When Captain Bob Wetherald, owner of the Mid River Guide Service, invites me to go hunting, I drop everything. He's arguably the Potomac River's best seaduck and diver guide, and the spread of smoked duck breast and spirits he puts out for the post-hunt social hour are alone worth the trip.
So I was excited in January after Bob, two friends and I shot a mixed bag of sea ducks and divers that included two exceptionally fat greater scaup. I knew the feast was on.
I readied my video camera as Capt. Bob fired up his antique duck plucker, and I'm glad I did. Check out this skill with a knife. Bob has a bird fully breasted out skin-on in under 90 seconds:
Clearly the good captain has filleted his share of bluebills. He seasoned the breasts, tossed them in a Green Egg smoker and not long thereafter we were doing the next best thing to hunting ducks: eating ducks. We concluded our meals with a light brown beverage served on the rocks and some cigars I'd secretly bought at the mall while my wife was off looking at shoes.
If there's a more enjoyable way to spend a Saturday, I've yet to find it.
