identifying tips
08-25-2008, 11:02 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Windsor, CA
Posts: 2,279
RE: identifying tips
well, i learned from watching them my whole life, but for a beginer i suggest going somplace where you can watch many ducks fly, look at the different sizes, shapes, and wing-beats of the birds, look for colors and other distinguishing features(the pin-tail on a pintail, green-head on a drake mallard) learn to tell ranges as well, for identifying how far away a bird is is one of the toughest parts of duck hunting
08-26-2008, 02:57 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Tecumseh MI
Posts: 1,015
RE: identifying tips
Get a few books on duck Identification, I have two that I keep with me, one is ducks at a distance and the other has to do with identifying them by there beeks. After one season for me I am getting better, malards and woods drake and hen I am not bad at, I am still learning the others. It takes a lot to see the bird after all the trying to get them to come in.... you learn to look at them...
08-26-2008, 06:31 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Hillsdale,IN
Posts: 552
RE: identifying tips
ORIGINAL: huntnteen
well, i learned from watching them my whole life, but for a beginer i suggest going somplace where you can watch many ducks fly, look at the different sizes, shapes, and wing-beats of the birds, look for colors and other distinguishing features(the pin-tail on a pintail, green-head on a drake mallard) learn to tell ranges as well, for identifying how far away a bird is is one of the toughest parts of duck hunting
well, i learned from watching them my whole life, but for a beginer i suggest going somplace where you can watch many ducks fly, look at the different sizes, shapes, and wing-beats of the birds, look for colors and other distinguishing features(the pin-tail on a pintail, green-head on a drake mallard) learn to tell ranges as well, for identifying how far away a bird is is one of the toughest parts of duck hunting
08-29-2008, 08:30 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Where the ducks don't come no more
Posts: 4,420
RE: identifying tips
When I was a new hunter I used the Audobon method. 
It takes years of practice. Heck I've been at it almost 20 and I'll still mistake a merganser for a wood duck in dawns early light. Been more than once a mallard I shot turned into a black duck.... the first wigeon I ever saw (which I killed) I shot for a pintail (also easy to do for a new hunter).
Fortunately, I've never gotten into trouble over miss IDing a bird.... though there was one time that I could have.
The key is to take your time, let the birds get good and close. If they are at a shootable range, you'll know what they are pretty quick. DU has a field guide with the waterfowl of North America I used to keep handy.
It takes years of practice. Heck I've been at it almost 20 and I'll still mistake a merganser for a wood duck in dawns early light. Been more than once a mallard I shot turned into a black duck.... the first wigeon I ever saw (which I killed) I shot for a pintail (also easy to do for a new hunter).
Fortunately, I've never gotten into trouble over miss IDing a bird.... though there was one time that I could have.
The key is to take your time, let the birds get good and close. If they are at a shootable range, you'll know what they are pretty quick. DU has a field guide with the waterfowl of North America I used to keep handy.
