# What kind of Duck is this???



## sharpshooter25 (Oct 2, 2007)

Shot this one this morning along with a couple mallards. I don't know what kind of duck this is, so I am hoping you guys can shed some light on it. Also, it has black wings with some white in them. It is a very small duck, about the size of a teal maybe. So, what is it?


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## Dckhunter13 (Sep 20, 2007)

looks like a hen bufflehead


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

He's right. Hen Buffy


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## Dave B (Oct 1, 2007)

Yep hen buffy


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## Surf n turf (Oct 27, 2008)

shoot first and ask questions later huh, nice to know there are still guys who cant ID what they are shooting at :roll: I would be embarrassed if I shot a bird and had to ask what it was.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Surf n turf said:


> shoot first and ask questions later huh, nice to know there are still guys who cant ID what they are shooting at :roll: I would be embarrassed if I shot a bird and had to ask what it was.


Kind of a funny story here on that topic...
Last week I shot a prime wigeon with great plumage. Finally got the right one for the wall. Anyhow I have a extended family member who I was showing the picture to and telling him how I was so excited to finally shoot the right bird. He looked at me and asked "well what kind of duck is it?". To which I answered wigeon. I was kind of bewildered at the question. Then he asked is it a diver duck? I then answered no it's a puddler. The funny and ironic thing is he goes hunting almost every weekend, owns a boat and the works....
Don't be to hard on him Joe. He has now learned what a hen bufflehead is and he now knows. Give him credit for wanting to know and learn. We all must learn somewhere and somehow...


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## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

Maybe he doesn't hunt as much as some of us..... Or has never gunned diver ducks... who cares.. he didnt know what it was so he asked.. big deal.. we have all been there I remember back in my youth that I did the same thing, pull the trigger then ask what it was... I say keep on gunning and hitting the marsh, some birds are harder to tell what they are in flight.. But as you put the time in and really look for color patterns you will learn them all!!!! congrats on the Bufflehead


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## mallardgoose (Oct 11, 2010)

Nice work, great duck. Don't worry about Mr. know it all.


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## Stellarmike (Mar 12, 2009)

Awesome job, congrats on a first!


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## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

It's a Bufflehead, but not a hen. Immature drake. Probably from this years hatch, but no older than last year. The spot on the cheek is the give away. This time of year your going to find a lot of those around. From past experience I would say that 90% of the hens have gone ahead and moved through. Some will stick around, but most move out pretty quick to get to where food and sun are more plentiful.

Divers and seaducks take about 4 years to get mature, meaning that they have their full breeding plumage. So next time you see that fully plumed drake Goldeneye scream through the decoys, give him a bit more credit, he's been around awhile.

On the note of identification. I won't go any further than to say this... If I were to shoot something and not be able to identify it, I would most likely have to quit for the day to avoid any possible over shooting of the limits, then I probably wouldn't post a picture of it on the internet, asking for ID help, unless I was certain of the species and wanted a possible clarification of eclipse plumage or something like that.

Good luck in the future. And possibly take a look at this, maybe even print it off so you have a copy for your blind bag, http://www.flyways.us/duck-identificati ... a-distance

Later,
Kev


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## Surf n turf (Oct 27, 2008)

Darin, in some regards you are right.....however, what if it was a can, or redhead, birds which have specific limits on them? I met a guy last year at the launch proudly displaying his days take, he had three hen cans. all of which he thought were scaup hens, I was speechless. You wouldnt pull the trigger on elk without first identifying if it was a cow or bull, but somehow its ok for guys to do this with ducks. Not only does it reflect badly upon them but in can get you into a heap of trouble. Learn to ID birds before pulling the trigger.


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## Surf n turf (Oct 27, 2008)

mallardgoose said:


> Nice work, great duck. Don't worry about Mr. know it all.


I know, how self righteous of me to think that someone should ID what they are about to kill......crazy huh


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Surf n turf said:


> Darin, in some regards you are right.....however, what if it was a can, or redhead, birds which have specific limits on them? I met a guy last year at the launch proudly displaying his days take, he had three hen cans. all of which he thought were scaup hens, I was speechless. You wouldnt pull the trigger on elk without first identifying if it was a cow or bull, but somehow its ok for guys to do this with ducks. Not only does it reflect badly upon them but in can get you into a heap of trouble. Learn to ID birds before pulling the trigger.


very good point Joe. as to the originator of this thread, he did man up and ask what it was...even if it was after the fact.


