What species of duck/geese do you think tastes the best?

Not shoveler.

I am still embarassed to own up to the fact that I shot the only shoveler ever seen on the pond that we flight.

It was dark, I shot it, we picked it, I ate it.

I regretted shooting the poor thing, and I certainly regretted eating it.
Shoveler are not legal quarry , when lost in the original act nobody complained as i believe they taste terrible from their diet. Isnt a well seasoned wildfowler in existence who hasn't at least got to half mount on a shoveler .
 
Shoveler are not legal quarry , when lost in the original act nobody complained as i believe they taste terrible from their diet. Isnt a well seasoned wildfowler in existence who hasn't at least got to half mount on a shoveler .
Best give BASC a call and get them to update their web page:


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typed shoveler meant shell duck , shoveler taste like poop so i havent shot another once a tasted the flesh . brain fart moment
I’ve spent the last drive on the peg wondering if you meant exactly that! I’ve been racking my brains for waterfowl beginning with “S”, and could only come up with scoter and shelduck!
 
Last goose I shot was 6 years ago and I'd rather eat Ghandis sandels.
I have not shot one since and probably never will. Simple Mallard for me, had a widgeon once that was like beef cockles, bloody horrible. Had a few gadwall cant recall in all honesty the taste beying that different.
 
Iv come to the conclusion they taste how they taste on any given day and it’s a lottery with ducks. Had some amazing teal wigeon mallard then conversely shot the same quarry again and tasted like absolute garbage. Random I know.

Geese all get straight to the dogs never had an enjoyable one.
 
Flash-fried garganey breasts (well not these days !)
The so-called game ducks are the best eating for most people. However the only species we have not been able to turn into a decent casserole/pie has been shelduck (legally acquired) and this includes the "legal" diving ducks but not mergansers or goosanders as the opportunity has never presented.
All the geese are fine if you are slow and gentle with them - even bar-headed (a chap dropped one out of a skein of pinks one morning on the Wash and gave it to me as he was scared of being caught with it).

If you are going to consider waders, then golden plover are way ahead of woodcock, snipe or anything else followed by godwits and green plover. The latter used to be served in our house when I was a child and meat was rationed. The others - all illegal now of course - are fine in an oystercock pie.

Never had the opportunity to try heron, let alone bittern ! but wealthy folk chose to eat them so -

By the by, the "sea-weedy" flavour occasionally found in wigeon seems to be from when in hard weather they have been feeding on the tubular alga Enteromorpha.
 
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