Coot every where!

[leech~~]

I was driving by a lake today and seen the usual 1000 bird raft! With all the talk about losing breeding and feeding habitat. I have to ask. Do Coot compete with Ducks for breeding and feeding habitat? And if so, what can be done to contol the worthless space takers?

[i'majigger]

I am not sure which lake you drove by and it really does not matter but if all you saw were about 1000 coots you have to ask yourself where did all the coots go? 20 to 25 years ago there would probably been 100,000 coots on the same lake and the duck numbers were also 10 to 20 times higher. the coots and ducks do not compete for breeding or nesting or feeding spots there is definetly something else causing the decline in both numbers, and in my opion it is predators. Years ago the predators could not consume all of the ducks and coots, but with the low numbers we have now they can and will continue to drop the numbers of what we have left.

I have witnessed twice a seagull catching and swallowing 4 small Mallard ducklings at one time, now stop and think how many seagulls there are in the United States. I am not picking on the Seagull as the lone predator to blame. There are many others to blame such as the Skunk & the Raccoon and the Crow. Until we figure out how to control theses pests we can look forward to see are game birds decline

[Stringerless!]

I agree imajigger ! I was at work when a brood of woodies hatched and jumped out of one of my boxes in the yard. My wife watched three crows take all of the babies. Believe me if I was home I would have gotten a ticket for wreckless discharge of a firearm in city limits!! I try to blast every one that comes in range while duck hunting and we should all do the same. Now the season on em closes on Monday I believe. WHY ????

[theharvester]

it should be open all season and not open so early way to hot and buggy

[life=outdoors92]

crow season already closed (october 15th). but u can shoot them anytime when they are "about to, or committing damage." interrupt that as you may

[leech~~]

the coots and ducks do not compete for breeding or nesting or feeding spots

Where do they nest and feed then if they do not compete? In the woods? If a nesting spot is being taken up by a bird no one wants then it is taking a spot from a bird "duck" everyone is looking for. I'm sure the crows, Seagulls and everything else are picking off the baby Coot just as much as Ducks but since there seems to be 100 times more Coot how can we control them better to reduce their numbers? It's just like the Snow and Canadian geese and the liberal hunts they have for them to reduce their numbers. The only diff is no one wants to take more or any Coot!

[Todd Caswell]

Acually coots are pretty good eating.

[JimBuck]

I agree. If prepared right, I can't tell the difference between them or any other diver.

[leech~~]

I use to know a very old guy down by Shieldsville that use to shoot them just to eat their gizzards which are pretty big I guess?

[sdsufowler]

A coot gizzard covers 90% of the body cavity.

[Todd Caswell]

They do have a very BIG gizzard, but ther breast meat is a s good as any mallard I have ever eaten. Seen alot of mallards on chit ponds all around the country, never seen a coot there.............

Mallards may have a pretty green head but they are the scum of waterfowl if you ask me, the'll adapt to any and I do mean any envirment...

[Ufatz]

Just so you guys will know, there is a special organization formed to celebrate and honor the noble coot: Coots Unlimited. They have an annual dinner with door prizes and festive decorations, a marvelous dinner and many stories of historical coot legends. A little research will get you more information.

Until then: lay off the coots. They are a harmless and happy addition to any lake.

And yes: they ARE good eating; they eat the same thing a canvasback,redhead or bluebill does and are far more selective then the much venerated mallard which will eat anything!!

I happen to be a Royal Coot myself.

It's okay.....you don't gotta kneel.

[leech~~]

I happen to be a Royal Coot myself.

It's okay.....you don't gotta kneel.

Um, I think we are talking about the bird right? Not crabby old men!