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What is your favorite and least liked tasting waterfowl?

For favorite, I am torn between Wood duck and coot (I don't want to hear it... their breasts are delicious).

For least liked, I hate bufflehead.

I really don't like the taste of most waterfowl. I make jerky out of the geese and crockpot the ducks with lots of chemicals to hide the natural flavor. As far as true flavor, waterfowl are way down the list of what I call good or taste good. And yes, I have had waterfowl many different ways and have had it prepared by others that said it was good. I just don't think it is very good. I would rather have wild turkey, deer, frogs, snappers, ground hog, snake, gator, flathead, quail, pheasant, pork, beef, hot dogs, bologna, maybe even dog shit before I consider waterfowl being "good"!

Teal tastes a lot like steak....

I like teal and black ducks the best. Least favorite would probably be mergs, but they make a great sausage.

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:I really don't like the taste of most waterfowl. I make jerky out of the geese and crockpot the ducks with lots of chemicals to hide the natural flavor. As far as true flavor, waterfowl are way down the list of what I call good or taste good. And yes, I have had waterfowl many different ways and have had it prepared by others that said it was good. I just don't think it is very good. I would rather have wild turkey, deer, frogs, snappers, ground hog, snake, gator, flathead, quail, pheasant, pork, beef, hot dogs, bologna, maybe even dog shit before I consider waterfowl being "good"!

Do you just let em float or actually bring them home?

I really like wood duck the most. Never ate a merg, but have tried goldeneye in the skillet before and that's was fucking gamey as all hell.

Mornin Beef wrote:

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:I really don't like the taste of most waterfowl. I make jerky out of the geese and crockpot the ducks with lots of chemicals to hide the natural flavor. As far as true flavor, waterfowl are way down the list of what I call good or taste good. And yes, I have had waterfowl many different ways and have had it prepared by others that said it was good. I just don't think it is very good. I would rather have wild turkey, deer, frogs, snappers, ground hog, snake, gator, flathead, quail, pheasant, pork, beef, hot dogs, bologna, maybe even dog **** before I consider waterfowl being "good"!

Do you just let em float or actually bring them home?

I really like wood duck the most. Never ate a merg, but have tried goldeneye in the skillet before and that's was **** gamey as all hell.

I bring them home and eat them all. Don't get into ethics here, I will hand you your ass. I just said I don't think they taste good.

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:

Mornin Beef wrote:

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:I really don't like the taste of most waterfowl. I make jerky out of the geese and crockpot the ducks with lots of chemicals to hide the natural flavor. As far as true flavor, waterfowl are way down the list of what I call good or taste good. And yes, I have had waterfowl many different ways and have had it prepared by others that said it was good. I just don't think it is very good. I would rather have wild turkey, deer, frogs, snappers, ground hog, snake, gator, flathead, quail, pheasant, pork, beef, hot dogs, bologna, maybe even dog **** before I consider waterfowl being "good"!

Do you just let em float or actually bring them home?

I really like wood duck the most. Never ate a merg, but have tried goldeneye in the skillet before and that's was **** gamey as all hell.

I bring them home and eat them all. Don't get into ethics here, I will hand you your ass. I just said I don't think they taste good.

What's the most ethical method of handing someones ass to themself?

Wood duck, then teal.

I cooked up some wood duck, mallard, ring neck, and red head last year all the same way at the same time and there were people that had never had it before and couldnt tell one from the other. Prep is a big factor in the outcome, then temp you cool too also.

Mornin Beef wrote:

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:

Mornin Beef wrote:

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:I really don't like the taste of most waterfowl. I make jerky out of the geese and crockpot the ducks with lots of chemicals to hide the natural flavor. As far as true flavor, waterfowl are way down the list of what I call good or taste good. And yes, I have had waterfowl many different ways and have had it prepared by others that said it was good. I just don't think it is very good. I would rather have wild turkey, deer, frogs, snappers, ground hog, snake, gator, flathead, quail, pheasant, pork, beef, hot dogs, bologna, maybe even dog **** before I consider waterfowl being "good"!

Do you just let em float or actually bring them home?

I really like wood duck the most. Never ate a merg, but have tried goldeneye in the skillet before and that's was **** gamey as all hell.

I bring them home and eat them all. Don't get into ethics here, I will hand you your ass. I just said I don't think they taste good.

What's the most ethical method of handing someones ass to themself?

I prefer to insert 2 fingers and then the thumb up the crack, kinda like bowling.

grizz18 wrote:

Mornin Beef wrote:

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:

Mornin Beef wrote:

MuddyWaterWarlock wrote:I really don't like the taste of most waterfowl. I make jerky out of the geese and crockpot the ducks with lots of chemicals to hide the natural flavor. As far as true flavor, waterfowl are way down the list of what I call good or taste good. And yes, I have had waterfowl many different ways and have had it prepared by others that said it was good. I just don't think it is very good. I would rather have wild turkey, deer, frogs, snappers, ground hog, snake, gator, flathead, quail, pheasant, pork, beef, hot dogs, bologna, maybe even dog **** before I consider waterfowl being "good"!

