Quick Question About Duck Jargon

[Bird Watcher]

Here's something I've been pondering lately.

When did it become passe' to refer to the most common duck in North America as "mallards" and at what point did the term "straight green" or "green" become the en vogue way to indicate that species of duck?

To a lesser extent, when did divers all become "black and whites"?

I get the designation "greenheads", that's pretty self explanatory if referring to the male mallard, but I'm pretty sure the only "straight green" duck I've ever seen is one of these.

[mhowerton]

Not sure when it happened, but it is a full blown epidemic. Might have started the same time as "Pro Staff's" got popular and having a hunting crew with a tacky name like "Mallard Mafia" came into existence. We hunted (not by choice) with some of these charcters in South Dakota two years ago. We had a very good shoot in a cut corn field. They would only take a picture with the greenheads. Did not want any of the other ducks in the photo. I told them in Arkansas it is called duck season not green season.

[Bird Watcher]

Not sure when it happened, but it is a full blown epidemic. Might have started the same time as "Pro Staff's" got popular and having a hunting crew with a tacky name like "Mallard Mafia" came into existence. We hunted (not by choice) with some of these charcters in South Dakota two years ago. We had a very good shoot in a cut corn field. They would only take a picture with the greenheads. Did not want any of the other ducks in the photo. I told them in Arkansas it is called duck season not green season.

I'm thinking you are on the right trail. It's somewhere in the commercialization of the industry and the resource or the Facebook-look at me generation of hunters that have come into the sport in the last 5-10 years.

[Feathers and Fins]

Around 2004 or so when the ( TV-shows ) on cable and satilite started coming out. Like with all shows they needed Buzzwords to create excitement, then tack on the internet and the ( crews ) and black-hoodie gangs that have to be louder than my snow goose call and thier you-tube videos etc.

When I started hunting there was a few nick names to ducks.

1. Mallard = Greenhead

2. Goldeneye = whistler

3. Gadwall = Grey

4. Teal = Buzz Bomber

5. Canada Goose = 747

6. Snow Goose = White Devils

7. Widgeon = cotton top

But other that that most ducks were called by the name in the book, unless gramps missed an easy shot then that species whatever it was got called names that even the 7th fleet on leave would blush over.

To me I hate these ( Crews ) with a passion they really dont understand how stupid they sound and honestly dont impress me. Guys that impress me are the ones who can get it done in the worse conditions with the worse pains in our old bodies and dont care if they get a bird so long as the coffee was hot, the company was good and we enjoyed a few hours in nature. We are small on this site in numbers but enjoy eachothers hunts some from pure sillyness to others with the struggles we face all for the love of the sport not the glamour rocker status.

[Feathers and Fins]

I was typing when you were lol. Yes FB has been part of it. I dont think i have posted a handful of kills this year mostly videos and pictures of the scenery. Then again i have my FB set where only my friends and family can see it because i dont want the world knowing my business. One nice thing about FB is I can get ahold of friends real fast when im driving around and give them a fast report so if they can they can get to the birds.

[Bird Watcher]

I guess I just don't get a lot of the self glamorization I see a lot of waterfowlers display these days. Let's face it. Ducks and geese are kind of stupid when you think about their relative intelligence compared to other species of game that we pursue. They have a brain the size of my thumbnail. Do they get conditioned to pressure? Absolutely, but they aren't smart. You aren't outsmarting much when you shoot a pile of them.

Waterfowling is about everything else except the pile, right? Sounds, smells, conversation, comraderie, sights, even the extreme cold or snow often makes a memory. The pile is somewhat anti-climatic, no?

So why is so much of the sport these days become about the "pile of straight green"?

[BilletHead]

Good question Chris,

Boy oh boy this could really open a can of worms. First of all I learn from watching, asking questions and taught myself through hard knocks. Trial and error. mostly we only see reports and photos when we all have success. Sometimes not like John P. He can find success in just a photos of his dog. Kudos friend I love it. Do I post and brag some? You bet to share and sometimes I give a blow by blow account so maybe it can help others. Not just a look what I did to show off. Maybe I should post of my failures on what not to do? You would all soon get tired of that! I think the trend has gone to a competition to see who is the best. I have learned a bunch from you all. On yesterdays hunt especially from one and what he told me about weather effects on bird groups. It worked well. Do I have to kill "All Green"? I am a meat eater and if it is a legal hen it may go into the pot if things are slow. Do any of you sex a goose before you shoot it? A teal in early season when they are all in plain brown wrappers? No you don't. A little friendly competition is healthy but the attitude of I am the best or I'm better than you just plain sucks In my book. What crap is out there now is hurting young folks because they see it as the "norm" We should all go about thing like when we got that first deer, duck, rabbit, squirrel etc. and be happy. Fame in my book is not what you do it is how you do it and why you did it.

BilletHead

[duckydoty]

Well said Marty. Posting about a bad day of duck hunting is just parr of duck hunting. We all have slow days. I have more than my fair share for sure.I think most people do not get the numbers of opportunities as I do to go duck hunting. I will probably have at least 10 days a year where I never even get to fire a shot. Its got to be more than the pile to keep me putting up with that kind of abuse. Hope of cupped wings are the motivator in my book. Many times I have been too enthralled in watching working birds that I have not shot when provided ample opportunity. I do enjoy helping others on this forum that ask for help. I have sent them pinpointed maps of my hunting spots and have even taken them out to spots to hunt with them. I do not mind sharing the information especially if I have found some little trick that has worked for me under certain situations. For the most part, the commarodary on this forum is fantastic.

[Bird Watcher]

Well said Marty. Posting about a bad day of duck hunting is just parr of duck hunting. We all have slow days. I have more than my fair share for sure.I think most people do not get the numbers of opportunities as I do to go duck hunting. I will probably have at least 10 days a year where I never even get to fire a shot. Its got to be more than the pile to keep me putting up with that kind of abuse. Hope of cupped wings are the motivator in my book. Many times I have been too enthralled in watching working birds that I have not shot when provided ample opportunity. I do enjoy helping others on this forum that ask for help. I have sent them pinpointed maps of my hunting spots and have even taken them out to spots to hunt with them. I do not mind sharing the information especially if I have found some little trick that has worked for me under certain situations. For the most part, the commarodary on this forum is fantastic.

Hey Duane,

Did a guy named Jeff Churan ever contact you back in the summer? He was writing a book and looking for an expert on hunting Table Rock and Taneycomo. I forwarded him your information from your Trout runners website.

[Bird Watcher]

So what happens if you shoot a limit of Gadwalls? Are those straight Grey? What about Wood ducks? Straight Rainbow?