unusual MN ducks?

[Ely Lake Expert]

Has anyone shot any unusual ducks here in MN? I know I have only shot one bufflehead. One time down in the southwestern part of the state 5 of us had 5 canvasbacks swing by and we got all 5 of them.

Ryan

[mwktrapper]

Depends what you consider rare. I shot 3 surf scoters about six years back. Shot several blackducks, cans, and pintails this past fall. Only species we didn't shoot last fall was a cinnamon. Has anyone here ever seen one shot in MN?

[bmc]

Last year my buddy missed a white wing surf scoter. I talked to a person who says he shot a Barrows goldeneye in Itasca County. I also talked to a different guy last fall that claims he shot a hen harlequin in Itasca County, not sure when though. I saw somewhere on the web about people seeing eiders in Minnesota, Lake Superior I'm assuming, but still cool none the less. I think if you're hunting big waters you'll have a better chance at a sea duck. I saw a ruddy duck drake on Big White Oak last spring. Another buddy of mine shot one on White Oak a few years back.

Brian

[Quackaddict9]

I've seen nothing unusual but seen and shot a few buffleheads in the Leonard area in the past, and few canvasbacks in the Bemidji area last week.

[East Rush Rules]

Hey fellas,

I shot my first drake borrows goldeneye, my first drake ringneck, first hen and drake hooded merganser and my first drake canvasback!! 2nd year of hunting was slow, but i sure found some more unusual ducks then the year before! Korey

[ChuckN]

I hunt Big Winni quite a bit over the last 10 years and there are chances at rare birds. My first rare opportunity was on White Wing Scoters a few years ago and I passed on them at a 10 yard shot. I had my limit of bluebills and I thought that's what they were until it was too late. I watched the hen and the drake circle my spread and come within 10 yards of my blind. Then I realized what they were. I watched in pure amazement.

Buffleheads are very, very common.

Cans are common.

Goldeneyes are common.

Ruddy ducks can definitely be had.

But, Eiders and Harlequins... that's rare, just like the scoters!!! I would really like those on the wall! They do pass through MN once in awhile on the big lakes typically.

[koWALLEYEski]

I agree with you ChuckN. Buffys, cans, goldeneyes, and ruddys are common to our area. One of my friends guides at the St. Paul Pass and they shot some sort of a sea duck. Not sure what it was but he said he was pretty big for a duck. I will get a hold of him and ask him what it was. NOW YOU GUYS got me looking forward to the FALL.

[fishingmike0770]

Last time on the lake, i dont think they can be considered unusual for the metro but i never seem to see them. Big drake blue-wing teal flocking together. Never seem to ever get a nice drake in the season. Also seen a lot of divers, buffheads, hooded mergansers, and ringbills. They dont ever make down here until late season when im deer hunting but i sure am glad that i get to see them at least once a year. I must say its incredible watching them cruise inches above the water at a steady 50 mph. Gotta love it!

[Nova]

Golden eyes are common in MN, but not the barrows golden eye. They have a purple head and the dot on the face is a cresent. The common golden eye has a round dot and a green head, these are the most common in MN. I have shot a ton of common, but the only place I have shot a barrows is in Alaska. We have shot a few, very few, white winged scooter, and 2 years ago I was almost positive we had a hen harlequin. If it's dry in the Dakotas we get more pintails. You will never get a drake blue wing teal with the coloring on it's head. Those are spring colors, in the fall the drake and hen look the same. There are a ton of different kinds of ducks in MN. redheads, cans, bluebills, ringbills, mallards, gadwall, teal-blue and green wing, bufflehead, 3 kinds of maganzers,wigeon,pintail,golden eyes,ruddy ducks all are comon in the fergus area that I hunt.

[Eric Wettschreck]

ChuckN, this fall if you want a shot at some Harlequins come on down to our corner. We gots em here.

[Esoxmn]

I shot a White wing scooter in Itasca co last season. My cousin also shot two oldsqaw.

