The change of seasons, duck season has now begun!!!

Chris Finch

Chris Finch

Well-known member
i have been having too much fun diving to go duck hunting or early goosing. The scull float hasnt even hit the water yet. All that changed this week.

My brother in law and our shared custody puppy decided we were going to hunt thanksgiving morning, we didnt scout and were just realy looking at having some fun with kali. Now that she is getting alittle older we like to make sure we center the hunt around her.

Well we had won the lottery, we were basically stuck in the middle of a mallard tornado until we left! There were hundreds of birds dive bombing our decoys even after we shot our limit and were just playing with kali out in the open farting around waiting for a black to fly by. It was unbelievable. We never have the problem of waiting for blacks to shoot usually we get our blacks and just go home.

It was one of our top 5 hunts with a little jewelry from easton maine to top it off!!!
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I was also invited out with Pete and his buddy Sal for and eider hunt. This was both the first time eider hunting and my first hunt with Pete and Sal. We had a great time and i was able to get my first eider. The flight never seemed to happen but we went scouting and saw some serious rafts of birds. It was really cool to see so many seaducks. Hunting from a big boy boat we really cool too. With the temps cooling off i knew i was running out of time before the blackfish moved out so i brought my dive gear along too. So in the same day of shooting an eiderand a scoter i blasted my last fish of the year. I had a great time and was really happy to finally get to go for a hunt with my mentor. View attachment 4AB1A75C-3C89-41E4-A6EB-5D4B0311A0BD.jpegView attachment F8428570-7ACF-44C9-9188-BDE5E3D834FD.jpeg

Also i made a big batch of duck wontons with the scoter eider and hoodie. It came out unreal and the inlaws devoured them. Its amazing what a night in a brine and fresh ginger will do
 
Hey Chris,
Thanks for the tog. My family just finished them, delicious to say the least.
Pleased to hear you were able to use the sea ducks - hard to believe but
some day I will have to give it a try. Nice having you on board. Hopefully
the next time the eiders will be flying!!
 
I brined some ringnecks, rolled them in Italian breadcrumbs and pan seared them to serve with Italian sauce with fresh basil, artichoke hearts and toasted pine nuts over linguine.

Chris, did you use just Kosher salt ? Or, did you use a mix of brown sugar and Kosher salt. as the brine base?
 
I have a hard time believing anything good can be done with a hoodie. I shoot one drake a season for fly tying feathers and force myself to choke it down. I will try this recipe, but am not holding my breath.

Eiders, scoters, ringnecks, whistlers--I have ways to prepare all of those that I not only tolerate but like. But hoodie has been bad every way I've tried to prepare it. Last attempt was a huge pot of very spicy chili into which went one set of marinated breasts along with 2 pounds of ground venison, moose and pork, and a pound of a very robust chorizo. Still tasted strongly of fish.
 
Jeff, try a buttermilk soak first. I usually direct any diver other than redheads, cans, or scaup into a red curry.
 
Jeff Reardon said:
I have a hard time believing anything good can be done with a hoodie. I shoot one drake a season for fly tying feathers and force myself to choke it down. I will try this recipe, but am not holding my breath.

Eiders, scoters, ringnecks, whistlers--I have ways to prepare all of those that I not only tolerate but like. But hoodie has been bad every way I've tried to prepare it. Last attempt was a huge pot of very spicy chili into which went one set of marinated breasts along with 2 pounds of ground venison, moose and pork, and a pound of a very robust chorizo. Still tasted strongly of fish.
Click to expand...

Normaly i eat hoodies alongside mallards after just a very quick sear, anything past blue rare is over done. Just a little salt pepper rosemary and butter in a piping hot cast iron. Red breast and commons are chili ducks though. Never eaten brant but i have heard since the eel grass disapeared and now they eat. Sea lettuce they dong taste good. But ill be the judge of that if i ever shoot one.
 
Here is a loose recipe, i like changing them everytime i do it and dont measure precisly but here it is.

1 eider 2 scoter 1 hoodie
Breasted out remove ALL fat silver skin and coagulated blood
Cut into strips against the grain
Soak over night in a brine of saltwater, brown sugar, fresh crushed black pepper
Put in a colander to drain after while prepping the otherstuff

1/2 an onion diced
4 garlic cloves
3-5 table spoons of fresh ginger. I like ginger so i went with alot.
10-15 brussel sprouts (i forgot to pick up cabbage and used this instead)

Put this stuff in a food processor and give a chop. Put in a bowl after

Chop up the meat in the processor, put in the bowl

Combine with Enough soy to get the correct consistency( not wet)
Then start making wontons i just used store bought wrappers get 2 packs makes about 80

Dont over stuff and use conrstartch/water to seal edge. Fry to golden brown. Serve with hoisin sauce or what ever u want, chili lime sauce would be good too

I froze the ones i didnt use and will bake them with an egg wash
 
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