[nobands]

Not a duck. The last ruff grouse I shot in NE IA ,big beautiful bird put him freezer and found out within a week I was going to be a dad. Oh well the kid turned out better than the mount probably would've.

 

[tannerb]

i regret not having mounted my black duck that I shot last year.

 

[Unlucky Duck]

My first couple of years duck hunting I only shot teal and hens. Hunting buddies started giving me crap that I only shot ugly ducks. First time hunting the Mississippi a group of green wings came in and I shot a beautiful drake. Of course my buddy said he shot the same bird. Would have mounted it but couldn't stomach the thought of him saying it was his bird.

 

[Mallard Creek]

I blasted a huge Green Head 36 years ago, proud as could be marched into Safely's Sporting Goods wanting my prize forever frozen in time. To his credit Lauren ? told me that the bird would look like hell in a few years because the feathers weren't fully plumed. Heart broke I took him home and ate him.

Over the years I have shot some really nice mounts. I donated most of them to the Schools Science Departments as my boys went through school.

Now days I really like my Digital Picture Frame, with the constant scrolling memories across the screen.

Lee Ault did me right with a Decoy Style mount, but most prices are just too spendy for my tastes. Then unless you glass case them you have to dust them carefully.
There is ALWAYS gear I would rather buy or upgrade, than spend my money on dusty feathers.

Not a Rookie Mistake at all!! Just another memory.

 

[MossyMallard12]

I regret leaving my first wood duck drake I ever shot in the freezer too long… Also I was picking up my goose spread on the last week of duck season and my brother convinced me to leave my shotgun at home since it was snowing and the wind was blowing… HARD. There was a Goldeneye drake sitting in a little hole that was not frozen yet, easily could have slipped him. To this day I have not shot one. Or the time I shot a blue that had almost a pure white belly. Hands down the prettiest blue I've shot to date and didn't mount it. Or the adult greater snow I shot jump shooting.

 

[Delfate16]

I don't have a lot of regrets, actually. My father has done a good job of making sure I take the "important" ones to the taxy to be mounted. I have my first buck, greenhead, and turkey mounted. We would have mounted my first rooster but I blew him up pretty good as he sat pretty tight.

Currently, I have my first Canvasback at the taxy now. Very excited to get him back.

 

[Guest]

I regret leaving my first wood duck drake I ever shot in the freezer too long… Also I was picking up my goose spread on the last week of duck season and my brother convinced me to leave my shotgun at home since it was snowing and the wind was blowing… HARD. There was a Goldeneye drake sitting in a little hole that was not frozen yet, easily could have slipped him. To this day I have not shot one. Or the time I shot a blue that had almost a pure white belly. Hands down the prettiest blue I've shot to date and didn't mount it. Or the adult greater snow I shot jump shooting.

interphase blue eh? means it was probably 10 year old+ bird.... a good looking adult interphase is a pretty bird.

 

[dukcaller]

My son is 22 right now, but when he was 4 we had him in the boat and it was one of those days that the birds were flying real good. We were close to a 5 man limit when a flock of widgeon dumped in out of nowhere. I think we shot 3 or 4 out of the bunch and I know that the one drake I took was in pretty good shape until I seen it.

It was awesome ! ! ! Lots of green and white on the head and it had at least a 2" spike.

I put the bird in an area in the boat close to my son so it wouldn't get harmed because my intentions were to get the trophy mounted.

In the mean time we had a pretty big pile of mallards growing and like most hunters, we were plucking the curls out to put in a coffee can that we keep in the boat.

You can only imagine what happened next, my son handed me the widgeon and said, "I'm done"

That bird's azz was plucked clean . . . spike and all. I looked at my son, tear in my eye, and said "Thanks"

That was 18 years ago and I have yet to see a widgeon as nice as that one was.

Ahh kids . . .

 

[deanlange]

I had my first pheasant mounted. Put it on top of the big screen tv and low and behold I come home one day and my dog had retrieved it off the tv and left me a head and a foam body.

She retrieved it once and assumed it was hers I guess.

 

[bucksnducks]

20 years ago or so, a friend of mine and I jumped a pond full of snows and blues. we didn't know you could shoot the blue geese, so we let them go.

 

[MattsonKen]

two years ago we had a harlequin flying around with a big group of mallards for about two weeks, tried my damndest to get that bird close enough to kill. Maybe this year.