# Duck ID thread



## Arrow3

Seems this forum would really benfit from a duck ID thread to help all of us identify the different ducks around here and the country...I will make this a "sticky" so it stays at the top of the forum....Feel free to post up some picture.  I will start it off...

Drake mallard...


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## Arrow3

Hen mallard


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## MudDucker

*Most Common Duck Killed*

Here he is in all of his splendor ... Mr. Sawbill ... aka Hoody ... aka Hooded Merganser.


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## LIB MR ducks

*Field guide...*

First of all I'm not trying to hijack the thread. For those of you interested in a field guide check out the links. The Lemaster Method of duck ID is one of the best guides I have seen. It helps you ID based on bill, head, and wing. It is a great tool for around ten bucks. The pages are plastic so you can carry it in the field. 

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0016479690505a.shtml

or

http://www.amazon.com/Waterfowl-Identification-Lemaster-Method-Richard/dp/0811729826


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## Arrow3

drake wood duck


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## DoonHoon

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowlgallery.aspx


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## Al33

I am not a duck hunter but I think it is a good idea to have duck ID resources here and as in many other places as possible.


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## Duckilla

I believe it would be much better to show how to identify them during flight. The only way this thread would to any good is scouting or after you killed it.


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER

What am I??


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## Skyjacker

A wood duck mallard hybrid.


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## fowlmouth

Skyjacker said:


> A wood duck mallard hybrid.


 BINGO!!


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## SourMash

Harlequins...


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## SourMash

Scoters...

Left to right..Black,Whitewing and Surf


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## JDAWG

buffleheads
pintails
merganser


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## cephus91

took a while for me to figure this one out


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## trophy-1

shot 4 drake wood ducks yesterday evening shore was fun didnt get any pic though so hers one i kill earlyer


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## kirkmat

Here are a few to identify


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## kirkmat

*What species is this duck*


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## booger branch benelli

looks like one of the other species of pintail, maybe a bahama, or a yellow billed......Where did you kill this!!! state!!
Id say if you killed this in north America you just won the lotto!

 The top duck is a wigeon but it looks weird too!! The colors just are not right.


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## booger branch benelli

The King!!!


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## kirkmat

The two ducks are a Chole Widgeon and a yellow bill pintail both shot in Uruguay back in June.  Just wanted to mix things up a bit with the different species


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## GT Whitetail

What kinda duck is the one in JAYDAWG's post #14? The picture with the black lab..
Thanks


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## critter85

Hen hooded merganser in post #14 pic #3.


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## critter85

#15 Blue bill hen


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## Larry Young Jr

*what is this*

This was killed ga.


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## Larry Young Jr

A friend got a Drake of this kind. Yes it was killed in Ga.


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## Nitro

Larry Young, those are Ruddy  Shelducks. 

I have held one in my friends aviary in Mississippi. If your buddy killed one in GA, it was an escapee or very lost. 

Gorgeous birds.


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## Larry Young Jr

Very good I wondered how long it would take. It was lost. You can't buy them to let go here. we though it might be a pet. Dnr said,
If it was someone was breaking the law.


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## jerry russell

Here he is again...He did not lost seem lost when I shot him...

Seriously though, this duck is commonly found in S.E. Asia...what in the heck was he doing here?  I like to think that he got caught up in some freaky atmospheric wind event and pushed here- not that he was really someones pet named Quackers the duck. I'm telling you boys, the South side of Atlanta is the spot if you want to shoot something weird.
It is as if someone is breeding the strangest things together. Rumor has it that there will be a crossing of BWT and Emu this year. I wonder if they will be easier to hit?


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## Larry Young Jr

*What is this*

HERE are 2 different birds

1) lives with Can. Geese

2) what is this called I hear them called Hook bills

Good luck
Larry


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## turkeys101

drake ruddy duck


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## turkeys101

pair of northern shovler's


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## turkeys101

pair of northern pintails.


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## turkeys101

pair of blue-winged teal.


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## turkeys101

drake gadwall.


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## turkeys101

drake black duck.


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## turkeys101

pair of american widgeons


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## turkeys101

ol drake bluebill.


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## Quail man

Larry Young Jr said:


> HERE are 2 different birds
> 
> 1) lives with Can. Geese
> 
> 2) what is this called I hear them called Hook bills
> 
> Good luck
> Larry



number 2 is a sacrid ibis i believe


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## turkeys101

my favorite,the drake wood duck.


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## turkeys101

*here he is.*

drake hooded merganser.


