Real dumb question
- Thread starter Mark W
- Start date
My family always referred to scoters as coots or scooters. Real coots were generally mudhens or poulle-d'eau, but sometimes a coot was just a coot.
Keith Mueller
Active member
Hi SJ,
The term "coot" being used as a name for scoter came from the old sea duck gunners in New England......they called scoters "sea coots" or just "coots" for short. The "nick-name" was given because of the dark sooty plumage and the white on the bills of the drakes of the two "most commonly" shot species of scoters; the white wing and the surf (aka skunkhead) were comparable to the plumage and the white bill of coots. But also, in the Northeast, most market gunners didn't often shoot coots because they were not desireable and didn't bring any money for the market, and neither did scoters. Although scoters were shot religiously by avid sea duck hunters in Maine, Massachusetts and the Maritimes, where they were taken and consumed for the gunners table. The meat was dried, pickled, smoked, canned and served just about as many ways as you could imagine.
Hope that helps.
Keith
The term "coot" being used as a name for scoter came from the old sea duck gunners in New England......they called scoters "sea coots" or just "coots" for short. The "nick-name" was given because of the dark sooty plumage and the white on the bills of the drakes of the two "most commonly" shot species of scoters; the white wing and the surf (aka skunkhead) were comparable to the plumage and the white bill of coots. But also, in the Northeast, most market gunners didn't often shoot coots because they were not desireable and didn't bring any money for the market, and neither did scoters. Although scoters were shot religiously by avid sea duck hunters in Maine, Massachusetts and the Maritimes, where they were taken and consumed for the gunners table. The meat was dried, pickled, smoked, canned and served just about as many ways as you could imagine.
Hope that helps.
Keith
John Robinson
Well-known member
Out west we always called coots mud hens and scoters were pronounced like a kids scooter. Our nickname for Shovlers was either a Spoonie or Salton Sea Mallard.
John
John
Lou Tisch
Well-known member
Hmmmmmmmmm, now.......when you're talking "Coot" up North here (Michigan & Indiana), this is what we're talking about. It's a bird that looks too ugly to reproduce, much less eat. Interestingly though, since they are primarily vegetarians, they truly taste very good.........but...........I highly recommend putting your birds on their back as soon as shot (let the blood drain out of the breast) and then age them for several days. Follow that with a stir fry (that I learned from Keith on Eidah) and they're great.
I know I've posted this pic before but it's one of my favorite. This was opening day down in Elkhart, IN several years ago. Gene Chandler and myself trudged a 1/2 mile through the woods to this great little back water pond and then limited out on ducks and geese in the first 15 minutes of that season (never even had the chance to see decoys out). Great......except...........now we're DONE for the day. Nope.....we took the scull boat out onto an adjoining lake and wacked Coot for an hour and a half and got 29 of them. Great fun.
So..............that's COOT. ........for us Northern Folk.
Lou
View attachment Scull02Coot.jpg
I know I've posted this pic before but it's one of my favorite. This was opening day down in Elkhart, IN several years ago. Gene Chandler and myself trudged a 1/2 mile through the woods to this great little back water pond and then limited out on ducks and geese in the first 15 minutes of that season (never even had the chance to see decoys out). Great......except...........now we're DONE for the day. Nope.....we took the scull boat out onto an adjoining lake and wacked Coot for an hour and a half and got 29 of them. Great fun.
So..............that's COOT. ........for us Northern Folk.
Lou
View attachment Scull02Coot.jpg