Do you just let em float or actually bring them home?

I really like wood duck the most. Never ate a merg, but have tried goldeneye in the skillet before and that's was **** gamey as all hell.

I bring them home and eat them all. Don't get into ethics here, I will hand you your ass. I just said I don't think they taste good.

What's the most ethical method of handing someones ass to themself?

I prefer to insert 2 fingers and then the thumb up the crack, kinda like bowling.

Wow, if there was a conversation I thought this thread would bring, this was not it.

Bowling ball

grizz18 wrote:Wood duck, then teal.

I cooked up some wood duck, mallard, ring neck, and red head last year all the same way at the same time and there were people that had never had it before and couldnt tell one from the other. Prep is a big factor in the outcome, then temp you cool too also.

Black duck would be my favorite, but Canadas are a very close second. Least favorite would be brant. As for the rest, with the exception of black duck and goose, they all get a buttermilk soak for a few hours. It's hard to tell brant or buffies apart from the others if you do this.

assateague wrote:

grizz18 wrote:Wood duck, then teal.

I cooked up some wood duck, mallard, ring neck, and red head last year all the same way at the same time and there were people that had never had it before and couldnt tell one from the other. Prep is a big factor in the outcome, then temp you cool too also.

Black duck would be my favorite, but Canadas are a very close second. Least favorite would be brant. As for the rest, with the exception of black duck and goose, they all get a buttermilk soak for a few hours. It's hard to tell brant or buffies apart from the others if you do this.

Ive had the canadas in the crock pot basically like pulled bbq, and then I made a big batch of jerky out of them. The jerky was awesome.

Once my uncle skipped school and shot some coots. He got my granny to cook them. My grandpa opened the door, took one smell, and loudly declared, "who's been cooking coots?" with a scowl on his face.
Best family story involving ducks I have. Am pretty sure no coots were eaten.

I like teal then Canada.

Sent from my phone.

grizz18 wrote:Wood duck, then teal.

I cooked up some wood duck, mallard, ring neck, and red head last year all the same way at the same time and there were people that had never had it before and couldnt tell one from the other. Prep is a big factor in the outcome, then temp you cool too also.

This



Sent from a gnarly phone with a kickstand

Toss up between woodie and teal for the best. Mergs taste like shit, other than that I've never eaten any waterfowl I don't like.

Scoter

Any bird I get to take in the valley with a thick layer golden fat on it is tops in my book. But as far as our local birds go I'd have to say the brant are the most tasty and the canadas/ Aleutians are the worst.

Teal sprig and mallards are the best. Golden eyes are one of my least favorite I've eaten of recent. We are spoiled because our ducks are rice feed most of the season and I suspect that makes them taste better.

peking duck

Fulvous and blackbellied whistling ducks are my favorite ducks. They don't fly far or hard and don't need as much oxygen to their breast muscles, so the flesh is light and mild. Almost like domestic duck.

Woody, I agree with you about coot. It's a whooole lot better than many think. Wouldn't want to eat any duck cooked by someone who claims to have given coot a fair try and says it's bad.

I'll pass on the sea ducks. Though I've been told by serious sea duckers that the ticket there is to slice the breasts into strips, marinate over night in dijon mustard and deep fry.

Bootlipkiller wrote:We are spoiled because our ducks are rice feed most of the season and I suspect that makes them taste better.

you are correct

Rick wrote:Woody, I agree with you about coot. It's a whooole lot better than many think. Wouldn't want to eat any duck cooked by someone who claims to have given coot a fair try and says it's bad.

I'm gonna have to agree as well. I've had rice fed coot breast before and I was pleasantly surprised. Of course it was deep fried and battered. You can deep fry a turd and make it taste decent

Canvasback would be my número uno.

Everything else is a tie for 2nd thru last place.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Canvasback would be my número uno.

Everything else is a tie for 2nd thru last place.

Canvasback is good, ringers and redheads are better than most would think also.

Sent from a gnarly phone with a kickstand

Teal, wood duck and specks in that order

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Canvasback would be my número uno.

Everything else is a tie for 2nd thru last place.

canvas back was great, as was pintail. Weird the pintail taste like a mix of roasted muskrat, lasagna made with cottage cheese and a Taco Bell 12 pack, ne'er would have guessed

Teal are the worst tasting duck we shoot, worse than oldsquaw

jehler wrote:

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Canvasback would be my número uno.

Everything else is a tie for 2nd thru last place.

canvas back was great, as was pintail. Weird the pintail taste like a mix of roasted muskrat, lasagna made with cottage cheese and a Taco Bell 12 pack, ne'er would have guessed

True. Shooting one feels better than burning a VW with an Obama sticker in an elementary school parking lot

jehler wrote:

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Canvasback would be my número uno.

Everything else is a tie for 2nd thru last place.

canvas back was great, as was pintail. Weird the pintail taste like a mix of roasted muskrat, lasagna made with cottage cheese and a Taco Bell 12 pack, ne'er would have guessed