# Pintails



## dgyer (Sep 10, 2004)

Regarding Pintails - I have a few questions. It has been my dream duck for years and would like to get a nice one for the wall. Not asking for locations but suggestions that would increase the odds (scouting ofcourse) but I am just curious about hunting water or fields??? I have added a few pintail full-bodies to my field spread but just curious if I should pick up a few decoys for the water? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also is there a time of the season when you see more off them making there way down? Thanks


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

You want one for the wall...Go to Texas, Mexico or Cali...95% percent of the Pintails shot in N.D. are not wall worthy...I myself have mounted one that I shot by Edmore a few years back, that was pretty much feathered out...Except no Sprig of course...That was the only one that I felt was decent enough and I've shot many over the years. I wish you luck, but you need to go south. Maybe get lucky late in the year in the southern part of the state???


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

I concur. About the only thing youll get wall worthy in ND is geese, mallards, and bluebills. (I did get a very nice wigeon last year, still kicking myself for not getting it mounted).

I would love a nice wood duck, itll never happen in this state most likely.


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## universitywaterfowler (Jul 15, 2007)

Shot one in MN down by the Twin Cities that I was getting mounted and it somehow disappeared. Thats what you get for giving it to your brother to get mounted. 
You should be able to whack them in North Dakota, but plumage will be a problem.
Pintail decoys are always good to have in a duck spread, field or water. They add a distinct visibility and some diversity to a spread. 
Bring on the noise.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

barebackjack said:


> I concur. About the only thing youll get wall worthy in ND is geese, mallards, and bluebills. (I did get a very nice wigeon last year, still kicking myself for not getting it mounted).
> 
> I would love a nice wood duck, itll never happen in this state most likely.


You will have a better chance at a Full plummed Woodie over a Pintail...Wood Ducks feather out a little quicker.


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## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

Rick you are right I was doing some water quality work on a few streams through out central ND and there is some nice lookin woodies flying around right now. I came around a bend on one small stream and there was about 20 - 30 woodies sittin there and a couple of the drakes looked really nice.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

FlashBoomSplash said:


> Rick you are right I was doing some water quality work on a few streams through out central ND and there is some nice lookin woodies flying around right now. I came around a bend on one small stream and there was about 20 - 30 woodies sittin there and a couple of the drakes looked really nice.


So when are we going??? Let me know if you want to give me the GPS location on that body of water! :beer:


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## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

When i was in highschool i shot an absolutley beautiful pintail in ND, but mine had no sprig either. I have seen some extremely nice woodies over the past 5 years though, they're out there but you gotta get em quick. The one i have one the wall was shot 2nd weekend of season about 2 years ago


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

Rick Acker said:


> FlashBoomSplash said:
> 
> 
> > Rick you are right I was doing some water quality work on a few streams through out central ND and there is some nice lookin woodies flying around right now. I came around a bend on one small stream and there was about 20 - 30 woodies sittin there and a couple of the drakes looked really nice.
> ...


I can give you a ride when you have the location Rick. :lol:


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## jd mn/nd (Apr 8, 2004)

According to my friend the biologist you will most likely will never shoot a Pintail with the sprig, since they pull them out just before they start the migration south. He stated that the drag created by that one feather is incredible, so apparently the in-bred knowledge of the bird tells them to pull out the one long feather to make the migration easier on themselves. In other words if you do get one with the sprig on it, most likely it is a local, and most likely it has not yet decided to migrate yet do to what ever number of variables. So in other words if you do get one that has the magic feather on it still consider it a real trophy, I know we shot a few last fall and none of them had the nice feather on them. I hope this helps answer the question of the tail feather.


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

I wonder if that is entirely accurate. Pintails down in Mexico and Arkansas and Mississippi or wherever surely aren't locals and the ones you see shot down there have the sprigs. Unless they grow them out once they get to their wintering grounds after they migrate....


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## nebgoosehunter (Aug 18, 2005)

What about the migration back north? Are they not worried about drag then also? I see plenty of beautiful pinny's with nice long sprigs in the spring while hunting snows here in NE.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

There are alot of wood ducks around, head south. I had 6 drakes sitting on a log infront of me last opener. One is on my buddies wall. Find a god slough with some dead trees around it south, and you will shoot one.


