# Old time duck hunting.



## alleyyooper (Sep 12, 2020)

In the 1960’s duck hunting here in Michigan had some simple rules even I could under stand.





You needed a migratory water fowl license, A 3 shot plug in a pump or semi auto shot gun. You were allowed so many male birds and so many females and some you were not to shoot at all like If I remember right the wood ducks.





North off St. Johns Mich back then the Maple river went under M 27, there was also a large parking lot for wild life viewing and many would put a duck boat in there and go up or down river to hunt. Up river there was west, the DNR paid farmers plant crops in the spring and allowed them to grow all summer then the DNR would flood the crops in the fall.





We how ever took Wilson road off 27 a couple miles and parked at a farm across the road from the river. We wore cheat waders and walked abreast up river hunting thru the flooded crops and wood lots. Jumped a lot of mallards canvas backs and other good eating ducks. 





This was my first time duck hunting this way and enjoyed it a lot. Went to step over what I thought was a sunken log, Log moved fast and about upset me. Turned out it was a huge gar pike, a lot hung out there as there was a slaughter house on the river where they dumped inwards.





As said I enjoyed this type of hunting a lot. When we had our limit of ducks we took them back to the cars put them on ice then would go and hunt the crop fields for pheasants and rabbits. 


Those were good days of hunting before so much land got posted and rules got changed to a points system. 


With the points system you could drive several miles to hunt go out and shoot one bird a hen Mallard and you were finished for the day.





Those new rules didn’t take effect till 1971 though.





I was learning a lot of new ways of hunting off the farm and with Rick his brother in laws and friends. Reloading my own hunting ammo, was nothing to spend a Saturday shooting informal trap and using up 400 rounds.

Al


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## North by Northwest (Sep 13, 2020)

Yeah those were the days bud ! Same here in Northern Ontario , many a day in my teens I would check out my favorite hunting spots late Friday afternoon in prep of early 5 am Saturday morning hunting session . I usually brought my hip and chest waders and if necessary had my inflatable rubber 2 man dingy as backup . I also reloaded most of my 12 & 16 gauge shells . The new steel shot is hard on barrels and lacks in the performance of the old lead shot . I still hunt grouse and praire chicken prior to deer & moose seasons , however have not hunted duck or geese in over 30 yrs , fond memories though !


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## ChoppyChoppy (Sep 13, 2020)

alleyyooper said:


> In the 1960’s, duck hunting here in Michigan had some simple rules even I could understand.
> 
> You needed a migratory water fowl license, a 3 shot plug in a pump, or semi auto shot gun. You were allowed so many male birds and so many females and some you were not to shoot at all like if I remember right the wood ducks.
> 
> ...



How was the duck for eating?

I raised some a few years back. The eggs were awesome, but the meat wasn't that good.
Think I ended up giving most of it to the dogs, was a dark greasy meat that was quite gamey tasting.

I've wanted to find some in a store to try to compare, but I've never seen it available.


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## old CB (Sep 13, 2020)

Throughout the 1970s I lived in upstate NY, about 10 miles from Canada, and loved to hunt ducks in the abundant creeks and beaver ponds. Leave the house on a cool wet fall day carrying a shotgun and return with duck(s) for dinner. There's few memories I treasure more than that. Mallards, black duck, teal (green & blue wing teal), wood duck.

Now that I return to that country as a visitor--I have a camp in St. Lawrence County--I've been wanting to get back into duck hunting. A friend who's a lifelong hunter up there tells me that he has not shot a duck in the last two years, and will not for the foreseeable future, as their population is in serious decline.

I actually spent today building the first of several wood duck nest boxes that I will take to install on my big pond when I go to camp later this month. Also will give a box or two to my buddy for his camp on a nearby lake.


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## old CB (Sep 13, 2020)

All the best to you Al. I hope you're doing okay.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 13, 2020)

Duck like most every thing else has to be cared for properly and cooked correctly.

I am getting by a day at a time. lots of pain and the morphine helps so but I also need to add in some mortrin.

If every thing goes as they said last Wednesday I will be getting chemo Thursday.

Al


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## North by Northwest (Sep 14, 2020)

old CB said:


> Throughout the 1970s I lived in upstate NY, about 10 miles from Canada, and loved to hunt ducks in the abundant creeks and beaver ponds. Leave the house on a cool wet fall day carrying a shotgun and return with duck(s) for dinner. There's few memories I treasure more than that. Mallards, black duck, teal (green & blue wing teal), wood duck.
> 
> Now that I return to that country as a visitor--I have a camp in St. Lawrence County--I've been wanting to get back into duck hunting. A friend who's a lifelong hunter up there tells me that he has not shot a duck in the last two years, and will not for the foreseeable future, as their population is in serious decline.
> 
> I actually spent today building the first of several wood duck nest boxes that I will take to install on my big pond when I go to camp later this month. Also will give a box or two to my buddy for his camp on a nearby lake.


