hurley0816

i want to make sure of what i am going to be shooting at. i seen ducks today and they look kinda like a mallard female but they had wide white rings around their eyes. thanks

Rory/MO

Wood ducks. Were they smaller than mallards, and a different color brown?

Rory/MO

Also, what state are you in? And what's it like where you were(timber, big field, small field, etc..)?

hurley0816

a creek runs through low timber in a valley and on the edge of that is tall timber.i see them on the creek. and i am in wisconsin, it mostly looks like the picture you posted

Canned Heat

That's a female woodie. Lots of them here in WI....the males areone of the sharpest looking critters in the wild. Hopefully, with the help of my shotgun and a taxidermist....I'll be able to sport one soon.

Chris_H

How many did you see? And were they all the same plumage?

hurley0816

2 and yes they looked the same. I am curious as to why you ask?

wis_bow_huntr

Yup female Woodies. Im starting to get into duck hunting myself and have a hard time identifying some ducks while they are in flight, anyone know a good way to tell one duck from another, id really hate to end up shooting a canvas back since they are not allowed to be hunted this year.

deke12ga

You wont mistake a Canvasback for anything else. The Drakes are bassicaly sloid white looking while in flight and they're HUGE compared to other ducks. Unless you're hunting BIG OPEN water its doubtful you'll see a Can Can. The only distingishing in flight caracteristic for a hen is the sloping forehead into the ramped bill. The drakes have this too.

Chris_H

Woodies, like most ducks, have many characteristics to tell what kind of duck they are. Woodies mostly hang out out in groups of around 6 in most states. However in my state, the "woodie state," it is common to see wood ducks in wads of 40 - 50. So yeah... the ducks you saw were two ducks a little smaller than mallards with a white ring around the eyes, and there were only two: those are hen wood ducks.


wis_bow_hunter,

like deke12ga said, you will not mistake a canvasback. They are one of the biggest ducks, and the only thing that even looks close to a canvasback is a redhead. You might not be able to tell if its a canvasback or a redhead from far away (i can't), but once it gets within a certain distance it will be apparent what kind of duck it is.

As for id-ing all ducks, you're just gonna have to get out and do your homework. I'll tell you some of the basic stuff: Puddle ducks take off straight up out of the water, feed by "dabbling" (tilting the entire body or head forward under water), and usually havea colorful speculum (bright colorful wing patch). Your puddle ducks are usually will be found in flooded/unflooded grain fields, flooded timber, fresh/saltwater marshes, and creeks/streams, and other small water areas.

Diving ducks: Your diving ducks will usually be found on big water, such as lakes, rivers, inlets and bays. Diving ducks take off parallel to the water. Their feet patter along the top of the water like a comorant (except for the bufflehead which can take off like a puddle duck). Their wing beat is noticably faster than puddle ducks. These ducks feed by obviously diving