Selecting Drake wood ducks / Avoiding Hen woodies

[Rubberhead*]

Seeing this season's pictures in the field report forums got me thinking...since 1995, I have averaged 77.0% drake wood ducks and 23.0% hen wood ducks compared to total wood ducks. I'm a terrible shot and a least of handful of times, I was aiming at a drake and killed a nearby hen instead but I think I've got a pretty good average of selecting drakes.

There are times, in good light, it's pretty easy to pick out drakes but most woodie shooting is done in low light or in darkened swamps and ponds. More so with wood ducks, separating drakes from hens is more often than not, not possible from just color patterns.

Here's what I usually do...
1) If I don't know for sure, I always try to shoot the second bird in a pair - it's almost always the drake especially if they haven't been spooked or shot at already.
2) Drakes are slightly bigger than hens so I look for bigger birds even in a group, and
3) Single birds will usually talk to decoys whether actually decoying or just flying over.

I'm genuinely interested in improving my averages - what else can I be doing?

[Catdaddy]

Here's what I do.

1. Shoot decoying ducks.

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[Gander]

I always try to focus on the darker colored birds. In low light they generally end up being the drakes. And I'm not racist, so don't even try.

[welltaut]

I’ve gotten to where I can pick up on the white throat patch on the drakes….I feel like it’s actually easier to see it in low light.

[codeman216]

I mostly try to let them land and shoot the drakes. I’m sure my average is low though because if I’m shooting them in the air I’ll get some hens.


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[Woodiewacker82]

I’ve gotten to where I can pick up on the white throat patch on the drakes….I feel like it’s actually easier to see it in low light.

This. It’s not hard when you know what your looking for.

[darealdeal]

Here's what I do.

1. Shoot decoying ducks.

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I’m with you! Edit to add…. Only claim I got the drakes! Lol haha

[Tater]

Water swat.

[flockbuster]

I just don't put the hens in the photos

[SCHUNTINFANATIC]

The hens taste just as good as the drakes………

[huntinghagen#12]

Wood ducks aren’t a priority. If I shoot at them, the sex isn’t something I put much consideration into until I put hands on it.

[cajunwannabe]

Water swat.

Exactly.

I'll water swat any duck that commits to the decoys or at least on the jump. Sure beats picking pellets out of the meat or risk breaking a tooth.

Regarding hens vs drakes, I see so many get predated, dump boxed, eggs killed by woodpeckers, etc in the Spring / Summer before and after hatching I wouldn't over think it, shoot what you can harvest. It would be interesting to know how many cripples or dead but not found woodies it takes to harvest 80-100,000 woodies in SC. I bet that number is staggering.

[Coastal Woodie]

I shoot the closest bird. It’s normally too dark for me to tell the difference.