What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

I went Duck hunting for the first time this weekend, on the Peconic River in Long Island.I am totally hooked. It was a balst. after busting through the ice to get to our natural blindsI shottwo ducks, missed 4. The guy I went with said they were teals but whenI looked on line they looked nothing like a Teal duck. I saw a duck called a Black duck and they looked more like those but th epic was not that good so it was hard to tell.

Of course pics would help but until then i will describe them and lets see if we can figure out what they are.

They were almost all brown, the male had a yellowish orangebill and when i spread his wings there was a patch of nice blue on the outer side right in the middle of teh body and the wing tips. The female had a dark green bill and she had green coloringon the same spot of her wings. The feathers were brown witha few little white speckles. Any help would be great.

BTW are these good ducks to eat?I heard Mallards are the only ones worth eating.

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

Sounds like an American Black Duckdrakeand a green winged teal hen to me

American Black Duck:



Green winged teal hen:

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

Yes that is definitely what the one looked like. 100% that is him. Hey can you eat them? are they any good?

I cant see the grean tipped teal pic.

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

yep and yep they r good to eat

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

a black duck is everybit as good as a mallard. Eat and enjoy. Teal is also a good eating duck. Just remember most of it is in the preparation and cooking of your meal. Look in the camp cooking forum for duck recipes.

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

get a book , and learn to identify BEFORE you shoot. it will save you ALOT of headaches from the law, because a limit of 6 ducks isn't just ANY 6 birds with a bill.

the fines are steep.

i'm glad to see new people involved in duck hunting, but you got to do it right.
thanks,
moose

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

I must agree with this one, you need to know what you are looking at before you shoot..

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

I agree and the guy that I went hunting with is a pretty avid duck hunter however he was wrong about the species. Now I am slightly confused. I hunt in Long Island New York and in LI you can start shooting 30 minutes before sunrise (legally). Howthe heck can you tell what kind of duck you are shooting when they are flying at 60 mph and are so high in the air. I do not get it? Shooting prior to sunrise makes it almost impossible. How do you tell what duck you are shooting at?I relied on my buddy but looking back I should have done my own reserach. Can you guys help?

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

certain ducks have certain wingbeats, some have distinctive "air cutting" sounds as they pass overhead, the speculum of thier wing is different, etc.

Really, no one should confuse a teal with a black or a mallard, a mallard could eat a teal!

Ny law allows 4 mallards as part of the dailybag limit, no more than 2 of which may be hens. hen mallards look alot like blacks, but blacks are generally bigger.

i'm sure you could google "waterfowl ID" and get good answers.

shoot the wrong bird, too many of one kind, wrong sex, etc and the "wrong " game warden will crucify you, they dont want to hear excuses.

you'll pick it up if you are serious about it, good luck!

RE: What kind of duck did i shoot.
 

take a waterfowl i.d. course they are free and will help abit. but even as an experienced duck hunter it can be diff. in low light. be surer before you shoot.
good luck