I shot my first duck ever today. I'm pretty sure it was a hooded mersenger. After takeing the brests off all I could think of is the smells in my bait and lure jars. Maybe it seemed worse because I planned on eating part of it or something but that bird did not smell pretty. To get to the point how would the carcass do for a k9 set and what should I do for it?
I also saw my first live/wild Bob at from my bowstand...too bad it takes years to get a tag

Nice job on first duck! Lots of people turn their noses up at hoodies, but I find hoodie breast on the barbecue, wrapped in bacon, they taste fine.

As for bait, I know for a fact a mink will about fight you in your own boat to try steal a nice fresh one. Can't see why lots of critters wouldn't like it.

eagles like em i know that.

Merganser.

You shot it you have to eat it!!

Yep - that's it... and you have a hen.
I tried one... ONCE!
Pretty fishy - I'd use it for coon bait or sell it to Hutchy!

Same here. Icky bird. I don't shoot them anymore. And somewhere in the back of my head I want to say I remember seeing that it's illegal to use a migratory game bird as bait nation wide. I could be wrong though . . . I was one other time.

Pointy beaks and non webbed feet, are a no no for the frying pan, lol.

be careful federal birds constitue a large fine for using as bait! Even illegal to use the feathers here! And we don't have a exposed bait law.So remember lose lips sink ships LOL and congrats on the duck! smelled a little fishy didn't it!

So if I'm understanding this correctly it would be illegal to use this duck carcass as bait for furbearers?

Yes, and Merganser's are a fish eating duck, hence the stink.

Bah, bacon and barbecue with just a hint of pink in the center. Youll thank me. They taste just fine! Its the big common merganser and red breasted mergansers that have a fowl (no pun there) odor when cooked, however I know guys here who eat the big ones and have no issue. I fried the breast one of the big ones up once. Made the house smell like fish. Neither me or my buddy would try it. The small hoodies are good.

Wait a second, you guys who say it tastes like fish must not like eating fish then!

As for the legality of using it for bait, none of that is illegal here so I have no advice to give on that.

I love duck but I agree 100% with you.

Ive not seen any regs in alabama that would prevent a legally taken game animal for being used as bait. Im not positive with the whole federal migratory bird thing. Im not a duck (or bird of any kind) hunter. I have no idea what your state laws are. But yes IF you shoved the carcass down a dirthole it would catch coyotes, fox, bobcat, coon, and possum. and probably anything else that walked by that eats meat. There are better baits though.

Merganser's are defiantly not table fare. A leather boot would taste better.

If I want something that tastes like fish, I eat fish thank you.

More like a leather boot slathered with fish oil. I shot a hooded ounce when I was a kid, man I was proud till mom cooked it

In Missouri it would be two tickets.one for using a game bird the other a federal ticket! Its not worth your hunting and trapping rights! Ask your local agent if they say yes it will catch most all furbearers. And if wis is a interstates rule state you lose them in all the states that are too

Are you guys cooking the whole bird, or just the breast? The fat is the strong tasting stuff. Breast alone is delicious. How you eat the rest of it to be legal is up to you.

where's the beef