Good luck with the opening of the border so you can get to camp bud . I will be hunting deer North of the Michigan / Ontario border this season .


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## North by Northwest (Sep 14, 2020)

ChoppyChoppy said:


> How was the duck for eating?
> 
> I raised some a few years back. The eggs were awesome, but the meat wasn't that good.
> Think I ended up giving most of it to the dogs, was a dark greasy meat that was quite gamey tasting.
> ...


I routinely soak game birds , geese , duck , grouse , pheasant etc in salt water and white vinegar overnight . This takes any gamey flavour out of the meat . I usually roast my duck with potatoes and onions and garlic and bacon . This increases the flavour and protects from drying out the meat . Same with my goose meat . The Grouse and Pheasant I often smoke with either hickory or apple then deep fry .


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## alleyyooper (Sep 15, 2020)

Frist thing is to clean the body cavity as soon as you can and cool the game down birds is most important I feel.

We carried a 5 gallon pail even at the begining of my duck hunting north of St. Johns as Ricks uncal had taught him to put the inwards in then ice them duck or other bird down.
I knew guys that would get a limit of birds and thro them in the hot trunk of a car to semi cook YUK.
About like skinning a deer and letting the hair get all over the meat after semi cooking on a car hood showing it off on the way home. Again Yuk.

soaking in salt water & vinagar alsoi was good for the meat. My mom used to soak or snow shoe hare in vinagar to tenderize them and pull the gamey flavor from them But I did not pay attention to her time forumla for that and had some hare no one wanter to eat due to to much vinagar flavor LOL.

My mother in law taught me to soak game critters in Milk for a while also to remove the gamey strong taste. I have her forumla wrote down in a wild game recipe book.

Nothing ticks me off like seeing people waste good game meat because they are to lazy to process the critter right.
No excuse today with the net to do that.

Yes we even save prime cuts from some coyotes to cook. Grilled back straps and rear quarters smoked. other cuts cut in small chunks for stews too.

Cajun Coyote Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
* 2 tablespoons dried Italian-style seasoning
* 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
* garlic powder to taste
* 2lbs of fresh thawed coyote meat pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large shallow dish, mix the oil, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and lemon pepper. Place the coyote meat in the dish, and turn to coat with the mixture. Cover, and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Drain coyote, and discard marinade. Place coyote on hot grill and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear.


Al


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## North by Northwest (Sep 15, 2020)

Yep proper cooling of the meat is paramount to fresh parasite free table fare . Larger game like deer and moose I usually try to remove the hide as soon as the body cavity has been properly cleaned . I either use cheese clouth to wrap the meat or apply a mixture of cayenne pepper and tabasco sauce to the flesh to prevent blow flie nesting . Often at hunting camp we process the animal in a cold storage area & then hang the meat for a few days temperature permitting ( 43 f or lower ) if warmer , then transport to my cool insulated garage . P.S. Actually built a portable meat processing trailer 2 yrs ago , complete with a reefer a.c. unit for extended storage , which has allowed us to extend the hunt in warmer weather up North . Interesting you mentioned the milk for overnight soak of small game birds , my uncle used this method for yrs lol. I have shot numerous coyote , which numbers have increased as a predator affecting both deer fawn & moose calf mortality within the last 5 yr period . I never have thought of actually processing the meat , silly me since I have ate many squirrel during my adolescent yrs . I have a trip scheduled later this fall to Quebec for Caribou , we secured 2 tags from a family friend at an outfitter , so looking forward to returning to hunt this excellent wild game meat !


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## svk (Sep 18, 2020)

Some guys hang ducks for weeks and say it improves their taste. I’ve even read about old timers who hung them by the feet till the body fell off then cooked them with the entrails still in the body!!!

I love duck hunting. There aren’t many but I’m going to get back into it this fall as there’s a blind 1/4 mile from my cabin.


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## blades (Sep 18, 2020)

When the WI dnr introduced that point system that was pretty much the end of my duck hunting. No longer worth the time and costs. I sat down a while back and figured out all my costs- heck I was better off buying a couple ducks at the store. I do miss the comradery of my hunting pals- but now days most are, no longer with us, unable to partake, or moved mega miles away. I am also spoiled having grown up on the family farms for the most part and everything was a short hike out the back door.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 20, 2020)

Was just telling a friend in WV how lucky I fee having grown up when and where I did. All the small farms hunter friendly for the most part and all some how managed to get along with each other.

How the familys shared also. I remember it being time for me to get in bed and banging of thr front door would be a couple of older neingbour boys had a couple ducks extra for my mom. No not poaching just extra they didn't care to take home.

Al


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## blades (Sep 21, 2020)

The kriptic call- Teal are in. Another mega family outting. Yep we got lot of them, then they were canned for later in the winter.
Pigeons- my Aunt would say you boys go out and get some for lunch. So we would sit on the front porch and pick them off the top of the corn crib with .22's. Trick was they had to be on the back side of the crib so they did not fall in to it. Weeding the Garden - everyone's bane but there was a bright side as that meant we would find worms. Worms + cane poles+ bobbers were just the ticket for Bullheads. No shortage of those on Big Muskego lake. Uncle Art"s farm was right on the lake about a 1/2 mile hike from Uncle Herbs place. We would gather enough for a family fish fry and some of the neighbors would be around as well. ( shirt tail relations all).


