re: Hooded mergansers

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I know they are a trash duck but they are pretty cool looking when they are showing off for the ladies. Waited 3 hours this morning for some ducks and all that showed up were mergansers and ring necks.

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It may just be me but I am convinced there is something in the saliva of a Lab that turns Bull Pintails into Mergansers...I have had it happen a couple of times over 45 years of duck hunting. Damndest thing ever...shoot what is obviously a nice pintail only to have the damned dog bring back a merganser. It may just be the dog's idea of a joke...anything that constantly makes snide remarks about the shooting competency of the person who feeds it every morning has some character issues which would not rule out such behavior...

I know a guy in Truth or Consequences, NM who has a pretty solid guide service and about 20% of his business is people seeking a GOOD merganser for mounting purposes. Elephant Butte can be about as good as good gets for good birds but it also winters a HUGE number of mergansers and they are in prime plumage that far south that late in the year.