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## sharpshooter25 (Oct 2, 2007)

Well I appreciate all of your input. I never even started duck hunting until 2 years ago. I shot my first red head this year. And no I do not have a habbit of shooting first and asking questions later. This buffle head came in, all by his lonesome, at first shooting light this morning, and he was probably about 20 feet in the air above me, so it is kind of hard to tell what species it is. I figured it was a teal because of the size. Also it was my first one of the morning so I didn't have to worry about if I was going to go over my limit or not on a certain species. I have studied the proclamation to learn of the species we have, but this certain species is not in there. Neither is the Wood duck, hence why my post last week about what the limit is on wood ducks. So, since I did not know what kind of duck it was, and since it was not in the proclamation, I posted it on here because I know that there are a lot more seasoned duck hunters than myself. So now I have another question in regard to those of you who have said that you always look for colors before shooting. Do you wait until it is light enough to see what kind of ducks they are before shooting, or do you only shoot when they are about to land into your deeks? You see, when it says that shooting light starts at 7:29, that early the sun is just starting to rise, and where I have been hunting right now, those ducks are coming in right then, and all they look like to me is black ducks flying in. I have not mastered calling yet, so if they are not landing in my deeks, I am usually hitting them on the fly. Now if I have two hen mallards in my bag, or a canvas back, or two red heads, then obviously I have to now wait until I can absolutely identify what kind of duck it is. So are you telling me that you don't shoot unless you can tell for certain that you know exactly what kind of duck it is at first shooting light? Because from my experience so far, at first shooting light, which is when those ducks are flying, unless it is landing in your deeks, or is low to the water flying, it is hard to distinguish what sex of duck it is. So what do you do at first light when those ducks are flying?


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## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

> So what do you do at first light when those ducks are flying?


If your not sure it's better to wait. Really. Better yet, study the different body style's, wing patterns, sounds, silhouette, etc. and learn from it. After a while you'll start to recognize ducks even in low light.

You mentioned stopping if you had a couple other ducks or what not, that's admirable. One of the keys to becoming a better, more ethical duck hunter is to know when to stop when your ahead.

Again, good luck in the future.

Later,
Kev


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2010)

kev said:


> It's a Bufflehead, but not a hen. Immature drake. Probably from this years hatch, but no older than last year. The spot on the cheek is the give away. This time of year your going to find a lot of those around. From past experience I would say that 90% of the hens have gone ahead and moved through. Some will stick around, but most move out pretty quick to get to where food and sun are more plentiful.


are you "special" or something?? you need to take your own advice and learn the ducks you are hunting before you go out in the marsh. its a HEN!!... and anyone on here who hunts ducks ALOT knows what a hen buffy looks like. apparently you havent shot very many divers or even puddlers to know the difference between a drake and a hen. 
give the guy some credit for being brave enough to ask when he didnt know what it was. way to go man! those ducks are hard to decoy and even harder to hit!

p.s. theres just as many hens still around as there are drake buffys. with 60+ degree days and with nothing freezing yet and they have all the food they need in order be happy enough to stick around.


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## diverfreak (May 11, 2008)

kill_'em_all said:


> kev said:
> 
> 
> > It's a Bufflehead, but not a hen. Immature drake. Probably from this years hatch, but no older than last year. The spot on the cheek is the give away. This time of year your going to find a lot of those around. From past experience I would say that 90% of the hens have gone ahead and moved through. Some will stick around, but most move out pretty quick to get to where food and sun are more plentiful.
> ...


 ARE YOU SPECIAL? BUFFLEHEADS BEING HARD TO DECOY? Some birds migrate out of areas that have food and open water, believe it or not. I cant tell by the pic if it is a immature drake but i am pretty positive Kev can identify ducks on the wing better than most can in there hands. Yeah Kev, you must have not shot very many divers or puddlers :lol: :lol:, atleast this week! :shock: You wouldn't believe how many hen Buffleheads are actually drakes. If the legs are not solid Grey, then theoretically, they should be juvie drakes. Maybe we should ask a waterfowl expert on this matter. Is there any Biologists or Taxi's that can clarify this?

DiverFreak


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Looks like a goose to me.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

kill_'em_all said:


> kev said:
> 
> 
> > It's a Bufflehead, but not a hen. Immature drake. Probably from this years hatch, but no older than last year. The spot on the cheek is the give away. This time of year your going to find a lot of those around. From past experience I would say that 90% of the hens have gone ahead and moved through. Some will stick around, but most move out pretty quick to get to where food and sun are more plentiful.
> ...


