re: Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

They don’t mess with wood duck nesting as much as people say they do. Whistlers tend to prefer boxes and nesting sites close to or in a shallow open marsh type setting. Woodrow’s will use boxes 100 yards from the water up in the bushes. My neighbor has 20+ boxes and checks them multiple times a week when the hens leave to feed. The most productive wood duck boxes we have are the ones 50+ yards from the bank. The whistlers we have will only nest in the boxes out in the water where the wood ducks typically don’t nest. Instead of trying to kill everything before thinking it through in true Louisiana fashion, we should step back and evaluate what can be done to keep whistlers around so we have another hunting opportunity since ducks don’t migrate down here anymore….

They are outstanding to eat and have huge drumstick like legs. In fact the winner of the gumbo contest at the World’s in Stuttgart last year used Mexican Tree Ducks. There are literally thousands during Teal season in our marsh in Winnie, TX but they are almost non existent come big duck if we get any kind of decent front in October. I used to think they migrated South but honestly I think they just shag arse to suburban settings and don’t migrate at all.

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There are literally thousands during Teal season in our marsh in Winnie, TX but they are almost non existent come big duck

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they head east. We have killed about 8 banded ones, all were banded in your area the same year we killed em. Was told they never leave their family group

If you shoot the momma or lead in the flick they will sometimes come and flutter right over the one knocked down

And yes. The gumbo cook off in Gueydan has been teal or whistling ducks fir 20 years. I skin em

Ooo wee, smothered Black Whistler and Robin Red Breast combo - make you slap you mama.

I kid.

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2 flew over my house out of retention pond in the middle of a subdivision. Come duck season they won’t light into a decoy spread though. I have a dozen or so in my pond in the summer time

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They were sitting in our teal decoys last teal season, and flying around all over the place, some with teal. I would imagine some got shot on accident by a few people, we didn't shoot them. But yeah they are completely gone come big duck season.