Thread: Do you think i am really stupid ?

Latest Rod and Rifle magazine but you are not alone, I see it all the time in other magazines on tv or on whatever ... A pile of ducks all laid out for a photo and what do we see ? All the drakes belly up and all the hens buried underneath... If you want to pretend that you dont shoot hens, dont put them in the photo, if you are happy to shoot hens then mix them up for the photo.

But the hens don’t have nice photogenic green heads!

I was thinking that was a rhetorical question.......

We do it. I wouldn’t say it’s hiding the fact we shoot hens.. couldn’t care less. In my mind we just appreciate a really nice green head so they get top of the pile.. If you shoot a big stag I guarantee the photo won’t focus on the shitty spiker beside him.

still trying to stick to drakes and conserve hens wouldnt be a bad thing would it.

Originally Posted by gsp follower

still trying to stick to drakes and conserve hens wouldnt be a bad thing would it.

Yep it makes for challenging shooting!

I try to do this with bigger mobs. Or if there is a pair I try to take the drake out first. Helps out in the spring with more mums around for next years batch!

Originally Posted by gsp follower

still trying to stick to drakes and conserve hens wouldnt be a bad thing would it.

For sure, opening can be a great time to do it when there’s ducks everywhere

IF the ratio of drakes to hens WAS an issue.....making a drake only season in July august or september would make far more sense to me...targeting the rapist mobs would give mother duck a break to raise her broods without being pounced on constantly.
we shoot what comes in,usually try to target drakes first and it seems to run at about 60/40 ratio at end of tally up....
other than parries..the whitehead goes down first....often drake will come back if you dont get him too.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

IF the ratio of drakes to hens WAS an issue.....making a drake only season in July august or september would make far more sense to me...targeting the rapist mobs would give mother duck a break to raise her broods without being pounced on constantly.
we shoot what comes in,usually try to target drakes first and it seems to run at about 60/40 ratio at end of tally up....
other than parries..the whitehead goes down first....often drake will come back if you dont get him too.

I have not been able to find any data on NZ but i was under the impression [rightly or wrongly ?] that the mallard drake hen ratio was 70 /30 in favour of drakes, due to predation of hens during the nesting season.

Here is a bit of info from Nth America where it talks about the hunter harvest for drakes is 2 or 3 times higher than for hens and yet drakes still out number hens.
https://www.ducks.org/conservation/w...owl-sex-ratios

Jenn Sheppard who did her thesis on breeding ecology and productivity on mallard ducks in NZ dedicated her thesis to those who "go for green and stay within the limit" which infers to me that she sees hen harvest a limiting factor in mallard numbers ? One of her influential professors also said that "one of the simplest ways that people can manage waterfowl populations is refrain from harvesting females " again hen harvest is a limiting factor in waterfowl numbers ?

Originally Posted by sore head stoat

I have not been able to find any data on NZ but i was under the impression [rightly or wrongly ?] that the mallard drake hen ratio was 70 /30 in favour of drakes, due to predation of hens during the nesting season.

Here is a bit of info from Nth America where it talks about the hunter harvest for drakes is 2 or 3 times higher than for hens and yet drakes still out number hens.
https://www.ducks.org/conservation/w...owl-sex-ratios

Jenn Sheppard who did her thesis on breeding ecology and productivity on mallard ducks in NZ dedicated her thesis to those who "go for green and stay within the limit" which infers to me that she sees hen harvest a limiting factor in mallard numbers ? One of her influential professors also said that "one of the simplest ways that people can manage waterfowl populations is refrain from harvesting females " again hen harvest is a limiting factor in waterfowl numbers ?

hmmminfo on where???????/

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

hmmminfo on where???????/

Yes i again repeat the information is from Nth America and i again repeat the heavy predation on hens could be happening in NZ, i have not to date been able to find any info on sex ratios of mallards in NZ. Have you ?

read the forth line in reguards to mallards...they mate with anything they can get on top of...argue with Murry Williams if you like....
decoys in NZ have traditionally been sold 7-8 hens to 3-4 drakes so our decoy spread were hen heavy...to match what is seen...in USA they go drake heavy...

mallard drakes are as randy as a marine on shore leave,will mate with anything which is why you see so much variation around...they are like the travelling salesman who shows up all shiney and flash looking,has his wicked way and leaves hen with babies to deal with alone...a true solo mum

thats from one of three books
keith drapers waterfowl tail
bill Jamesons out for a duck
or Murry Williams early waterfowl in NZ
or a combination of all three.

So the whole mate for life in pairs thing is a load of crap then?

Do female ducks taste better as with most other species of mammals and fowl?

Im not a duck hunter just in case you cant tell

Mating for life ends when a life ends. The other just moves and and finds a new mate for the rest of the next life.