:lol: Ummmm while I don't always agree with Kev on things, I do know he's killed a hell of lot of ducks of all kinds, and most likely can also id them pretty knowledgeably. :lol:

Now for the question of whether or not it's an immature drake or a hen, I sure would like to see a better picture to tell for sure which it is, but it is obvious that it is a bufflehead. 
I don't really care which it is or that he shot it without knowing what exact species of duck it was, but since everyone is falling all over their whiners to both help and bash the guy at the same time, I thought I would throw out the following thought, he could have just stomped it in the mud and kept on shooting, and never bothered to learn what it was.


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## avidhntr3 (Sep 26, 2007)

How about we all just stop accusing others of not knowing what they're talking about and just give some general pointers without lecturing?


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> Looks like a goose to me.


 -_O-


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2010)

"Male buffleheads have a large white patch across the back of the head that extends from cheek to cheek, forming a bushy crest. The remainder of the head is blackish with an iridescent green and purple sheen. The neck, scapulars, breast, belly, and sides are white, and the back and rump are black. The upper wing surface is blackish except for the white speculum extending from the inner and middle secondaries across to the outer lesser and marginal coverts. The bill is light blue-gray and the legs and feet are fleshy pink.

Female buffleheads have a brownish head and neck, except for an oval white patch that extends from below the eye back towards the nape of the neck. The breast, sides, and flanks are dark gray, the back is blackish, the belly is whitish, and the tail is grayish brown. The upper wing surface is blackish brown, except for the inner and middle secondaries and inner greater coverts, which are white, tipped with black. The bill is dark gray and the legs and feet are grayish."
look at the feet in the picture of the buffy the guy shot. they are GREY not PINK.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Good call kill em all. I would have said hen Buffy too. You can shoot seven of them man.... and now you know so next time you won't have to ask. Learning the bird ID is good... probably the best option but not everyone knows a bird dead to rights before they pull the trigger. Might make folks think less of me but I'll admit that even though I think I know birds pretty well after doing this for a little bit, I still have moments when I'm surprised when the dog brings one back.


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## kev (Feb 7, 2008)

Just cause it's brown doesn't mean it's a hen....

The drake in the picture is a fully mature bird, probably 3 or 4 years old. The bird I am calling an immature drake is probably from this years hatch. My *opinion*is based on the fact that the white "cheek" patch is not completely white but some what mottled, the relative size of the bird, and the bill conformation. Like the plumage, the feet on an immature bird will stay grey, until it's reached maturity, at which point they will be pink.

I'm not trying to call anyone out here, and I am definitely not calling myself an expert. Simply offering my opinion. However in my defense, I have shot my share of both divers and puddlers, and feel confident in my ability to identify birds both on the wing and in hand.

Also for the record, temperature is only one of a myriad of factors that control the migration waterfowl.

I'm not "special", but I've been called worse. Again I'm only offering my opinion on the issue.

Later,
Kev


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

i'd say there is a good chance that bird could be a juvie drake. i tend to agree with Kev on this one. not that its worth getting in an argument over. we shot an oldsquaw a few years back and thought for sure it was a hen. but was later told by many of the guys who gun them all the time that it was a juvie drake. so yes i agree, just cause its brown doesn't mean its a hen. more so true when it comes to divers and sea ducks.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

kill_'em_all said:


> those ducks are hard to decoy and even harder to hit!


hummm.... i would say they are super easy to decoy. put some black and white in the spread and you'll have butterballs flyin in for sure. heck in the spring when i go out in the layout boats shooting pics with the camera i can stand in the boat and still have them hit the water...

o-||


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## bufflehead3 (Jan 5, 2010)

Those are some great pics of an awesome duck!


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Those are some awesome pictures. Do you have your camera on the sport mode for those pictures or do you speed up the shutter even more?


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Man there a bunch of A$$ on this forum any more. No wonder people don't want to share there story's or there pic.Dud congrats on your first Diver. Ducks can be hard to tell what they are at time. I still get them wrong after hunting waterfowl for over 20 years of hunting and another 8 years of going out. Don't let this guys give you a hard time. Some of them think they are the best dam duck hunter out there that don't make mistake.Stay going out there and shooting. Like you said once you hit 2 hen mallards and so you will stop. that good. some guys wont. God luck the rest of the season and keep posting your pic and your hunts.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

You tell em Dustin!

