Other Waterfowl Hunting Page

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Other Waterfowl
[Overview]
[Bufflehead]
[Gadwall]
[Teal]
[Ringneck]
[Merganser]
[Shoveler]

Other Waterfowl Hunting Overview

While the primary waterfowl species we see every year are Wood Ducks, Mallards, and Canada Geese, West Virginia also attracts just about every other Atlantic Flyway duck in some number. The most abundant species beyond the big three are probably Teal - both Green-Wings and Blue Wings. They come through WV in large numbers in late summer/early fall and then taper off through the winter. After Teal, Bufflehead are the only other species that we have really seen in any great number during the hunting season. However, as we duck hunt a lot and in a lot of different areas, we have thrown steel at a lot of different species, and in some cases, been able to knock a couple down.

Bufflehead

We have taken 1 Bufflehead and, after eating it, the number will probably stay at 1. Bufflehead are little diving fish eaters. They are easy to find in the winter in moderate sized flocks on open water. Easy to spot, not necessarily flighty, they can be hunted without too much difficulty. Their diet, however, makes them poor tablefare and the K&R will usually let them fly on by.

11.22.00

The Rooster with a picture of the hen bufflehead taken on the lake pictured. Unless you like a fishy tasting fowl, let them pass.

11.22.00

The King with a shot of the Buffle. The drakes are much easier to ID, with large white stripe on the head and white stripes on the back of the wings.

Gadwall

Gadwalls are not rare in WV, but they are by no means abundant. We usually see a couple a year but rarely get a shot - as they are wary birds. We have only taken 1 through the years, and we snuck up on it with in a canoe before it could spot us. A plant and seed-eater, it made a good meal.

10.13.01

The Rooster with the one and only Gadwall (hen) downed by the K&R. The picture does not show the tell-tale sign of the Gadwall, white speculum on the back of the wings.

Teal

Dusk is only minutes away, and you can feel them coming. Waiting . . .waiting . . .surging anticipation! ZZZZip, I heard one, did you see it? There! Senses overwhelmed, too many targets! Fifty? Hundred? More? Pick one from the swarm, quick - lead - fire! Way behind, double the lead - fire! One on the ground! Damn, is there anything like a hundred teal crashing down on top of you at dusk? We don't think so. WV sees a lot of teal in a season - both blue-wing and green-wing. Generally they move in quick, grab a bite, and then are gone before dawn. While we have seen a lot teal, we haven't taken very many. They are just too damn hard to hit. Flying as fast as a dove and usually seen near dusk, to get one means that you have to be able shoot into empty space and hope the teal runs into steel. We have taken 4 teal, two green-wings and two blue-wings.

10.11.01

The Rooster with a green-wing taken on a hot afternoon hunt. This was a solitary teal loafing with some wood ducks. Taken on the flush, a teal is a lot easier to hit than on the fly.

1.11.03

The King with a great shot of a drake green-wing teal. This teal was taken on top of a spread of mallard decoys.

10.02.09

Blue-wing Hen taken from the swampt fall 2009.

Ringneck

Ringnecks pass through WV in big numbers on the way north and south. Reconning waterways in the spring, ringnecks can be seen taking rest and grabbing a bite in large flocks. However, where we hunt in the fall and winter (on smaller waterways), we rarely see any ringnecks. Our 1 ringneck was taken on the same evening that we got a mallard band.

11.27.02

The Rooster with the ringneck hen taken on a squally November day.

Merganser

Mergansers - Common and Hooded - are common if not abundant in WV. We see them from time-to-time but as they are fish-eaters, we rarely throw any steel their way. However, we have taken 2 Common Mergansers (2003-2004 and 2006-2007) in our hunting history.

11.22.00

Here is a just-before-the cleaning shot of a common merganser shot mistakenly on the flush. Back lit they are hard to ID. Well, it may not be the best meat, but it will get cooked.

Shoveler

Shovelers, like ringnecks, are seen on a frequent basis on bigger water in the spring heading back north. In the fall and winter, however, shovelers are scarce (they do not like cold weather). We have seen only a couple during the hunting season but have managed to knock 2 down (2003-2004 and 2004-2005). We did not, however, get a picture of the first one.

1.22.05

A shot of a drake shoveler and mallard taken on a cold January day. Shoveler's are fair table-fare, as they eat both seed and fish.

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