[Nova]

he shot oldsquaws in MN? Do you have a picture of that. That is incredibly rare for a sea duck like that to be in MN. I can believe scooter, and harlequin, they also use rivers, but Eiders and oldsquaws. That would be way cool to see.

[Esoxmn]

I'll see if i can get one.

[Quackaddict9]

fishingmike- I read somewhere that the drake blue wing teals dont get fully plummed til winter? I'm not sure. I have not shot a nice drake teal (green or blue) but, man they do fly so fast! and I'm always late before I see them.

[fishingmike0770]

That makes me jealous, all these beautiful looking birds coming through 6 months before the season. Ah!!! I guess im gonna have to travel a little further then 6 miles to the hunting spot to get some of those amazing diver ducks. Goldeneye ugh.

Thats pretty dumb, teal drakes dont get their full plumage till winter, thats why they look so good right now.

[lawdog]

Quote:

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ChuckN, this fall if you want a shot at some Harlequins come on down to our corner. We gots em here.

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WE DO????? I've NEVER seen one anywhere????

[LABS4ME]

I had a buddy shoot a male Old Squaw off the access to North Lake just north of Red WIng about 20 years ago. It was the end of the season and he was on his way to work at the power plant... He looked down to the access and saw some divers swimming around... Pulled over to look at them and seen the Old Squaw mixed in. He grabbed his gun and snuck down to the edge of the water and the birds all had to take off into the wind to get airborn, which brought them right past him... Bird down! Now the sad part... He ate it! Snapped a couple photos and cleaned it. I saw the photos and it definitley was a fully plumed drake Old Squaw! I know it's rare here in Minnesota especially on inland lakes, but they do shoot the occassional one on Superior.

Good Luck!

Ken

[fishingmike0770]

How'd it taste?

[wyldewal]

My hunting buddies and I have all shot oldsquaws, They have all been hens and immature drakes, but we hunt close to the big lake.The only chance we ever had at a full color drake with the pin was about 5 or 6 years ago after a good morning of hunting. We had the guns in the cases and had about 2 deeks left to pickup. I should probably have swung the oar, I might have got one. All I can say is they were beautiful.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Dawg, we don't have like millions of them, but I've shot them the past couple of years.

West end of Lime Lake.

[lawdog]

Quote:

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Dawg, we don't have like millions of them, but I've shot them the past couple of years.

West end of Lime Lake.

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That's cool. That little lake sure holds some impressive bird numbers LATE fall. Two years ago I was deer hunting over there on land abuting the south west side and we sat til dark and the waterfowl that came into there the last hour before dark was simply unbelievable. I was all decked out in blaze orange camo and they were flying in and landing right over my head. I couldn't believe it. When I got up to leave, there were ducks so close to me on the water behind me that I bet I jumped 3 dozen just by standing up in the dark. It was quite a sight to see... I told my friend I was there with that I probably wouldn't have even seen a deer walking out as I was so pre-occupied with watching all those thousands of birds.

[Eric Wettschreck]

That is a great lake for duck hunting!!!!! I'm thinking (Solely my thoughts, no research involved) ducks are travelling between fields, the big slough, and the west end of the lake. They pretty much get left alone there so that's where they hang out.

I've had some great hunting there. Not the easiest to set up early morning, but it's well worth the effort. Now if we could just get the 5 feet of farm runoff silt out of the lake it would be great!!!!!

[hanson]

Unusaul MN ducks???

The white winged scoter was the strangest I've shot. It had come in with a drake Redhead. My brother dropped the redhead and I got the scoter. Very interesting bird.

You can get nice plumage drake greenwing teal in the fall. I have yet to see a bluewing though.

[Nova]

Yes, the drake greenwings are cool looking. We usually get them late season with the goldeneyes. Bluewingers all look like hens and gone long before goldeneyes show up.

[PRFISHER]

Two years ago shot a nice hen oldsquaw west of Pelican, awfully white bird thought at first it had to be some sort of albino but after looking it up in a book with the duck in hand it was defineatly a Oldsquaw. Not text book identify then shoot more shoot to identify....