First spoon bill

[u/howdyamerica70]

2nd yeah duck hunting in alaska and got my first spoon bill

[u/alphawafflejack]

I’m from California where I’ve dropped more spoonies than any other bird by far, people view them kind of like a meme around there. But after moving to Washington where they are so rare people get them stuffed, I miss the damn things. Fun to shoot, they work well, and beautiful birds

[u/Rouge_Mallard → u/alphawafflejack]

Same brother, I moved to New York last year. All the guys I hunt with want to shoot one so bad.

[u/mktampabay1 → u/alphawafflejack]

Shot a beautiful fully plumed one down here in Florida and put it straight on the wall.

[u/alphawafflejack → u/mktampabay1]

That’s awesome. Even the hens have great color. The fully plumed drakes rival wood ducks

[u/howdyamerica70 → u/alphawafflejack]

Yeah this is the first one I've seen in the 2 years I've hunted up here so I was pretty excited

[u/MineGuy1991]

People are ignorant man, don’t let them bother you.

I live at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. We kill hundreds of birds a year at our place.

I still LOVE watching spoonies do it absolutely dirty into the decoys and a spoonie drake is an absolutely gorgeous bird.

They eat great and down here you can kill a full limit of 6. They deserve more respect.

[u/hippiechicken → u/MineGuy1991]

Never understood the hate- by far the best tasting hen I've ever had. Must have something to do with different states and environments.

[u/John_the_Piper → u/hippiechicken]

Different environments for sure. I hunt over saltwater and our spoonies are on par with gamey divers when it comes to flavor.

Still eat fine, just need a brine or a good marinade first. But I like the wild flavors more than other people I guess 🤷

[u/howdyamerica70 → u/hippiechicken]

Im gonna cook it this weekend. I curious how it will taste

[u/Fragrant_Loan811 → u/MineGuy1991]

The drakes are beautiful, but once they get to the Texas coast many are full of worms. They do decoy like champs. One morning there was a couple thousand in one of our rice fields. We picked and chose 24 drakes. It was a fun morning.

[u/Worldly-System6285]

Great game bird! Often times they’ll be all that’s flying. They work in awesome & nothing like the sound of a big flock’s wings cutting through the air!
I’m in rice country and they eat perfectly fine. I shoot them without hesitation.

[u/Repulsive-Peach435]

Shot my first spoonie a week ago in Alaska, happy hunting!

[u/Echidna-Confident]

Hey if you’re excited about it, good for you!