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Kirby King
11-20-2006, 11:33 PM
Ok guys, Ive been hunting waterfowl for 30+ years. Ive shot hundreds of mallards. Ive also been a taxidermist for 16 years and have mounted hundreds of mallards. Sunday morning on an epic field duck hunt where my buddy and I had a thousand birds dropping in on us I shot a duck that I need help indentifying. It is most definatly a mallard. All signs say it is a hen, except it has a green head and drake wings. I think Ive shot a "he-she". I need help, has anyone seen this before?
Benelli Slinger
11-20-2006, 11:59 PM
no i sure havnt, but stranger things have happened

take some pictures man i wanna see!!!
CuppedAndComitted
11-21-2006, 02:41 AM
kind of hard to help you when you don't have a pic.
David Rearick
11-21-2006, 05:05 AM
I have heard about the random he she in the past. If you can get a PIC up we would love to see it!
mtlee
11-21-2006, 05:57 AM
It happens with humans...so why not ducks? I'd love to see a pic.
George Kuhns
11-21-2006, 10:23 AM
On the opening day of the lake erie season we killed a bird that we assumed was a black duck due to its hen like appearance and dirty yellow bill. We didn't look at it very close in the blind until the game warden told us it was a hen mallard. After closer inspection, we found a few green tufts around it's eyes. The bird's chestnut colored chest, not fully plumed, gave it a dark appearance leading us to think it was a black duck. It was actually a drake mallard. With black ducks and mallards there are a lot of color variances that can be very misleading, especially with immature birds and early season plumage. If you look at the color on the wing sepule it may give some clues.
Jason Mears
11-21-2006, 10:28 AM
Try to get some pics up, we'd like to see it.
Kirby King
11-23-2006, 12:01 PM
Im fairly new on here and not sure how to post a pic yet. Any help from you guys would be great.
David Rearick
11-23-2006, 12:58 PM
Kirby, PM at ya!

I just took an interesting PIC today from a local group of mallards that may exhibit what you are talking about. I will try and post it up as it is pretty neat.
Fiebes
11-23-2006, 01:05 PM
post up a pic. it could be just a mix between birds, not a he-she probably
Kirby King
11-23-2006, 01:48 PM
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/826/kkmallard006dn1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1418/kkmallard003fg7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
quacksmacker
11-23-2006, 02:36 PM
I am gonna say that is indeed a he-she! Hen body, with a drake head that is weird!!!!!!
Joe Fladeland
11-23-2006, 04:24 PM
That is crazy. I would have to say Drake/Hen Mallard as well.
Benelli Slinger
11-23-2006, 05:50 PM
that is awesome. i hope its going on the wall.
Cory Johnson
11-23-2006, 05:58 PM
WOW! Ive never seen that before. That would be a neat mount.
Dustin Andersen
11-23-2006, 06:40 PM
We get a few of those around here in MN every year. I see them at the local roost. They're pretty neat.
David Rearick
11-23-2006, 06:52 PM
Pretty neat, I would say definately half and half...
Jeremy Kriese
11-23-2006, 07:14 PM
I would guess probably half and half. Awsome bird.
bluegoose_hunter
11-23-2006, 08:09 PM
That indeed looks like a shedrake, and one of the cleaner examples I have seen. Isn't fowling just like christmas, you never know what you are going to get!
Kyle Boyd
11-23-2006, 08:19 PM
Now that there is interesting! Pretty sure its a he/she but i wouldn't know we never shoot mallards in texas ;)
Josh Carda
11-24-2006, 03:55 PM
thats very interesting good duck for mounting
Ryan Kleinschmidt
11-24-2006, 04:58 PM
I shot one like that earlier this year but it was so dark that I believe it was a black-mallard cross. Almost Identical to this one but as dark as a black. Cool bird!!
Culley Wilson
11-25-2006, 07:18 PM
Have you sexed the bird? It should have either a cloaca or a penis. the cloaca would be in addition to a vent(eggs are excreted from here) if it is a female biologically.

Either way it is a fine trophy, congratulations.
Bull Island
11-25-2006, 07:46 PM
Hermaphroduck. Definatly.
Zekeland
11-26-2006, 10:04 PM
Here is one from today's hunt . I was about to post a thread. Not a hint of a white ring on the neck. The white patch under the chin is a bit of a mystery....

This bird was also tagged at a younger age. There was a distinct imprint on the bill. The bill was deformed slightly on that side. You could also see directly through the nasal holes.




http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/4315/img0541vt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/8193/img0540ly6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
quackaddict
11-27-2006, 10:42 AM
It almost looks like there is some black duck in it as well. The wings are awfull dark to to be pure mallard. But I would agree with the Drake/hen cross for sure. A good one to get out of the gene pool at any rate.
PEI Duck Guy
11-27-2006, 06:48 PM
Possible a black duck/mallard cross.
yelladog
11-27-2006, 09:48 PM
are we shure this isnt a mallard who hasnt lost its summer feathers? if were shure of that i would say this is that new bread of duck possibly from the west coast i'd say hollywood...


nice pics weird but would hang it on the wall for shure....
JustinW
11-27-2006, 11:30 PM
It happens with deer quite often, why can't the latter examples here be stag ducks. They don't have to be shedrakes, but they can simply be drakes with low testosterone levels or hens with abnormally high testosterone levels. These can result from abnormal incubation temperatures, possibly from young birds nesting for the first time. I don't see why the he-she duck is nearly as likely as a normal duck with an abnormal hormone level.