eating ducks from the mississippi and then later

[top dog]

I hunt the north lake area south of the twin cities, actually south of hasting on the mississippi backwater and am wondering if there is any info about how many ducks you are "safe" to eat from that area? I have heard that you should not eat fish, or at least not too many of them from this area...just wondering if that applies for ducks who "live" there all summer. I figure later ducks would be fine since most come from up north/canada. I looked at the DNR web site but I could not find and info on this. thanks

[Ebiz]

I always wondered the same thing about the geese that hang out all summer in the fertilized sod fields north of town.

[shnelson]

I have not seen any guidelines or limitations on how many ducks are safe to consume, I think the mercury absorption is unique within fish that it should be taken into consideration.

Even though they may 'live' there all summer, a lot of them have probably spent a good chunk of time elsewhere (fields, small ponds, water waste treatment plants etc).

I think it's safe to say eat till your hearts content, I'm sure a lot of the ducks i've consumed have dabbled in areas much less appealing than the mississippi... have you ever seen those drainage ponds at Target stores that they label as "Conservation Areas"? Always full of ducks, and everything else that has run off the parking lot .

The only thing i've told to be cautioned of when eating waterfowl is (1) the taste of some species and (2) steel shot in the breast meat.

[pulleye16]

We hunt way out in western MN and there are these two sewage treatment ponds that ducks fly in and out of daily. There's also this public pond near by that no one will hunt in cause they think those ducks are "dirty," who's to say those same ducks didn't fly a few miles to your pond out in the middle of a field? Hate to say it but those ducks/geese you shoot come from all over...who knows where they've been!

[chris63]

Repent,repent you dirty nasty sinning ducks.Oh sorry not that kind of dirty.c63

[mixxedbagg]

There are hundreds of sewage ponds in Minnesota and most of them have large concentrations of ducks at various times. Some of them have resident ducks and geese that are there all the time. So, it's probably a good bet that most duck hunters in Minnesota have consumed one or more ducks that have spent at least some time feeding on sewage ponds. Kind of nasty to think about, but probably not dangerous.

Regarding your comment about later ducks being "clean"...they have sewage ponds and mercury-contaminated water in Canada, so it's more or less the same thing.

What you REALLY don't want to eat is a duck hunter.

[BrdHunter01]

i know people who won't eat geese from around the cities. They spend all summer on fertilized golf courses. I wouldn't think that would be good for human consumtion but what is these days?

[carpshooterdeluxe]

anybody ever worked in a turkey barn before? you should see the steroids that get pumped into the birds. i'd take a isht pond goose over a roided up turkey anyday.

[mixxedbagg]

Good point.