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## svk (Sep 21, 2020)

Unless something changes I will be opening up duck season this Saturday here. Not that I needed more, but I found a bunch of duck and geese decoys for cheap on marketplace. 25 bucks for a half dozen canada goose floaters and about two dozen magnum bluebills.


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## blades (Sep 21, 2020)

Most of the time the canada geese fly over my place way out of range even for my 10 gauge. I am only a couple miles from Horicon Mash in WI.


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## svk (Sep 21, 2020)

blades said:


> Most of the time the canada geese fly over my place way out of range even for my 10 gauge. I am only a couple miles from Horicon Mash in WI.


The only prayer I have of getting them is convincing a single to give me a look or get them in a beaver pond or crick where you can sneak into range.


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## blades (Sep 21, 2020)

I can get them to come down a bit and take a look see, if I put out a big enough spread .


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## svk (Sep 21, 2020)

We primarily hunt ducks and have found that they shy away from larger spreads of geese so unfortunately not an option here.


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## blades (Sep 21, 2020)

have to walk the creek for jump shots on ducks at home. Don't really see many doing a fly over.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 25, 2020)

Bull heads and a family fish fry. Thanks for the reminder as i have been party to more than one of those. Of course we used rods and reels.

AT one time it took a lot to clean them, but some Polish fellows from Posin Mi shiowed me the proper way. 

Al


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## svk (Sep 26, 2020)

I’ve had some “equipment issues” this morning but still nice to get out.


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## svk (Sep 27, 2020)

I thought my best days of hunting were behind me but today was my finest solo hunt ever. Had my limit before sunrise. Drank my coffee and ate my sandwich before heading home.


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## blades (Sep 28, 2020)

nice


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## esshup (Sep 28, 2020)

3" 1100 or 2 3/4"? Why the bolts replacing the trigger group pins?


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## svk (Sep 28, 2020)

esshup said:


> 3" 1100 or 2 3/4"? Why the bolts replacing the trigger group pins?


This is a 2 3/4. I have two of them and one 3".

This gun is new to me and had a QD scope mount held by the bolts.


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## blades (Sep 28, 2020)

Another era ends, Remmington has been sold off in bits and pieces to the highest bidders per section.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 28, 2020)

Well I am a Remington Fan thru and thru green flows in my viens yet will say theyv’e done it to them selves.

Fighting a trigger issue on the 700, well screw those people and use a new triggger tht works and stop fighting them, Replace them after all your doing so now? 

Bulding some really crappy low cost stuff to try for that market, you had the best go back to what worked. If you want to sell cheap buy a great bundle of decent stuff from another company till thre cheap crap trade is finihsed .
Mom had two sayings she liked, can’t make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.

Money shows and walks No-one wants BS.


Al


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## svk (Oct 14, 2020)

blades said:


> Another era ends, Remmington has been sold off in bits and pieces to the highest bidders per section.


Yep, poor management did them in. Hard to believe as they once had a stranglehold on entry level and mid level long gun sales.


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## Counselor (Nov 5, 2020)

Remington feel victim to a Holding Company Shell Game. Basically these jerks buy older, respected, moderately profitable companies, load them up with debt they can never pay, pay out huge bonuses etc...and then move on to the next company to destroy. It should be illegal quite honestly. Remington was just trying to shuffle as much product out the door as they could to pay the debt service- they couldn't borrow more money to update anything etc...What else could they do?


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## blades (Nov 6, 2020)

Yes the common shell game , Recently read an article on this subject but I can't remember the dates of when this became possible due to changes in the stock market/ financials or where I read it. I can say that I got burned 3 times because of this.


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## puzlrock (Dec 31, 2021)

alleyyooper said:


> Frist thing is to clean the body cavity as soon as you can and cool the game down birds is most important I feel.
> 
> We carried a 5 gallon pail even at the begining of my duck hunting north of St. Johns as Ricks uncal had taught him to put the inwards in then ice them duck or other bird down.
> I knew guys that would get a limit of birds and thro them in the hot trunk of a car to semi cook YUK.
> ...


I was with you until you mentioned coyotes, I don't think I could go that. It's that different strokes thing. Happy New Year!!!


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## djg james (Jan 1, 2022)

Wow! This thread brings back many memories. Thanks alleyyoolper (rip).


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## North by Northwest (Jan 1, 2022)

puzlrock said:


> I was with you until you mentioned coyotes, I don't think I could go that. It's that different strokes thing. Happy New Year!!!


Rip Al , another awesome Tribute to your caring nature & sportsmanship !


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## blades (Jan 3, 2022)

Can't say that coyotes are high on my list of dinner plates either.


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