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## jd mn/nd (Apr 8, 2004)

I think that the spring migration is more like hopping back to the north rather than a full out race to the south with no stopping, unlike the spring they can only fly as far north as the open water will allow them to. So I do believe that they may re-grow their main long tail feather once they get down south. I too have seen the videos that your reffering to and they do not seem as long as the ones you see about mid summer or in late spring. Some that I have seen personally ( all mounted ) are around 12-16 inches long and the ones you see in the videos seem to be around 6-9 inches, these are simply guesses as they do not measure them but when they are holding them up next to the pockets on their hunting jackets that would seem to me that would be somewhat accurate. I can only tell you what has been told to me by someone that I would trust to be in the know about these things. As he works for the state of MN as a Biologists. I may also have only heard or remembered part of what he was saying, or misunderstood part of his explanation, but I am fairly certain that he is correct, as I have never seen anyone shoot in the fall with the really long tail feather, just my personal experience.


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## dgyer (Sep 10, 2004)

Thanks guys for the responses. As for the woodies I have shot quite a few through the years and agree they make a great wall mount. As for water or fields is it possible to see Pintails in both or is one more successful hunting than the other?


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

jd mn/nd said:


> According to my friend the biologist you will most likely will never shoot a Pintail with the sprig, since they pull them out just before they start the migration south. He stated that the drag created by that one feather is incredible, so apparently the in-bred knowledge of the bird tells them to pull out the one long feather to make the migration easier on themselves. In other words if you do get one with the sprig on it, most likely it is a local, and most likely it has not yet decided to migrate yet do to what ever number of variables. So in other words if you do get one that has the magic feather on it still consider it a real trophy, I know we shot a few last fall and none of them had the nice feather on them. I hope this helps answer the question of the tail feather.


I'm not a biologist, but that doesn't add up to me. I raise ducks, and there is no way they can grow a 7 inch spike in just a month or so...Doesn't work that way...But, I could be wrong I guess???


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

I always thought that they should start a Spring trophy season (one bird to a customer) for Pintail in ND. They are soooooo beautiful when they show up on the potholes in March and April! Hoping for a teal dinner tomorrow night! Burl


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## gboyd242 (Jul 6, 2005)

My dad shot a fully feathered out pintail when we were there toward the beginning of October last year. I guess that would have been a trophy but out here we have so many I didn't even think twice about it. Now if we had gotten a nice bull can or blue winged teal that would have been a different story (we were pretty early for the cans though).


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

Rick Acker said:


> jd mn/nd said:
> 
> 
> > According to my friend the biologist you will most likely will never shoot a Pintail with the sprig, since they pull them out just before they start the migration south. He stated that the drag created by that one feather is incredible, so apparently the in-bred knowledge of the bird tells them to pull out the one long feather to make the migration easier on themselves. In other words if you do get one with the sprig on it, most likely it is a local, and most likely it has not yet decided to migrate yet do to what ever number of variables. So in other words if you do get one that has the magic feather on it still consider it a real trophy, I know we shot a few last fall and none of them had the nice feather on them. I hope this helps answer the question of the tail feather.
> ...


That is BS. They cannot grow them out that quick.


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## HATCHETMAN (Mar 15, 2007)

We ALWAYS see 'em in Colorado, though not many, the Pintails almost always have full sprigs, but they are still shady on plumage through December. Some of the late migrants are gorgeous, but season ends december 2nd for cans and pinnies...so you can't shoot them after that. South Texas is where my friend always hunts in the winter and he gets lots of the hard to find ducks (cinnamon teal, spoonies, bluewing teal, pintail, and ruddy) in full plumage.....Mexico would still probably be my #1 pick though
:huh:


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## jbaincfl (Feb 5, 2003)

I shot a pintail two years ago in SE ND the last week of October and it was in full plume. The sprig was maybe an inch long but the color was perfect, so I mounted it.

I have shot quite a few pintails in ND in late october and only about 25% are in full plume that time of the year. I am not a taxidermist or anything, just the observations I have experienced.


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