Ducks

Shooting ducks isn’t easy. Most of the time either your feet are stuck in the mud, the boat is rocking back and forth, or you’re wearing so many layers that you look like Randy in “A Christmas Story.” And that’s not to mention the different nuances of shooting from a seated position in layout blinds...

Most ducks are opportunistic omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of plants, insects, invertebrates, and fish. From sunflower seeds to gizzard shad, I’ve seen them eat just about anything they can get down their gullet. The plants listed below are the crème de la crème. These cornerstones of duck...

One of the most common mistakes amateur dog trainers make is wanting to communicate with their dogs like they communicate with people—by talking. Verbal commands are a must with dogs, but just because your pup learns to plant its butt on the ground when you say “sit” doesn’t mean that approach will...

The hunting dog world is full of stereotypes and generalizations—none more entrenched in the bird hunters’ zeitgeist than the perceived differences between British and American Labrador retrievers. It’s commonly believed that British (or English) Labs are smaller, stockier, quieter, more easily...

Introducing Ask the Eagle, where I’ll be answering your questions about everything from hunting to butchering to marriage. This week, Adam wants to know if I save waterfowl legs and what I do with them. Have a question of your own? You can write to me asktheeagle@themeateater.com.

Does hunting mortality have significant long-term influence on waterfowl populations? This debate continues within both the hunting and biological research communities, but the answer isn’t as simple as some hunters might like. Some biologists believe hunting to be additive. That is, birds killed by...

Diver ducks, also known as diving ducks, are capable of diving beneath the water’s surface in order to feed. They are generally associated with larger and deeper waterways than puddle ducks. Due to the fact that they have proportionately smaller wings than puddle ducks, they are incapable of lifting...

Camouflage clothing is essential for waterfowl hunting unless you’ve got a good blind that keeps you entirely hidden. Wear clothes and waders that match the vegetation or ground cover where you hunt. But camouflage can’t work miracles, you also need to use employ some tactics of stealth when trying...

Unlike most game animals, which are managed on the state level, waterfowl is managed both on the state and federal levels. As a waterfowl hunter, it is your responsibility to know and follow all the laws that pertain to the activity. These rules change every year, so check them thoroughly each...

Words by Sam Terrell The first difficult word I ever learned was gregarious. It’s an adjective with two definitions. The first is in reference to people being fond of company, and the second is in relation to animals living in flocks or loosely organized communities. As a duck hunter coming from a...

Regarded by most hunters as the most beautiful species of North American waterfowl, wood duck males, or drakes, are colorful enough to be mistaken for some exotic jungle species. The places that wood ducks call home are equally pretty. They prefer small, heavily wooded bodies of water such as beaver...