Duck Identification?

[Lowe]

I've been scouting out a small slough for the upcoming season. Looks really good with lots of woodies, a few teal, and enough mallards to make sleeping at night difficult. I've hunted for quite a few years and don't have much problem ID'ing those ducks.

There are a couple ducks out there that I have no idea what they are. The two times I've been out there the light has been iffy, so I can't tell make out colors/patterns, but they seem to be about the size of a mallard, and they have an unusual call - almost like a seagull. High-pitched, almost nasal sounds (kee-ahhh, kee-ahhh).

Any ideas? I know it's difficult without seeing the duck and hearing the call yourself, but I'm sure somebody has come across this duck before.

[Flash]

Sounds to me like they would be Pintails. Remember you can only shoot one per person. Be careful.

[Fisher Dave]

It also sounds to me like Pintails .. Try to get a better look and see if they have a strip of white on the side of their head, its usually quite noticable.

Flash ... Pintails are 1 a day, not a season.

* One pintail may be taken daily from Sept 28th to Oct 27th. Pintail season is closed after Oct 27th. * Word for word from the regs.

I also wouldnt rule out mergansers .. I have heard them make a few crazy sounds in time.

Good luck all

[Lowe]

Thanks guys, I've never heard (or shot) a pintail before. The few mergansers I've heard calling (for some reason they usually seem pretty quiet?)made low, grunting/growling noises. Where I hunt mergansers are pretty common, pintails much less so.

By the way, I was out last night watching teal and wood ducks come in pretty heavy - and this was a day after we had lows in the mid- to high-twenties the night before, so they haven't all headed south yet(I'm up in northern Minnesota).

[Guest]

Pintails will run somewhat smaller than mallards, and their wings in flight will be slightly forward -- and, don't forget why they are named pintail -- their tails are noticably longer and sharply pointed, and their necks are more slender.

Pintails are beautiful birds, clearly rivals to wood ducks in appearance.