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Practice your duck ID even in the offseason
On our trip across Wyoming a while back, my wife and I stopped for a while in Hot Springs State Park. Down where the Big Spring runs into the Bighorn River, there’s a wide, slow bend where you can find ducks all year long. I’ve been there when there were more different kinds of ducks, but on this trip, all we saw were mallards, widgeons and goldeneyes.
There were two different kinds of goldeneyes, though. There were both common and Barrows goldeneyes. Commons have a round spot on each cheek, and Barrows have white, crescent-shaped cheek patches. It was a good chance to test myself on waterfowl ID. The birds on the water were easy to identify, especially when I used my binoculars. But the ones flying past were harder to name.
The hunting season’s over for ducks, but sitting by the river and watching the birds was good hunting practice for me. The bag limit for ducks has restrictions on how many of some of the species you can have, and it’s different for the different flyways and zones within each flyway. I tried to identify the ducks before they came within 40 yards. It was sometimes hard to be sure of the species and gender, but I think I identified them all correctly. Some were closer than 40 yards when I made my final ID, but some were farther away. I left the viewing pull-out by the river with a pretty good feeling about my duck identification skills.
While we were watching the birds, we were also listening to them. I don’t think my wife would have allowed me to practice calling inside the truck, but I found myself wishing I’d brought a duck call, anyway. I could have stood outside and listened to the birds, then tried to reproduce the sounds I heard. I might have looked like a complete weirdo, standing in a state park, tooting on a duck call, but it would have been good practice. At least until the authorities came along and led me to my own padded room.
Don’t let the end of the season keep you from practicing duck ID and calling. Get out to Hot Springs State Park, or anywhere you find ducks, and keep your skills sharp.
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By On our trip across Wyoming a while back, my wife and I stopped for a while in Hot Springs State Park. Down where the Big Spring runs into the Bighorn River, there’s a wide, slow bend where you can find ducks all year long. I’ve been there when there were more different kinds of ducks, but on this trip, all we saw were mallards, widgeons and goldeneyes.
There were two different kinds of goldeneyes, though. There were both common and Barrows goldeneyes. Commons have a round spot on each cheek, and Barrows have white, crescent-shaped cheek patches. It was a good chance to test myself on waterfowl ID. The birds on the water were easy to identify, especially when I used my binoculars. But the ones flying past were harder to name.
The hunting season’s over for ducks, but sitting by the river and watching the birds was good hunting practice for me. The bag limit for ducks has restrictions on how many of some of the species you can have, and it’s different for the different flyways and zones within each flyway. I tried to identify the ducks before they came within 40 yards. It was sometimes hard to be sure of the species and gender, but I think I identified them all correctly. Some were closer than 40 yards when I made my final ID, but some were farther away. I left the viewing pull-out by the river with a pretty good feeling about my duck identification skills.
While we were watching the birds, we were also listening to them. I don’t think my wife would have allowed me to practice calling inside the truck, but I found myself wishing I’d brought a duck call, anyway. I could have stood outside and listened to the birds, then tried to reproduce the sounds I heard. I might have looked like a complete weirdo, standing in a state park, tooting on a duck call, but it would have been good practice. At least until the authorities came along and led me to my own padded room.
Don’t let the end of the season keep you from practicing duck ID and calling. Get out to Hot Springs State Park, or anywhere you find ducks, and keep your skills sharp.