JDog Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 An early morning's walk with the dogs this week I decided to look at a tiny splash that sometimes hosts a few duck. I wasn't going to give it very long as the ironing, baking a lemon meringue pie and scrubbing the utility room floor awaited me. I also had both dogs with me, something I said I would never do with gun in hand. As I approached two duck got up and made the mistake of not clearing off straight away and I managed to bring them both down. Barney sat still whilst Jasper retrieved them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spr1985 Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 Nicely done jdog 👏🏻 Well worth the morning walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko3275 Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 Nice shooting it must be nice to take the dogs for a walk with gun in hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 Nice one Mr JDog , Gadwall and a Mallard , the pair will make good eating at this time of the year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 Yes the smaller one is a Gadwall, the first one I have shot. They really are drab little ducks. The white wing flash and the rusty covert feathers are all that mature males can muster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 1 hour ago, JDog said: Yes the smaller one is a Gadwall, the first one I have shot. They really are drab little ducks. The white wing flash and the rusty covert feathers are all that mature males can muster. Could well be from a late brood , by the end of the Winter it would have been in full plumage and the drakes are quite good looking , we get a few throughout the winter either on the marshes or on our wild duck drive , if we get one in good condition I will take a photo and compare it with your one ,well done adding another species to your long list , any more that need to be added ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 A drake Gadwall IMO is a hansome bird indeed .. Very much the English partridge of ducks if a drake mallard were the French. Congratulations on the bag ... some nice variation for the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 37 minutes ago, Smokersmith said: A drake Gadwall IMO is a hansome bird indeed .. Very much the English partridge of ducks if a drake mallard were the French. Congratulations on the bag ... some nice variation for the table. I think we all have our favourite's when it come to what is the best looking duck , mine is a drake Pintail for elegance and it being streamlined, but there are several that are a close second, in fact all of the surface ducks are pretty and most of the diving ducks come to that . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 Certainly with you on the favourite !! https://www.dropbox.com/s/06xd9r8su8bbe9d/File 26-10-2020%2C 15 26 17.jpeg?dl=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 I have never shot a drake Pintail. The Gadwall is for tomorrow night's dinner. I will let you know how it tastes. I hope you are not joshing with me about it's culinary delights and that it tastes like an Eider duck. The most odd curiosity was finding a Razorbill on a patch of heather whilst walking up grouse in Cumbria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 Nearly as exciting as seeing a bloke bring a codling off the marsh on an evening flight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greylag Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 Drake Gadwall is one of the most handsome of birds along with the Drake Pintail.The hen Gadwall must have taken a fancy to that handsome Drake mallard.Nice shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 26, 2020 Report Share Posted October 26, 2020 18 minutes ago, JDog said: I have never shot a drake Pintail. The Gadwall is for tomorrow night's dinner. I will let you know how it tastes. I hope you are not joshing with me about it's culinary delights and that it tastes like an Eider duck. The most odd curiosity was finding a Razorbill on a patch of heather whilst walking up grouse in Cumbria. At this time of the year , most if not all of the surface feeding duck would be edible , I dare say if the breasts were cut up into strips and marinated over night you would have a job to tell the difference , hope you enjoy it . You mentioned the Eider duck , in my trigger happy days when I was a late teenager or in my very early twenties I shot a hen Eider duck , as it turned out the only one I have ever shot and I have got no intention of ever shooting another one . as far as taste , I didn't eat it as in those far off days anything out of the ordinary went to Pettits the game dealers in Reedham to be set up or the feathers used for making pictures out of the feathers . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 20 hours ago, Smokersmith said: A drake Gadwall IMO is a hansome bird indeed .. Very much the English partridge of ducks if a drake mallard were the French. Congratulations on the bag ... some nice variation for the table. Having plucked and gutted the Gadwall, and put my glasses on, I do have a new appreciation of it’s subtleness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 oohh that looks nice ...will you pour boiling water over it to help crisp the skin before you roast it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 40 minutes ago, ditchman said: oohh that looks nice ...will you pour boiling water over it to help crisp the skin before you roast it ? Is that an accepted method for crisping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTaylor91 Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 22 minutes ago, JDog said: Is that an accepted method for crisping? Scalding the skin helps crisping by tightening up the pores, the Chinese do it when they do Peking duck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 13 minutes ago, JTaylor91 said: Scalding the skin helps crisping by tightening up the pores, the Chinese do it when they do Peking duck. The forum has more qualified chefs than pigeon shooters at the moment. Your advice will be taken. By the way you still owe me lunch. A pork pie will not be adequate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTaylor91 Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, JDog said: The forum has more qualified chefs than pigeon shooters at the moment. Your advice will be taken. By the way you still owe me lunch. A pork pie will not be adequate. I do indeed still owe you lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 2 hours ago, JDog said: The forum has more qualified chefs than pigeon shooters at the moment. Your advice will be taken. By the way you still owe me lunch. A pork pie will not be adequate. must see the out come...........today i had a tin of beans and sausages ...some cheap wafer thin bacon and bloody oven chips.....i tried to tell my tummy it was nice ...but it didnt believe me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 35 minutes ago, ditchman said: must see the out come...........today i had a tin of beans and sausages ...some cheap wafer thin bacon and bloody oven chips.....i tried to tell my tummy it was nice ...but it didnt believe me..... Gordon Bennett, that's not real food man it's a wonder your stomach did not reject it. Very lazy of you not do something cordon bleu.😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 43 minutes ago, ditchman said: must see the out come...........today i had a tin of beans and sausages ...some cheap wafer thin bacon and bloody oven chips.....i tried to tell my tummy it was nice ...but it didnt believe me..... Gordon Bennett, don't blame the ingredients, you were warming it up! 6/10 Could do a lot better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 13 minutes ago, dead eye alan said: Gordon Bennett, that's not real food man it's a wonder your stomach did not reject it. Very lazy of you not do something cordon bleu.😎 This is Gordon blue for Norfolk 😂😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 On 26/10/2020 at 10:31, JDog said: Yes the smaller one is a Gadwall, the first one I have shot. They really are drab little ducks. The white wing flash and the rusty covert feathers are all that mature males can muster. I, too, have only ever shot one Gadwall, a female shot on the Wash just off the RAF camp in late September 1968. It tasted revolting! BUT, I did boil it for two hours in a saucepan of water over a paraffin stove. Fifty years later, my culinary expertise has not improved much but the cooking equipment is better these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 Well we had the Gadwall for dinner this evening. I made the decision to sharpen my best knife and slice the breasts thinly rather than cut the duck in half. The flavour was distinctly different, a bit like what I would imagine a cross between a Greenland Whitefront and a Greater Scaup would taste like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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