Any one here ever shoot a white winged scooter?

[jbell1981]

I see that this bird is on the duck stamp this year. I am never seen one or even heard of anyone shooting or seeing one. Shouldn't it be a bird more native to minnesota on the duck stamp?

~Josh

[bmc]

Every year I hear of someone getting one on Winnie or Bowstring. Last year my buddy and I were hunting late October on Bowstring and he missed a white winged scoter. I think Lake Superior gets a little migration of some sea ducks, but nothing huge. I even talked to a guy last fall who claims to have shot a hen harlequin duck on a lake around here.

Brian

[jlm]

I have never seen one either. I do believe you can find them in the great lakes areas. I agree, I like something more common or representitive of our local birds, however, if you ever do get one, you will know exactly what it is because it was on the stamp!

[Finlander]

I shot a scoter on lake Osakis a few years back. No joke!

[Tom Wilson]

I shot a hen on marsh lake 4 years ago. My friend shot a drake there the next season. Someone else I know shot one here on a metro lake last year. Everybody else is right though, they are typically a large water duck. It is rare to see them too far from the coasts or the great lakes.

[Duffman]

We got a drake quite a few years ago up on Ball Club.

[wyldewal]

I hunt around lake superior on the wisconsin side and we manage to get a couple every year. Last year was the first time in a long time that one of us didn't shoot one. I think the weather was too warm. We have also shoot surf scooters and black scooters, they are all tough ducks to kill.

[mwktrapper]

Shot 3 that come in together a few years back in western MN. Only time I've seen them.

[WALLEYENUTZ]

shot one around the metro last year

[Crusty old Swede]

Our experiance is that if you hunt the last part of the season just before ice up on bigger lakes sooner or later you'll shoot a scooter (fairly common nick-name)they're actually scoters. I've only seen one old squaw - a hen hunting here in Mn, the mate on last years salmon charter said they shoot a fair number on Lake Michigan down around Milwuakee.

[ironman]

I've never shot one but I saw a bunch this summer fishing up north. Not exactly all on big water. There is quite a few flying around Pelican Lake in Orr...and I would imagin surrounding lakes and I also saw quite a few flyin around on Bearskin up the Gunflint trail. So they are definitly around, I've actually thought I would take a weekend up in that neck of the woods sometime this season just for that reason. Would look cool on the wall.