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Drab Drakes
Went out for the opener this past weekend and did decent. 2 ducks and a goose on saturday night and me and 2 buddies shot 6 on sunday morning. All of the ducks we shot were mallards, and all but 2 were hens. Ever single one of the drakes were identical to hens in flight, and when we picked them up you could probably count the number of green feathers on there heads on one hand... Are all drakes like this at this time of year? Right after they molt? It makes me think they're all juveniles with their lack of curles....you would thinkthere has to be some feathered out drakes somewhere out there. It just is a little dissapointing walking out to pick up a duck and knowing that, hen or drake, it'll look basically the same.
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RE: Drab Drakes
Thats "eclipse plumage" working for ya. It gets to me because during early teal season, even though i didn't get out that much, i still shot a couple of greenwing/bluewing teal drakes. I know they would have been nice mounts in their winter plumage. But nonetheless, a duck is a duck.
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RE: Drab Drakes
We're just starting to get Northern birds here in Maine. Saw probably 150 nice full colored mallard drakes in one spot last night. Hopefully it stays cold a bit longer so they'll be in full force soon.
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RE: Drab Drakes
ORIGINAL: DuckHuntin247 Went out for the opener this past weekend and did decent. 2 ducks and a goose on saturday night and me and 2 buddies shot 6 on sunday morning. All of the ducks we shot were mallards, and all but 2 were hens. Ever single one of the drakes were identical to hens in flight, and when we picked them up you could probably count the number of green feathers on there heads on one hand... Are all drakes like this at this time of year? Right after they molt? It makes me think they're all juveniles with their lack of curles....you would thinkthere has to be some feathered out drakes somewhere out there. It just is a little dissapointing walking out to pick up a duck and knowing that, hen or drake, it'll look basically the same. |
RE: Drab Drakes
It will be hit or miss for a while yet!
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RE: Drab Drakes
One more quick question, is molting the same as eclipse plumage? and what is the time frame for these processes? Or process if they are the same...
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RE: Drab Drakes
Ducks have to molt twice a year... once in the summer to get their "eclipse plumage," and then a shortly after just in time for the migration they molt to get their "breeding plumage." This link should answer all of your questions: http://www.greenwing.org/teachersguide/summer01/summer01moreabt.html
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