# Duck Species



## NDhunter7 (Dec 28, 2006)

im a little confused as to how many of each kind of duck a person can shoot?.... on the website it doesnt mention teal or divers( is what i call them)... can some one help me out and let me know what i can shoot and how many.
thanks for any responses


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## H2OfowlND (Feb 10, 2003)

Here it is, straight from the ND Game & Fish website.

"This year, hunters may take six ducks per day with the following restrictions: five mallards of which two may be hens, three wood ducks, two scaup, two redheads, one pintail, one canvasback. For ducks, the possession limit is twice the daily limit.
The daily limit of five mergansers may include no more than two hooded mergansers."

What ducks do you consider 'divers'?

H2OfowlND


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## NDhunter7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I dont see teal on there... and excuse my lack of knowledge but i have always called the ones with the odd and lengthy beaks to be divers. They may not be called divers but i am almost certain that they are not any of the ducks listed by the GandF in that article.


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

I think before you put any shells in that gun of yours that you study up on your duck identification. As a sportsman and conservationist shooting waterfowl and dealing with federal regulations while doing so, you need to know the species you're shooting at and taking into your daily bag. We have over 10 species of waterfowl over a duck season here in ND.


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## kdcustomcalls (Feb 26, 2009)

if it doesnt mention them in the list then its six....ie six teal, six goldeneye.....ect

but yeah study your speices bring a little id book with ya hunting. people need to know what they are shooting at before they shoot


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

"odd and lengthy beaks?"

Are you talking about spoonbills? :lol:


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## NDhunter7 (Dec 28, 2006)

no im not... they have very colorfull heads, with a neon like green on the side of the head. I see them everywhere it shouldnt be hard to determin what these are.
Dont blue bills have short bills???


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

NDhunter7 said:


> no im not... they have very colorfull heads, with a neon like green on the side of the head. I see them everywhere it shouldnt be hard to determin what these are.
> Dont blue bills have short bills???


This could MAYBE help you out.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

NDhunter7 said:


> no im not... they have very colorfull heads, with a neon like green on the side of the head. I see them everywhere it shouldnt be hard to determin what these are.
> Dont blue bills have short bills???


Mergansers? sawbills? lawn darts?

BTW, i said spoonbill (northern shoveler), not bluebill.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

USAlx50 said:


> NDhunter7 said:
> 
> 
> > no im not... they have very colorfull heads, with a neon like green on the side of the head. I see them everywhere it shouldnt be hard to determin what these are.
> ...


Pretty sure he is referring to a spoonie if he is talking about a green sheen on the head.. but maybe he is referring to a widgeon that is beginning to color out..

Like Chaws said above.. you really need to spend some time out in the field before the season starts with a pair of binoculars and a field guide. Go visit a National Wildlife Refuge right now, go visit the headquarters of one of the larger ones, or contact ND G&F to get a smaller free guide to identification, and then go out in the field and find birds in potholes. Watch them from a distance first.. figure out what they are... then walk up to them and get them to fly. Watch how they fly.... watch their silhouettes, their wing beats, wing colors, etc etc... all ducks look different in the air, and you can identify them by not only their head color, but by their size shape, shape/length of bill, color of feet, and especially their wing colors, both on the speculum and on the underwing... memorize all the different details ...

When I was a kid (10-12 years old), my family used to make us kids sit and identify a bird correctly BEFORE we were allowed to shoot at it. Numerous times at first, they'd say "NO!" and make us hold off...

You guys are lucky nowadays ndhunter7... back when I started hunting 20 years ago, you couldn't shoot any Canvasbacks, and could only shoot 1 redhead. Federal wardens used to sit on famous canvasback areas and nail guys HARD like you who couldn't ID birds _before_ they shot.

I'm truly curious as to the real number of waterfowlers who can't ID birds in the hand. let alone on the wing..

I'm sure there are thousands of birds who are stuffed down a badger hole due to similar reasons...

My .02

:eyeroll:


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## blacklabs2 (Aug 2, 2009)

Don't worry about it kid...you can ID them once they hit the ground! j/k

Just take some time to learn. Don't feel bad about it, everyone starts somewhere. Good luck.


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## fubar (Mar 10, 2008)

Two hens this year! whoody whoo. :beer: now we dont have to stop hunting after the first volly becuse were scared to shoot.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

> Two hens this year! whoody whoo. now we dont have to stop hunting after the first volly becuse were scared to shoot.


Why would you stop shooting? All you have to do is properly identify your traget then be selective of your shots so as not to accidentally shot a bird you don't want. Easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The main reasons I see for people shooting hens is: it is a bit to dark to properly identify them and "flock" shooting.

To leard to identify birds spend some time afield with binoculars and a field guide before season starts. Observe them in flight thenpositively ID them with the binoculars when they land.

I wish I cold ID them in flight like I used to. Unfortunately aging eyes don't focus as quickly as young ones and I find myself having to wait till they get real close.


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## Traveler (Oct 24, 2006)

I think the "divers" you are talking about are mergansers...which are NOT ducks. There are several species of mergansers, many with green heads. The fly and act like ducks, but the G&F does not consider them ducks. You are allowed to hunt them, but, at least here in Ohio, there are different limits for mergansers than for ducks. Plus they taste worse than coot! As for duck species, if the limit for a species isn't specified in the regs, then it is 6 this season.


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## tclark4140 (Aug 8, 2006)

just asking as i agree with everything here with in the part of iowa i live we dont shoot many gadwalls or widgeons, and when we r in n.d. we shoot alot of them. honestly i like to eat these, as i think they r good tasting. soooo my question is when i.deeing these 2 ducks what do u look for first to see which is which, i am pretty good at naming the duck before i shoot but have never mastered the difference in the air which is which. any help


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## Kris brantner (Sep 22, 2009)

gads and widgeon are easy to id. just look for the bright white breast and shoot away. no reason to id them seperate really, unless you prefer the look of one over the other


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## Kris brantner (Sep 22, 2009)

R y a n said:


> USAlx50 said:
> 
> 
> > NDhunter7 said:
> ...


cans were closed on my flyway last year (miss) u have no idea how many times we let cans land in the dekes, just to get back up and fly and have someone else shoot them while we could still see them. i called the co many times, dk if they ever pinned anyone


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## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

Limit yourself to shooting the ducks you can positively identify on the wing before shooting. Till then start studyin your ducks. Or stay home.


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