King Eider Club - Invitation

@DL
It is a Fraternity of King Eider hunters...we do have women members as well.

@ntxwaterfowl,
Yes sir you are very welcome. What we have found is that the King Hens and Juvies will migrate further South (and early in the season) than King drakes. This year a juvy hen was shot off the coast of North Carolina. More and more Kings are being reported coming out of the East Coast. We think that the birds have always been around, it is just that waterfowlers are more savvy now, also, easy access to social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) is a big factor on hunters getting more knowledgeable. To give you an example Kings have always been shot around Maine. Most outfitters/guides there have taken Kings or their clients have taken Kings, or they see them every year. Now the thing is that in the past a Hen King may have been breasted out ... now people are reporting them, posting pics on social media. So there is more awareness about Kings. And those are the kind of topics we end up discussing 90% of the time in the King Eider Club and ofcourse big thing is sharing of pics.

 

@Harry
I do totally understand your point of view (managing separate Facebook accounts). So the issue there is did Gunner's Taxidermy shoot the King Eiders or did Harry Whitehead ?

Our Model was based on a Fraternity of brothers/sisters where everyone was at par ... the common thread being that they had taken a King Eider in their life. A once in a lifetime bird.

RESULTS:
That STUPID rule has kept the peace...not just among taxidermists but among guides....and not just Alaskan Guides but also Guides from other states who otherwise are competitors and have spats among them on other forums and blogs. If we allow Gunner's Taxidermy then we have to allow everyone's Business on there as well. We have couple of world champion taxidermists there who do not mind posting as individuals and not under their Business name. We have USF&W people there, they do post with their real names .... and we have had immense sharing of knowledge and networking among our members who are hunters, biologists, taxidermists, guides, some even from other parts around the globe.

Given the nature of net these days where one is bombarded with commercials from businesses, it is good to interact with human beings and not businesses.

Afterall you post here on this forum as Harry Whitehead and not Gunner's Taxidermy....so it is the same concept. In future if you decide to join King Eider Club as Harry Whitehead no one will even dare to ask you for proof, you are most welcome to join any time you change your mind.

 

That is your decision and we all respect it.

Let me leave you with some math here.

Say you made 8 trips to St Paul over the past 8 seasons non-stop.

8 years x 4 Kings per year = 32 King Eiders


That is less than half of some of the old timers from lower 48 ..... just wanted to give you some perspective.

 

Here are some facts:

FACT #1: Since I put the thread up we have received three entries from up and coming taxidermists....and that was the goal. Quite a few people got the point.

Now for the ones looking for entertainment .... I will play as long as it does not turn into a name calling or rooster measuring contest.

FACT #2:
- One person who posted on this thread and then deleted some of their comments (not naming any names) APPLIED to join the King Eider Club TWICE (not once but two times). They were denied on both occasions. I guess they were not used to being told "NO".

FACT #3:
- Another person who posted on this thread was a member of the King Eider Club. They made an extremely mean spirited comment about another member on the club. Then in a rage of fury they left the club. They were not expelled or anything like that. THEN they applied back to join in.

In any case, I am not trying to put any specific person on the spot. Getting a King Eider is a pretty emotional thing. Many have been lucky to take one in the lower 48, saving themselves a ton of money. Rest who made the effort spent a lot of dough, braved the logistics, and weather. Have been rewarded.

FACT #4:
So this is not an openly advertised item but lets share this info for the benefit of the people who are getting a lot of entertainment out of this thread. If you happen to be a taxidermist and you can gather say 4 clients, you the fifth person hunt for FREE. Now some taxidermists have been free-loading off of their clients (and the good will of the outfitters) and made multiple trips to the promised land. Personally I would not be boasting about my multiple trips and making claims of high number of King Eider kills. Anyways, just wanted to pass this info along to the taxidermist community. Get 4 clients to go with you and then you get to hunt Kings for free. You still will need to pay for your airfare, but I guess with 16 Kings (plus other birds) that you will mounting of your clients, you can eat those costs without any problems.


COOTS CLUB:
Man that is an awesome idea. Here is my entry....one of my favorite mounts. Bird taken late season in Georgia. Anyone else care to put their Coots mount up?