Big fish, ducks, and the sheriff

skein · 01-26-2003, 11:08 PM

Wowzer! If that "headline" doesn't get your attention, nothing will! Actually it's three stories, but one day.

Big Fish: Saw a BIG one caught just in front of Gardner on the Umpqua. Didn't get to see if it was a native or hatchery, or even if it was a springer (had to be) or...what. The seal didn't tell. He did have his hands (flippers) full subduing it.

Now wait - don't think this report is to stir the old "marine mammal" pot, it's not. I just that I wanted to tell everyone that I saw a BIG fish in the Umpqua system.

Ducks: Finally got down to Tahkenitch Lake to chase ducks. Saw lots of divers out in the middle and a few mallards up the arms. Not much flying and very little pressure. Some guys had a blind and some dekes on the north end of the island, and they got some pass shooting for mostly goldeneyes and buffleheads as far as I could tell. No shortage of cormorants, though. We spent most of our time up Mallard Arm. Pretty lake.

The sheriff: Got checked on Tahkenitch, and these guys were exceptionally polite and professional - and personable. They asked if we had done any good and we talked a few minutes about the lake and the opportunities it offered. They glanced in the boat and saw that we had the required equipment (we were wearing (!) our pfd's), and I asked if they wanted to check our licenses. They grinned and said, "I guess so. If you buy them, we ought to check them once in a while."

They asked to check the plug on the gun - which was unloaded. I told them my rule was "when the motor was running, the gun was unloaded. " The plug was okay and they wished us a nice day and motored off.

Now for the good part. The float/bumper they used had come untied while we were talking and when they left, it stayed behind. We picked it up and as there was no way we could catch them, we just kept exploring the lake. We did catch them at the launch and gave them their float back. During the ensuing conversation I mentioned that I couldn't find a decent map of the lake, although I had tried. One of the officers said he had a great map back at the office that had been done in the 50's - and he would send it to me!

I know there's been lots of back-and-forth about getting checked, but these were nice people and I was glad to know they were out there. I'm sure it helped that I had nothing to hide. But I'll tell you, they would be welcome in my camp any time - and I suspect I would be welcome in theirs.

All in all a good day!

Skein

Chum King · 01-26-2003, 11:44 PM

Skein,

I am assuming that you didn't get any birds, but you didn't flat come out and say it. The divers on Siltcoos that we have seen have all been canvasback, scaup, and bufflehead. I would be sceptical of any goldeneye, it is just rare to see any of them on the coast. The hen scaup have a white patch on the head that looks a lot like the goldeneye.

We took our four bird limits of scaup on Saturday at Siltcoos (and one bufflehead to add to the pot). There was quite a bit of pressure with about 20 rigs at our launch site. The birds were definitely not flying as much as usual, but we managed to eek out a decent hunt anyway.

OSP and the sheriff must swap lakes. OSP was out on Siltcoos on Saturday. We didn't get checked, but with all the rigs, they probably just hadn't gotten to us by the time we had packed up.

Glad you got a chance to make your Tahkenitch trip. I think I'll keep Tahkenitch on my fishing list, but keep it off my duck hunting list until better information comes to light. My one trip there two years ago didn't impress me with any numbers of birds, but the scenery is very very nice.

GutshotApe · 01-26-2003, 11:52 PM

Good report Skein.............if there are enough hunters to keep the ducks stirred up, both Tahkenitch and Siltcoos can be good hunting.

BTW, my schedule got switched and we hunted the Calapooia pond yesterday. Not much flying other than several dozen swans. A pair of mallards sneaked in from behind and got away.....no shots. But we jumped the brush-covered pond in the field on the way out and there were about 8 mallards on it. We got a pair between us...........End of Season.

Edit: Oh yeah, we also walked down to the 33-acres at the far west end (you haven't seen this) and jumped abour 5 mallards and 15 teal from the ponds down there. We each took a shot or two but nothing dropped..........

[ 01-26-2003, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: GutshotApe ]

GutshotApe · 01-27-2003, 04:46 AM

Chumking - I've shot scaup on Siltcoos by running my sneakbox upwind of a big raft of birds, cutting the motor, then sculling downwind into 'em until the flock flies. They take off upwind so some will go right past the boat.

Quit hunting scaup because they are inedible (I tried but couldn't force it down; my dog wouldn't even eat the leftover scaup Duck-a-roni) the way I cook 'em. What do you do with scaup from Siltcoos? Secret recipe? :whazzup:

Chum King · 01-27-2003, 06:36 AM

GSA,

I usually end up cooking them "hard". I fillet out the birds and let them soak for a day or two, before either cooking or freezing. After having the bad experience of biting into a pellet or two, I now thin slice everything (unless I am going to BBQ a bird). I usually just fry the slices in a bit of peanut oil with a variety of spices (cajun or creole is usually a good bet). You can then add stir fry materials to finish it off, add it to a stroganoff type of recipe or just nibble on the duck bits.

The best recipe I ever found for "harsh" duck was to use the duck in a Chinese sweet and sour recipe. Deep fry the duck pieces using a tempura batter. Add green peppers, pineapple, and carrots and sweet and sour sauce and you have a great meal. However, eat it while it is hot the first time, and don't try to reheat or use leftovers.

Enjoy,
Chum King