So, I'm in the desert in Iraq last week.....and DUCKS!!!!

BamaBill

BamaBill

Active member
I kid you not. I'm in a remote part of SE Iraq, doing some project (contract) work involving military base planning, and in one of the areas I was taking pics for report/mapping updates, I notice that their is a large (mostly artificially created) marsh...say 150 acres or more, and that there are a lot of 'birds'. As I get closer, I recognize that (other than some gulls and shorebirds), most of these 'birds' happen to be ducks. Thousands of ducks. Teal (unsure of type), EA wigeons, shovelers, and a few other types of puddlers that resemble spinoffs of gadwalls and mallards. The bulk were in enormous flocks of teal. I will do my best to get some of these pics posted soon, but I have to make sure and only post the ones that had no 'military' items in them. I just thought it was hugely suprising and interesting to see so many ducks at one spot, in otherwise flat desert in the middle east. Granted, I was within a few miles of the Euphrates, but it's merely a big ditch at that area. Just thought some here might find that interesting, as well.
 
Sounds neat, so do you have them patterned yet? When is their season? What is the daily bag limits? LOL, have a good time, post some pics if you can.
 
Thanks for the scouting report Bill. It'll be a stretch, but I think a guy could make it if he has a 4 day weekend to hunt. May be Thanksgiving? LOL!!!
 
Oh sure, now all the internet scouters know the hot spot. :-)
The teal could be Garganey, I'm sure Clint has a few of them in his spread.

Stay safe.

Tim
 
LOL...to the even MORE entertaining part: The USAF has animal control 'patrols' that are tasked with reducing these 'bird' problems. That requires shotguns. Ducks ARE hunted in Iraq....along with jackals, wild dogs, etc.....generally at night. BTW, I could give you the GPS coordinates, but you'd play heck getting in there. The tenants are NOT friendly to trespassers. LOL
 
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I have always wondered about the marshes over there along the main river holding birds. It reminds me of my childhood home in central Nevada with all the canals and small reservoirs holding irrigation run off.

Now that the UN/US has rebuilt parts of the dike system north of Basra where the "marsh arabs" live I wonder how that is rebounding for fish and fowl.

Jesse's son was over there for a while a few years ago and fished in some of the canals and mentioned ducks were around.
 
There was a special report on 60 minutes last night about a marsh being drained years ago by the govt. but now being restored by an American engineer that was born in Iraq - pretty amazing to see the before and after pictures of the marsh, and what has happened since starting to restore it!
 
Ducks ARE hunted in Iraq....along with jackals, wild dogs, etc.....


Do you have a recipe for wild dog? My neighbor has one that pi**** me off...


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