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## turkeys101

*my favorite diver*

pair of ringers.


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## DUhollywood1

turkeys101 said:


> drake gadwall.



Pretty sure thats a hen gaddy. A drake will have a completely black bill and usually a darker colored head in general.


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## blondiega1

MudDucker said:


> Here he is in all of his splendor ... Mr. Sawbill ... aka Hoody ... aka Hooded Merganser.



OOO!!!
We have one on our lake that has been hanging out with our 2 male pekins for over a year now!

I don't know if he's injured or just likes it here!
He does have a sweet deal.  Plenty of fish in the lake, no real competition for food, and occasionally a "LADY" passes through!


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## blondiega1

While not a duck....the snow goose is a new comer to Georgia.
Here's a pic of two that were on our lake two days before Christmas.
They flew out sometime Christmas eve night.  Mayhap they hitched a ride south with Santa.






And a picture of them with my boys (the male pekins) and with Dos (the hooded merganser who's been here for a year).
And NO ya'll can't come hunt them!  LOL


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## Triple BB

turkeys101 said:


> drake gadwall.



definitely a hen gadwall there bud


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## gdaagent

Shoot fire! I need more help identifying them in the air. I know what they are after i retrieve them. Rugh roh!


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## irishredneck




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## duckkillerclyde

Triple BB said:


> definitely a hen gadwall there bud



agree.


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## SgDh

Any place on this forum to post say pics of daily hunts and stuff?


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## JamHunts

SgDh said:


> Any place on this forum to post say pics of daily hunts and stuff?



Kill any spooners?


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## Wrangler Hunter

Please excuse my ignorance, I have never hunted ducks before, but I am considering starting this year.  I have look at the waterfowl regulations for last year.  Are we needing to identify because only some are legal to hunt, or is it because you like to know what kind of duck you are about to shoot?


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## king killer delete

The regulations change a bit every year. Check the Ga DNR web site for the new regs.They are not published yet, Check the web site late summer. Good luck.


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## Wrangler Hunter

killer elite said:


> The regulations change a bit every year. Check the Ga DNR web site for the new regs.They are not published yet, Check the web site late summer. Good luck.



Thanks for the response, and I am really careful about reading the current regs each time I go out just to be sure.  
But what I am mainly wondering is if there are only certain ducks you can shoot, or is this so you know what you are shooting and they are all legal to shoot.


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## king killer delete

it depends on the season. teal season you can only shoot teal.Late season you can still shoot teal and most other ducks.  There are different kinds of ducks. You have puddle ducks , diver ducks and sea ducks


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## Wrangler Hunter

killer elite said:


> it depends on the season. teal season you can only shoot teal.Late season you can still shoot teal and most other ducks.  There are different kinds of ducks. You have puddle ducks , diver ducks and sea ducks



Thank you


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## king killer delete

bump


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## RPM

ID ducks at a distance.

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/duckdist/index.htm


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## determined

Teal are the little guys that fly like what they are: puddle ducks, not like the Ruddy Ducks that fly low and straightforward with continual wingbeats: divers.

Bluewings are the usual teal for early season. Look for blue wing patches when flying, but try and look at their bills, too. Northern Shovelers, or spoonies, have blue wing patches also. Also called incorrectly spoonbills, the young are not much larger than the teal in flight. One must also be aware of young wood ducks, as they appear small. 

Let the bird(s) light in the decoys if you are unsure. Small duck with a small bill, blue wing patch? Stand up and shoot him as he clears the background area in low light. No blue wing patch? Might still be a teal. A little experience and all you will be shooting at are the teal.

Keep them on ice, as they are great tablefare. Don't lay them in the sun for hours, please.

Larger ducks are not teal. Let them light in the decoys and enjoy them. They may become live decoys for your next teal.

It is sometimes easier to use a quick process of elimination, added with specific features or flight patterns, that will tell you whether to shoot a duck or not. 

Late season, it's tough if you shoot a mottled duck first. You must know a duck is not a mottled or a black before shooting it, because you are allowed only one of EITHER. Listen to the ducks. Wood ducks coming in by their sounds? Shoot 'em and add them to your mottled duck. Teal are safe. A diver is safe. Be safe and enjoy.  Good luck. Remember there are other hunters out there.
When in doubt, let 'em come in. Look at them through your binoculars if you need to.


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## BeardsandSpurs

What is this?


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## cowhornedspike

Woodmallard?


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## BeardsandSpurs

That's my best guess.


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