# HEAR ME OUT....eating Hooded Merganser



## MindTrikCallr

Guys....I would have never guessed it. My dad took home a few mergansers the other day and threatened to cook them up. I went over today and he had two plates on the table on one plate was wood duck and on the other...hooded mergansers. He asked me to taste em...and to my HORROR the merganser tasted....I have to say it...BETTER! He diced the ducks up into small pieces, rolled them in mustard then took them out and rolled them in hot seafood breader and fried em up....TRUST ME...IT WAS GOOD! I dont know if it was because these hoodies were killed on fresh water and not the salt marsh...but they were good


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## duckmauler

in that case, i have a few in the freezer i was going to work my dog with, but id be glad to mail them to ya if you want to eat them. let me know.


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## Rubberhead

"Damn it, Mister. I believe you." I really do.

Ruddy Ducks, ringnecks and Buffleheads are good eating too. Too many of the ladies on this forum believe the wives tales about certain ducks not being good to eat. I really think ruddies, buffies and ringnecks are really good eating.


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## TarHeelWtrFwlr

Rubberhead said:


> Ruddy Ducks



I've heard a good handful of people swear this was their favorite duck to eat. Methinks after hearing such that it can't be so bad as what I was lead to believe previously.

Still haven't tried one, though.


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## Adduckted

We cut a couple ruddies last year and soaked em in Jack Daniels before grilling. I'd put it up there with any mallard I've ever had.


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## bigdrumnc

no doubt....ruddies, buffle nuts, ringers, and blackheads are great eating. if your not gonna eat what you kill you have no buisness hunting! thats pretty sorry to go and kill a bunch of birds and then trash them!


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## TarHeelWtrFwlr

bigdrumnc said:


> if your not gonna eat what you kill you have no buisness hunting! thats pretty sorry to go and kill a bunch of birds and then trash them!



So what DOES everyone do with the birds they kill that they don't eat? Whenever I wind up with something that doesn't go into the pot one way or the other it gets frozen and used for dog training.


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## Tidewater

I just finished eating a ruddy and a canvasback, excellent. 

I tried cooking a merganser once because I said if I shoot it I'm eating it. About the time that thing started to cook a little and the aroma of grilled merg got to my nose I had to flip those breasts off the grill to the dog that retrieved it for me. Oh, she was more than happy to eat it. I just could not bring myself to eat that thing. Smelled like rotten fish cooking, whew!!!!!


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## BoykinDog

We were in Arkanasas last week and shot several speckle bellies. I was surprised when the guides went on and on about how good they were. They call them flying filet migion. After soaking them in italian dressing and grilling them to medium rare I was impressed. Nothing like a Canada Goose tastes.


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## WaterDogGS

I eat buffies and scoters all the time. I've had a few bufs that tasted like snails and sound mud though (no - never actually tried sound mud but i have an idea of what it would taste like) - i love scoter though...more than bluebill even. Never tried merganser though - i guess i will have to now.

Tom


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## TarHeelWtrFwlr

BoykinDog said:


> We were in Arkanasas last week and shot several speckle bellies. I was surprised when the guides went on and on about how good they were. They call them flying filet migion. After soaking them in italian dressing and grilling them to medium rare I was impressed. Nothing like a Canada Goose tastes.



White fronts are definitely good eatin'. And wait 'till you try some Sandhill Crane if you haven't already - flyin' ribeye!


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## Woodie Jumper

Don't forget the Tartare sauce. Really, It's better than a rock fish.
WJ


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## The Mad Duck RIP

I keep telling people the same thing about coots,but nobody believes me. They're tasty


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## Rebelyeller

I guess it must depend on where it lives as much as whaT KIND OF DUCK IT IS.You can dang near hide anything in chili or gumbo.I agree with the "if you dont eat it..dont kill it " fellas.


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## wade dog

a few years back my friends and i killed several mergansers and took them to a half-way house to help feed the homeless. well we went back the next week to take them some deer meat and they told us never to bring them any of those ducks again. you know they have to be bad if the homeless wont even eat them.


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## seastreet

MTC,
Did you find any of the pellets from those worthless Winchester XPERT Steel that I put into that bird? (Oops, I mean hairy headed fish ball)   

You've got more nerve than I do, eatin those greasers!!!


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## MindTrikCallr

Im telling ya dude...they were good...LIKE I SAID it may be that they tasted different because they were eating millet....and fresh water stuff....When we opened them up to clean em they DID NOT smell like fish like a few I have cleaned in the past...


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## theduckblind

Next thing ya know you'll be posting a recipe up on the cooking forum for "coot quiche"....


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## MindTrikCallr

TASTE LIKE CHICKEN


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## seastreet




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## landman

Ruddys used to be called "dollar ducks" in the market days. They market hunted them and sent them up north. The demand was great since they apparently tasted so good. They sold for a dollar a piece which was high compared to other ducks, hence the name dollar ducks.


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## Sasha and Abby

I always keep the punk rock ducks and give the dog all my summer ducks and mallards...


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## joshuncw

Yall just aint cooking them right...we eat fishin ducks here at the house all the time...Put them in a pot with some sweet taters, onions, corn mean duplins, and whatever else you want....after about 3 hours you have a nice, ****-leg stew..haha


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## seastreet

joshuncw said:


> Yall just aint cooking them right...we eat fishin ducks here at the house all the time...Put them in a pot with some sweet taters, onions, corn mean duplins, and whatever else you want....after about 3 hours you have a nice, ****-leg stew..haha


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## Mud Duck

Mergansers ............ fine eating!


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## seastreet

Mud Duck said:


> Mergansers ............ fine eating!



yeah.... for racoons.


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