A Duck Built For Winter On The Water

On a wind-ruffled January morning in the Strait of Georgia, you might hear a soft, musical yodel carrying over the chop before you ever pick out the bird that made it. Long-tailed ducks – once commonly known as “oldsquaw,” a name now generally retired – are among British Columbia’s most distinctive winter sea ducks. They arrive when the coast turns steel-grey and herring schools thicken, and they bring with them a mix of wild elegance, Arctic grit and late-season hunting intrigue.

A Sea Duck Built For Winter

Long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) are small, compact diving ducks with rounded heads and short bills. Males in winter wear crisp black-and-white plumage with a pale face patch and – true to their name – two slim, extended tail feathers that trail like ribbons when they lift off the water. Females are subtler: chocolate-brown cap, pale cheeks and a neat, dark smudge on the face. Both sexes can cycle through multiple plumages across the year, so field marks are more reliable than overall colour.

 

They are also champions underwater. Long-tailed ducks feed by diving for bottom-dwelling prey – crustaceans, mussels, clams, snails, small fish and fish eggs – and can reach remarkable depths compared with most ducks. In winter on the BC coast, that means they’re usually out over deeper bays, channels and nearshore reefs, often farther from shore than dabblers and many other divers.

 

Where They Fit In BC’S Seasonal Rhythm

British Columbia is primarily a wintering and migration home for this species. Breeding in the province is very rare and confined to extreme northwestern BC near Atlin.

 

When cold weather pushes birds south from Arctic Canada and Alaska, BC’s coastline becomes a key refuge. Long-tailed ducks are found all along the coast in winter, but major concentrations form in two broad regions:

• The Strait of Georgia and Salish Sea, especially from Comox south to Victoria, including Boundary Bay and the Gulf Islands.
• Northern Haida Gwaii and adjacent waters, where wintering flocks can be substantial.

 

They often travel in loose, shifting rafts and low, wavy flight lines. If you see a small sea duck stringing well offshore and flashing white in the troughs, there’s a good chance you’re looking at long-tails.

 

Conservation Snapshot

Globally, long-tailed ducks are listed as vulnerable due to long-term population declines across much of their range. Along the BC coast, shoreline and boat surveys have also shown downward trends for wintering birds in parts of the Strait of Georgia.

 

The reasons are layered: their tendency to gather in big winter rafts makes them vulnerable to oil pollution and spills; coastal gill-net bycatch is a known risk; and Arctic breeding and marine wintering habitats are both being reshaped by climate change.

 

For hunters, that context is part of the ethics: these are tough, long-lived sea ducks with low reproductive rates, so clean harvests and conservative personal limits matter.

Hunting Long-Tailed Ducks In British Columbia

Long-tailed ducks are a legal migratory game bird in BC, and they count toward the “ducks, combined” limit in each hunting district. There is no species-specific sub-limit for long-tails, but you must follow the overall daily and possession limits and any sub-limits for other ducks you might also be taking.

 

Seasons & Limits (Current Framework)

BC waterfowl seasons are set federally each year and summarized by hunting districts. In coastal districts (1 and 2), duck seasons generally run from early/mid-October into late January, which overlaps peak long-tailed duck presence.

 

Key takeaways from the current BC summary:

• Daily duck limit: 8 ducks total.
• Possession limit: 24 ducks total.
• Not more than 4 pintails, 4 canvasbacks, 2 goldeneye (Barrow’s or common combined), or 2 harlequin ducks within that daily 8.

 

Because district dates and special restrictions can shift year-to-year, hunters should always check the latest Migratory Birds Hunting Regulations (BC summary) before heading out.

 

Licensing & Gear Basics

To hunt long-tailed ducks, you need:

• A valid Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit with the Canadian Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp.
• Any required BC resident/non-resident hunting licences. (Provincial synopsis covers general requirements.)
• Non-toxic shot only for all waterfowl hunting in Canada.

 

Tactics For Late-Season Sea Ducks

Long-tailed ducks aren’t marsh birds. They live where tides run and swell builds, so the approach is different from puddle-duck hunting.

 

1. Pick the right water.
   Look for protected bays, reef edges, kelp lines and channel mouths where currents bring food up from the bottom. Winter long-tails are especially common in the Strait of Georgia’s inshore-offshore gradient – close enough to hunt safely on calmer days, far enough to stay in deeper feeding lanes.

 

2. Decoys matter; calls don’t much.
   Long-tails are vocal, but calling is rarely the key on open saltwater. A long, low sea-duck decoy line (mixed long-tail/scoter silhouettes or standard diver blocks) placed with the current reads more naturally than a tight bunch. Leave a clear landing pocket downwind.

 

3. Boat safety is part of the hunt.
   Late-season sea duck hunting means cold water, short daylight and fast weather switches. Hunt within your craft’s limits, file a float plan, watch tide tables and keep emergency gear accessible. These birds can pull you far from shore if you’re not careful.

 

4. Take conservative shots.
   Sea ducks are dense-feathered, hard-flying and notoriously tough. Wait for a close, committed pass. Swing through decisively, and don’t be afraid to let high birds go. Clean kills are better for the bird, the meat and your day.

 

5. Retrieval strategy.
   A dog trained for cold saltwater is gold, but even then, currents can carry birds quickly. Mark downed ducks immediately and move for them right away.

Table Fare

Long-tailed ducks eat marine invertebrates and fish, so flavour can be stronger than inland ducks. Many hunters skin the breast, soak briefly in salted water or milk and cook medium-rare or in slow braises. If you like wild game with a rich, ocean edge, long-tails can surprise you.

 

A Winter Bird Worth Knowing

Long-tailed ducks are one of those species that make BC winters feel alive: Arctic travellers riding coastal storms, diving deep where few birds dare and lighting up grey seas with bright wingbeats. Whether you’re watching rafts off Hornby Island or laying out a decoy line in Boundary Bay, they reward careful attention and respectful hunting. In a season when most puddle ducks have moved on, long-tails remind us that the coast is still busy – with life, with motion and with stories written on cold saltwater.