were bluebills ringnecks and redheads. While I don't specifically target them or Scout for them when one comes in I always shoot. For recipes I usually just use the ones in the DU magazine Scott Layseth is an amazing chef!!!! Now after 10 years of shooting them I'm still waiting for my first one that taste fishy in fact I'm waiting for the first one that I can tell apart from the" good divers "such as bluebills redheads and canvasbacks, maybe I have found a rare strain of Merganzer that likes to eat corn? . I guess I should thank you guys for passing them by that just means there's more for me. Plus in Wisconsin at least mergansers don't count against your duck bag limit. Don't always believe what you read ! shoot one and clean and cook it properly you may be surprised
down here on the chesapeake bay, they eat a diet of mud minnows and finger mullet.... they taste worst than fish...ruined a whole pot of duck and buck stew. My father thought it was some kind of fishy tasting liver. We still shoot the drake hoodies for their feathers for fly tying and freeze the bird to train with. as for eating, you can have that. I will stick to cans, teal, woodies, and black ducks. I
Had a friend that shot one last year. when the dog dropped it in the blind corn fell out of its mouth so somebody within a few miles had been baiting and this bird was gorging on it. we promptly shook any corn out of it we could and kept the bird as my friend wanted to try it. told me it tasted like any other puddler. I think it just depends on diet.
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