The ONLY way to know for sure is to sex the bird by looking for it's penis. Yes, ducks have a penis and if you fold over the outer flap around it's vent you can see a little white noodle. That is it's penis. If it's got a noodle, it's a drake. No noodle, hen.

And BTW Dustin, I don't think anyone on here was trying to give him a hard time, just trying to help him become a better and more informed duck hunter, that's all.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

fixed blade said:


> Those are some awesome pictures. Do you have your camera on the sport mode for those pictures or do you speed up the shutter even more?


fixed,
i am in aperture mode or shutter mode. on a sunny day i set the iso low and click away... these photos were taken with my kit lens. here this next spring when i do it again i will have a much better lens. anyhow thanks for the comments i have a real long way to go to get better. still a rookie like no other!


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

Give the guy a break !! 

Trying to ID a duck in the air is not always that easy !!

even you ( experienced hunters ) can't agree , if its a drake or hen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :roll: :roll:


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

Darin Noorda said:


> [quote="kill_'em_all":2u6it498] those ducks are hard to decoy and even harder to hit!


hummm.... i would say they are super easy to decoy. put some black and white in the spread and you'll have butterballs flyin in for sure. heck in the spring when i go out in the layout boats shooting pics with the camera i can stand in the boat and still have them hit the water...

o-||





















































[/quote:2u6it498]

very nice photos !!!!!!!!!!

i really like the first one the best ,with flaps and landing gear down .


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## sharpshooter25 (Oct 2, 2007)

Well, I went out again this morning, no buffle heads this time, and I only shot one drake mallard that actually came into my deeks so I didn't have to worry about identifying it before I shot. Some guys showed up on the other end of the lake and started target shooting with their pistols. So that sort of screwed up my hunt, but oh well. Thank you again guys for helping me out, and if any of you are in the Basin, and want to get into some good duck hunting, I know the place to go so just pm me. Or if you want to go out and do some upland game hunting I do have the dogs for that and am always willing to go.


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

sharpshooter25 said:


> Or if you want to go out and do some upland game hunting I do have the dogs for that and am always willing to go.


very cool !!!!!!!!!


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## M Gayler (Oct 3, 2010)

Surf n turf said:


> shoot first and ask questions later huh, nice to know there are still guys who cant ID what they are shooting at :roll: I would be embarrassed if I shot a bird and had to ask what it was.


Ya and im sure you can I.D every species of waterfoul in flight...LMAO!


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

M Gayler said:


> [quote="Surf n turf":c5bso8ce]shoot first and ask questions later huh, nice to know there are still guys who cant ID what they are shooting at :roll: I would be embarrassed if I shot a bird and had to ask what it was.


Ya and im sure you can I.D every species of waterfoul in flight...LMAO![/quote:c5bso8ce]

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

M Gayler said:


> [quote="Surf n turf":2812cmwp]shoot first and ask questions later huh, nice to know there are still guys who cant ID what they are shooting at :roll: I would be embarrassed if I shot a bird and had to ask what it was.


Ya and im sure you can I.D every species of waterfoul in flight...LMAO![/quote:2812cmwp]

i think you are misunderstanding the statement. he is not saying he can identify all ducks on the wing at all times. what he is saying is he wont pull the trigger on something unless knows what it is. i think most of us are that way.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

RobK said:


> Give the guy a break !!
> 
> Trying to ID a duck in the air is not always that easy !!
> 
> even you ( experienced hunters ) can't agree , if its a drake or hen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :roll: :roll:


A-FREAKING-MEN!


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Looks like a dead duck to me!!!


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## Surf n turf (Oct 27, 2008)

M Gayler said:


> [quote="Surf n turf":1k9l7clk]shoot first and ask questions later huh, nice to know there are still guys who cant ID what they are shooting at :roll: I would be embarrassed if I shot a bird and had to ask what it was.


Ya and im sure you can I.D every species of waterfoul in flight...LMAO![/quote:1k9l7clk]

Actually yes, If its close enough to make a clean shot then chances are I can I.D. it and as Darin said if by chance I dont know what it is then I will hold off until I do or not shoot at all. Seriously, I dont know why this is such a hard concept to grasp?


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## blackbear (Oct 18, 2007)

I remember one of my first ducks. We thought it was a loner mallard; turned out to be an arctic loon. It was opening morning at Ogden bay. The DWR guy thought it was cool, no problem...


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Wow an artic loon. What a prize!


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