Limited to my experience with what we can shoot in my area, the best are wood ducks, the worst are the divers.

 

I was just trying to search for a thread on this subject, so I am glad you asked..

my favorites are mallards, pins, gadwalls, and teal. There are also lot of spoonbills out here, I have found its best to use different cooking methods with them. They tend to have a powerfull taste. Keep in mind that different ducks taste different depending on what they have been eating. Just have to shoot them and try them i guess...

The few geese I have had tasted great too.

With less desirable ducks, stuff like jalapeno poppers are good, or recipies with lots of bacon and cheese.

 

I think it mstly depends on how you cook it. But my favorite are green wing teal, and the worst i've had has to be buffleheads.

 

Love teal, but freshed grilled cans or redheads are hard to beat, they have to be fresh! Once they are frozen something seems to happen to toughen the meat and add a liver taste :huh:

 

Love teal, but freshed grilled cans or redheads are hard to beat, they have to be fresh! Once they are frozen something seems to happen to toughen the meat and add a liver taste :huh:

does anyone know how to fix that problem, besides not freezing them?

I think it has to do with what they eat. The best ones seem to be corn fed, or ones that eat a lot of barriers. It is hard to tell what they are eating be for you bag them, unless you hunt in a corn field or such. Age plays a part to. I like to eat younger birds.

 

I like me some wood duck's, not a big fan of divers tho.

 

Best: Wood ducks
Good: Canvasbacks, Pintails, Redheads. Puddle ducks in general.
Bad: I try and avoid shooting divers and Shovelers/Spoonies.
Horrible: Nobody eats coot but I heard it was good with green eggs and ham. :yes:

 

I learned to cook all types, divers included. Plenty of marinade for a day or two, not hours, and don't over cook them. Medium rare works best...just long as they are still quacking.

 

Growing up in Norhtern Illinois I was taught by my father not to shoot any diver ducks. Mallards and Woodies were our favorites.

Moved to South Florida 30 some yrs ago and had to learn how to eat Ringnecks,a huge difference from the fat cornfed Mallards of Illinois!

The Mottled and Woodies here are'nt much different. :crying:

But the Teal and Snipe are my favorite! :beer:

 

Best either wood ducks or Mallards! Worst are divers but we go out diver hunting and tend to give the meat to dogs they always love them and it helps with the population control. I'll have to try the marinade for few days trick and maybe wrap in bacon while cooking in bacon fat and lots of butter.. :no: my heart is going to hate me

 

Best either wood ducks or Mallards! Worst are divers but we go out diver hunting and tend to give the meat to dogs they always love them and it helps with the population control. I'll have to try the marinade for few days trick and maybe wrap in bacon while cooking in bacon fat and lots of butter.. 🇳🇴 my heart is going to hate me

Feeding wild game to your pets should probably be avoided as I’m pretty sure it’s illegal and waterfowl don’t require population control… Humans in general are doing a well enough job at that through habitat destruction.

 

Woodies definitely are tops for me, especially if they eat acorns. Ive pulled 7-8 water oak acorns out of the neck of woodies in Louisiana. Then puddles of different sorts. Ducks that hit grain fields are probaly the cream of the crop. Whoever said buffleheads are terrible are absolutely correct as far as I am concerned. Ducks like Dos Gris(bluebills, Scaupe) are strong but in a good gumbo mellow out. Good luck, I would definitely separate the ducks and cook them according to their strengths and weaknesses.On a side note, rice fed Specklebellies rule! Im going to try cranes this year, and see how those cook up.See ya on the water.

 

Love teal. Maybe its cuz I take them out of the oven 30 mins before the mallard and munch em like appetizers and I am hungry. The worst is gadwall around my area. I have freaking oil refineries in the area and the local gadwall just stink so bad no marinade can save them. Why I have to live next to refineries and pay more than the rest of the country for gas is beyond me :huh:

 

i love them all

 

The rice-fed ducks from the Mississippi Delta can't be beat. Talk about fat mallards. :thumbsup:

 

I think teal are the best eating duck.

Worst would have to be Goldeneye or Bufflehead. There are plenty of ways to hide the strong taste though. :thumbsup:

 

How has nobody even mentioned a merganser?!?! Those things are awful! A lot of divers are fish eaters. The ducks that eat fish just never seem to taste as good as the puddlers who eat corn, beans, seeds, etc.

 

Wood ducks are #1 but mergs aint bad IF you cook it RIGHT

 

What about ruddies? I just got 4 today, so I guess I will find out.....

 

They are all good in pepperoni ...But if I am eating them for dinner, its mallard or teal for us.

 

here on long island n.y. dec rec not to eat mergansers at all.they smell as bad as they look.

mb500+3in.mag=dinner

 

Teal and Woodies are my favorite, but any puddle ducks are worth eating. Never ate a diving duck I liked except in jerky form. Canada and snow geese are excellent in "beef stew" or barbecued like pulled pork. Brant are fun to hunt and shoot but I am not sure any living creature enjoys eating them. I did hear of a recipe some use for Brant: "take a brant and pluck it, put it in a pot of water, boil for 3 hours, remove Brant and discard, eat the pot." 'Nuff said.

 

Well, the ruddies tasted just fine in case anyone was wondering. Theres a lot of them out here and I never bothered with them, but if one lands in my deeks again, its a dead duck. I did philly duck sandwitches with them.

 

Horrible: Nobody eats coot but I heard it was good with green eggs and ham. :yes:

I have eaten a coot or two...andys Cajun fish fry works wonders....and have stuffed them with cream cheese, jalapeños, and wrapped with LOTS and I mean LOTS of bacon.....it's no woodie or mallard, but it's ok...

 

Well, the ruddies tasted just fine in case anyone was wondering. Theres a lot of them out here and I never bothered with them, but if one lands in my deeks again, its a dead duck. I did philly duck sandwitches with them.

Glad to hear - my daughter and I got our first ruddys a couple weeks ago - cooked w/skin on to medium in butter. Yummy!

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My method is to take the meat and do a soak in water in the fridge. Change the water at least every day for 3 days for divers, mallards and other puddlers I leave for 2 days. Teal and woodies and HEN hooded mergansers don't need anything except to be pan fried and eaten. Goldeneyes are generally ground for burger as are Canada geese. Scaup and ringers are good in the pan. A lot of my birds are served as philly cheese steak...yum. Snows and specks I have found are really good. Drake mergs of any type I try not to shoot anymore, too strong even after soaking. Mallard stir fry is great, another way split the breast and make a pocket, fill with blue cheese, bread them and pan fry quickly then finish in the oven... :thumbsup: