RE: Do you eat Northern Shovelers?
To those who eat shoveler, and say it tastes OK - where are you hunting the duck? Freshwater or saltwater?
Last season was my first hunting season. I started late in the game, and didn't really know where to go, I was a little too late for some of the permits, etc. I went to a spot just north of San Jose, CA (Alviso), and hunted ducks off the levees of the salt-ponds. Use Google Earth to zoom into the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, and look for the red and green patches to get an idea of where I was at. From what I understand, the locationthe duck is hunted makes a difference in the taste.
As far as soaking the meat in salt for too long - it wasn't the salty flavor that didn't taste good. It had the same 'shoveler flavor' as the other methods that I had made it - slow cooker, and sauteed.