Rookie mistake

Iahawkfan2 said:

Back when I first started duck hunting I was about 16 by myself on a small hole of water with some 20 year old dekes my uncle gave me. I hadn't seen anything so I dosed off for about 5 mins and when I sat back up there was a duck that had snuck into my decoys just swimming around them. So I jumped it...knocked it stone dead and went to retrieve my first duck. it was a drake wood duck. I didn't think much of it at the time as it was my first duck and just getting into waterfowl hunting I didn't have it mounted. Now that there's nothing more I enjoy than hunting ducks I kick myself wishing I had it mounted. Probably the best looking duck I've shot to date and wish I had the mount to put in the man cave. Anyone else have a duck they wish they had back?

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The black duck that came into the decoys 5 minutes after end of legal shooting light on the last day of the season. If he had come in 6 minutes earlier, he was on the wall.

Shot an absolute bull Redhead about 15 yrs. ago.... we knocked down 5 drakes out of a flock and all 5 were gorgeous. 4 of them went on the wall and mine went in my belly. lol Kids have a tendency of killing a young man's taxidermy funds.

Those 2 snow white common mergansers! They buzzed our goose spread in January and sure were some pretty birds! Just not in season anymore!

My first duck(s) were a nice pair of woodies, hen and drake that I jumped off a creek. I did get them mounted, but my rookie mistake came 10 years later when I left them on a cabinet where my girlfriends cat could destroy them both. I just saw the cat batting something around in the hallway and realized it was a woodrow drake's head. I played catch the kitty with the landing net, then played the drums on the counter with a cat stick.

d reamweav9 said:

The black duck that came into the decoys 5 minutes after end of legal shooting light on the last day of the season. If he had come in 6 minutes earlier, he was on the wall.

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If you ever want to make the trip to NY let me know. I will get you on black ducks. We have a ton of black ducks every year. We only can shoot one for whatever reason. Sucks when its the first duck of the day. Then you have to really watch what ducks to shoot.

My first duck was a blue wing teal this year, but I did harvest a beautiful drake wood duck that I regret not having mounted. Would have been a great way to remember my first year duck hunting.

Good question. I have shot some decent looking and interesting ducks but nothing to get too upset about not saving. However, I think it would have been cool to have my first ever duck mounted. (Hen mallard)

Someday when I have a kid we'll get their first duck mounted, that's for sure!

Shoot quite a few drake Cans each year, but I've never gotten one that compared to this one from a few years ago. Young and dumb in high school. Every person that ever see's the picture says, "please tell me you mounted that." oops..

Chesadore said:

My first duck(s) were a nice pair of woodies, hen and drake that I jumped off a creek. I did get them mounted, but my rookie mistake came 10 years later when I left them on a cabinet where my girlfriends cat could destroy them both. I just saw the cat batting something around in the hallway and realized it was a woodrow drake's head. I played catch the kitty with the landing net, then played the drums on the counter with a cat stick.

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I think I would've made that cat part of my next mount hanging out of a coyotes mouth and bought that girlfriend a dog!

Diver Slayer said:

Shoot quite a few drake Cans each year, but I've never gotten one that compared to this one from a few years ago. Young and dumb in high school. Every person that ever see's the picture says, "please tell me you mounted that." oops..

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lordy. oops is right.....

Oh there's been a few. I was 16 when I killed the biggest 4 curl mallard I have ever seen. Rivaled any farm bred mallard. Came in leading s flock of 200 migrators as he lit on the water, the flock took 1 pass, centered us up and I made sure that the big boy got hammered just as he got off the water. Just didn't have the cash then.

2 years ago my brother and I were hunting a private marsh and we shot a hen mallard that broke through 1/2" ice when she hit, and we nearly lost her. She was a beauty!

Several drake pintail that had short sprigs, but always thinking I'll get a longer one eventually

Killed a few wall worthy gadwall, and red heads.

Had a real nice blue goose in the freezer and that decided to stop working while I was on a trip. $400 meat loss, and 2 bird loss.

I have 2 nice late season greenheads that I need to send off soon.

UIUhunter4 said:

Those 2 snow white common mergansers! They buzzed our goose spread in January and sure were some pretty birds! Just not in season anymore!

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The term butter face applies to the common merganser.

A couple blues I wish I would have mounted. But I always think I'll get a nicer one and eventually, I'll get the one I want. Also want a ross. Have a snow that is cupped up about dead center, figure I'll get the blue tipped one way a bit and the ross slightly tipped the opposite way and have them on 1 wall together.

For birds that I have shot I would say the biggest mistake would have been the redhead or can I got this year. Both were pretty good looking but I always told myself I can shoot a better looking one. Speaking for my brother I bet he regrets cripple shooting the hell out of the pintail/mallard cross he knocked out of a flock of about a hundred mallards 3-4 years ago down at OCM

Shot a drake black duck my second or third year hunting ducks. Have it on video somewhere with a big old school shoulder mount vhs camera. Went to pick it up and said shit its just a hen mallard!!! Got to looking at it more and said shit thats a mottled duck, guarantee it:61: got the ID book out when we got home and it was a black. Cut it up and ate the damn thing! Didn't know they were not real common. I've got another at the taxi right now though

Knocked down a big redhead drake this year the first one I have ever shot. I was pumped, started loading another shell while the dog was going to retreve it, the drake popped his head up dove and never found him. I walk all over that bay i really wanted that bird

I alllllmost didn't mount my 150 inch ten point. It was my first real nice buck with a bow and we got it all on video to boot. He is almost perfectly symmetrical. My dad saw him and about killed me when I said I was questioning if I should get it mounted or not. I didn't skin it like you would a deer your going to mount, so I thought I was screwed. but my taxidermist had an extra hide. And the hide looked almost exactly the same as the real deer. So I got really lucky. At the time I figured id shoot a bigger deer, since then I basically don't deer hunt anymore. but what I really want on the wall is a blue ross, and mount of a limit ducks. drake mallard, teal, widgeon, black duck, pintail, and wood duck. in the dead hanging type mount. That'd be an amazing day.

My first bufflehead duck

I think the biggest rookie mistake I've done is getting a duck mounted that wasn't worth while. I have a Pintail on the wall that is missing feathers, and I used to have a Redhead but I've since tossed it to the trash. Couldn't stand looking at it.

As a rookie, you get a "new to you" species and you think it needs to be on the wall no matter the condition. And as a rookie, you don't think about the little things like a missing feather or two, but as you gain knowledge you realize that only a good specimen is worthy of mounting.

A good taxi should tell you if you bring in a turd and it doesn't belong on the wall.