Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Waterfowl, let’s see them!

Season has started real slow but finally had a good morning. Weak cold front might have brought in a few new ducks, but there still weren't big numbers, they just decoyed well and I shot well.

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I found one small pocket of open water with birds in our area this last weekend and threw a few dekes out. I had the kids in my layout blind, but with little cover, my dog and youngest son spooked most of the flocks. Lol. Still had a great time and finally got a mature goldeneye that I’d been wanting for many years. IMG_1020.jpeg
 
I found one small pocket of open water with birds in our area this last weekend and threw a few dekes out. I had the kids in my layout blind, but with little cover, my dog and youngest son spooked most of the flocks. Lol. Still had a great time and finally got a mature goldeneye that I’d been wanting for many years. View attachment 301059
Good stuff.
 
Very similar bag today, but with a Mexican duck drake, and I think the hen is also a Mexican duck or mallard hybrid. Most birds I've seen all year, decoyed a couple of flocks of mallards and several flocks of teal. No idea how long the hot streak will last, it often shuts off instantly.

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I've showed pics like this before, highlighting the difference in speculum color for a mallard (violet-blue) vs Mexican duck (turquoise-ish, or blue-green). Very apparent on this duck as it looks like a pure specimen.

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Been goose hunting four times so far this fall and have killed two bands. One was a local honker (not too unusual), but the other was native of Canada.
 

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