RST Niceshot

[Bob B.]

I managed to pick up a Nice Hoodie for the wall this afternoon. I've wanted a nice one to mount for quite some time. The Niceshot performs great, it really reminds me of lead. Yep, I'm old enough to remember the good old days when all you needed was a box of #4 lead for all your duck hunting. Now thanks to Niceshot #4's I can drag the A grade out and enjoy it just like the old days! Thanks to everyone who recommended it.

-Bob.

[loggy]

They do make a beautiful mount. You don't see them often. Thanks

[AmarilloMike]

Ducks and pheasant have to be the most beautiful birds on Earth. Thanks for posting the picture.

Best,

Mike

[Bob B.]

I haven't seen alot of Hooded Mergansers in my days chasing ducks, but last Sunday was different. I was hunting a new to me spot on a lake in N.H. I was set up for puddlers. Blacks and Mallards. Low and behold I became surrounded buy Hoodie's. At least 100 of them! I've never whitnessed anything like it. I watched them for two hours from my TDB, and decided to take a Drake if the opportunity presented itself. It did, and my Fox did the job. It was really quite a spectical, watching them chase each other and splash around. They are also quite vocal, making what sounds like croaks, to random honks that had me looking skyward for geese. Amazing little birds, and most likely the last I'll shoot, seeing as how inedible they are. I've contacted a fantastic taxidermist and this time next year I'll have a great mount. Sorry for the long hunting post on a gun related forum, but thats what these old guns were ment to do.

-Bob.

[scaupman]

Hoodies are quite common in the MS Flyway and are excellent eating in a Gumbo.

We call Hoodies "little lawn darts", because when you hit them sometimes they lock thier wings out and come down head first, well, kind of like a lawn dart.

The larger Common and Red-breasted Mergs (Big Lawn Darts) certainly are fishy tasting, especially when feeding on gizzard shad, and are not recommended in Gumbo. Hoodies eat a lot of aquatic insects . . .

Several of the states in the MS Flyway have a seperate bag limit for mergs, which is seperate from the duck limit (even though mergs are ducks).

In Louisiana for example, our duck limit this year is 6 with a seperate merg limit of 5, of which only 2 can be Hooded Mergs. If you like Gumbo, dont pass on the little lawn darts . . .

They are a beuatiful duck and will make a very nice mount.

[fullchoke16]

Bob, I have one mounted with the crest fanned (like your pic) in a standing position and another in flight on the wall. They do make a cool mount. We used to make jerky out of them but ended up using that for dog "treats". Needless to say, I don't shoot them anymore even though they are a sporty target. By the length of the white bands on your birds plumage, I'd guess that he is 2 1/2 years or older. Nice black decoy , looks to be Grayson Chesser style.I envy you guys that use your Foxes for waterfowl. I mostly hunt out of a small duck boat with a Chesapeake and won't subject my Foxes to that kind of abuse, mud and water, but if I had a nice blind to work out of-----. Happy Hunting, Fred

[Bob B.]

Scaupman,

I see you are from Louisiana. I once had a friend from Louisiana by the name of Milton Simoneaux, a self proclaimed Coon-ass and the best cook I've ever known. That man could turn Muskrat into filet mignon. I'm not from Louisiana so pardon my being a skeptic on the culinary delights of Hoodies.

Fullchoke16,

I'd love to see a picture of your mount for reference. The Black decoy is one from a rig of three. It is hollow cedar and by a gentleman from Mass., Frank Wilson.