Canvasbacks

[Nicoli7153]

The King of ducks! During the market hunting days they brought the most money. A page from "The Outlaw Gunner" Harry M. Walsh View attachment 324029

They were closed here for a long time. They opened them up eventually to a 1 bird daily limit and recently upped it two. Love seeing that lazy figure 8 working the decoys!

 

[Dougfirtree]

Ive got a decent duck collection. I hope one day to get a can, a bufflehead and full plume blue teal. Ive missed a few cans sadly. I dont know if Ill ever go hunt eiders.

We've got buffleheads up the wazoo here.

I've never seen a canvasback. I'd really like to get one some day. I hear they are very tasty! Certainly, they're wicked looking birds.

 

[seeth07]

really crappy video but gives you the idea of just how easy it can be to get a can around here if you time it right:

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

Still some cans every morning. Low light so my cheap camera could not capture good photos.

 

[txco]

Guess I need to go explore some new places for birds!

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

From this morning's Montana refuge hike.
Early morning drake:

Alert drake:

Pair of Cans:

 

[Treeshark]

What a cool looking bird. Just a black and white silhouette of a canvasback is badass, such a cool profile. Then the color contrast on top. Possibly my favorite looking duck, just classy.

 

[David Gough]

Can thunder! They were all over this year with the high water we had.

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

Can thunder! They were all over this year with the high water we had.

The first banded Canvasback I shot was banded in Ruby Lake Nevada.
I shot that Can at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge in Utah in 1983.
High water is good news, with much of the Rocky Mtns (including Montana) in a regional drought.

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

Some Cans from this morning's 8 mile Montana refuge hike.

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

This drake seemed to be telling another drake to stay away.

 

[QuazyQuinton]

I'll preface this by saying I'm not a good duck hunter at all. I enjoy it, and my older son enjoys it, so we get out occasionally, but we don't do it regularly enough to develop our skills. In fact, for all the times I've been out, I still have yet to kill a greenhead. Shovelers, pintail, wigeon, bufflehead, teal, ringnecks, goldeneye, but no greenhead. That's my skill level.

Anyway, I took my youngest up to Sauvie Island for an afternoon hunt a few years ago. We were sitting in the blind when a single duck came by. Simple crossing shot out front, going left to right. The kind that should be simple and you know you're still going to miss. I swung, fired, and sent it tumbling. By the time I shot, I knew what I had, and I yelled, "Canvasbaaaaaaaack!" That duck is on the wall above my head as I'm typing. I need to take it to a taxidermist for a touch-up sometime soon.

QQ

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

From this morning, likely same pair of Cans and the refuge.

 

[David Gough]

The first banded Canvasback I shot was banded in Ruby Lake Nevada.
I shot that Can at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge in Utah in 1983.
High water is good news, with much of the Rocky Mtns (including Montana) in a regional drought.

That's awesome. The first (and only, so far) banded can I've shot was at the Ruby Lake NWR. Was banded there three years prior. Same with my first cinnamon teal band.

 

[SilentBirdHunter]

That's awesome. The first (and only, so far) banded can I've shot was at the Ruby Lake NWR. Was banded there three years prior. Same with my first cinnamon teal band.

My first 2 banded ducks were both from Ruby Lake NWR, Shot a banded can at Bear River NWR in Utah, and a week later
shot a banded redhead from Ruby Lake NWR at Bear River NWR.

The only banded teal I've shot was a greenwing at Minto Flats near Fairbanks,
that teal was banded down the Yukon at Galena, Alaska.

In 2000, I shot a banded greenhead in the Mission Valley on the last day of the season (mid January),
he was banded locally at Ninepipes NWR here in Montana.