Last week kicked off the very first OTT edition of Beauty and the Beast. For review, pre-spawn male brook trout represented the former and the odd-looking mole the latter. I am not a fan of moles in any way, shape or form and especially the ones in my backyard.

This week is about the male wood duck and the mud puppy. If you’re familiar with both I don’t need to tell you which one belongs in which group. Up first, the wood duck.

When I was a young pup of a lad my hunting and fishing range was limited to a small area that could be covered by foot or bicycle. It helped tremendously that I lived a stone’s throw away from the Mississippi River. The river and the bluffs provided all of the outdoor options that I needed.  

Hunting ducks was one of my youthful pursuits. I jumpshot anything that I could sneak in on but when a drake wood duck was downed it seemed a little sweeter. I would admire and marvel at the colorful head crest and plumage. If you have bagged a drake wood duck, you know what I am trying to describe and you know why I think they are pretty neat.
If you’re not familiar with a mud puppy, it is basically an underwater salamander that gives me the heebeegeebees. I’m not fond of snakes but I would rather hold one as opposed to just touching a dreadful looking underwater creature from the dark side.

In my lifetime I have caught three mud puppies and all three times I was fortunate enough to have a needle nose pliers in the boat to take the hooks out without ever touching them. I caught my first one when I was a little boy and it scarred me for life. The last two that I caught were down near the Red Wing Dam. I never lifted either one into the boat for fear of them coming off the hooks and then falling into the boat. In other words, mud puppies truly are my kryptonite. 

So there you have it. At a quick glance it’s easy to see why the wood duck lands in the Beauty category. It’s also one of my favorite ducks. I’ve said this before but if you’ve ever bagged a drake wood duck, you hold and admire it longer than any other duck. Mud Puppies are on the other end of that spectrum representing the Beast category. If I ever ended up in a position of having to pick my last meal, I would eat a mud puppy. Why? Because it would take me at least another lifetime to finish it.

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal