[harbinger_j]

Has anyone hunted waterfowl other than Ducks and Geese?
Rails? Snipe?
They both have a season here and was wondering if I would come across any in my hunt for geese?
How do you hunt for these birds? do you call them in?

[koja48]

Never hunted either (though my cousins took me on a "Snipe Hunt" when I was a kid). I believe hunting either is a jump-shooting proposition. Snipe I have encountered would be a challenging target.

[spectr17]

There are some mud flats where I duck hunt that hold some snipe. I take a few swats every year but them dang birds turn me inside out trying to stay in front of them on the swing.

[MCgunner]

I was on an A&M bird banding crew once and we were working with Wilson's Snipe. That always gets a laugh at parties when they start telling Aggie jokes. I've shot a few snipe. Talk about a challenge, dove ain't got squat on snipe! But, I've never really gone after them exclusively nor rails. I shot a few coots when I was a kid and the duck hunting was slow thinking I'd take 'em home and see what they tasted like. I didn't get past cleaning the nasty b@stards. YUCK! How DO them yankees eat them critters, anyway? Last time I ever messed with coots.

Only other bird I've hunted other than ducks and geese are sand hill cranes. Now THERE's a bird worth pursuing! They've got huge drum sticks (they're tough, though) and the breast meat is tender, mild, and the most delicious dark meat bird I've ever had the pleasure of eating. It's a short season in Texas and you have to call Austin for an application for a permit, free permit, though. They just keep tighter records on the birds, I guess. There's no hunting south of FM616 which is a bummer because I get a lot of 'em over my land and can't legally shoot 'em there. I have taken 'em inland, though, and will hunt 'em again if I get the chance. I had a lease for dove/goose/quail/sandhill just north of 616 at Ganado, Texas for a while and the hunting was good there. I should maybe get back on that lease. It was decent.

I saw an outdoor show on TV years ago where they were chasing rails. What they did was get in a flooded marsh with a pirough (sp?) a pole boat, small, shallow draft. They pole along chasing the birds in the marsh grass and reeds until they flush, sorta like quail hunting from a boat and without dogs. I think they do this a lot up in the Chesapeake bay area. Not real common down here and I've never known anyone that did it even though we have a rail season in Texas. I might shoot one sometime. I see 'em now and then. Kind of curious how they would cook up, but might turn out to be another coot adventure, LOL! Clapper and King rail are common down here. The yellow rail is around in lesser numbers, but they're quite small, like a little woodcock. The clapper and kings have some size to 'em.

[koja48]

Hey, McG~

This Yankee never ate 'em either (anything with green entrails can't be good, as my dumba$$ cousin discovered -- same cousin that set fire to my Dad's new tent on the same trip). Coots have obviously earned the name "Mud hen," but they have a better chance of becoming more tasty than my cousin has of becoming smarter . . .

[dogrunner]

Have done some snipe shootin'.....and if anyone thinks that doves are tough............well, try snipe. Humbling it truly is!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You basically have ONE shot...when he flushes, reaches the apex of his initial start up, ****s, goes "gleep" and is GONE! I am better than a fair wing shot and I have never managed to hit one after that flush.

Far as hunting methods, well we'd just walk 'em up on marshy, boggy power line right of ways......They're like woodcock and probe for worms & such.....Incidentally, I've noticed that they seemed to carry quite a few parasites...worms & such....at least here in Florida.

[harbinger_j]

So what I hear so far is that they are hard to shoot and no one wants to eat them?

Well maybe if I stumble across one on the mudflats I'll waste a $2 non-tox shot, maybe:uhoh:

Can you tell the difference between a snipe and a woodcock? Woodcock season doesn't start till 3 weeks after snipe, I have been looking at pictures and I doubt if I could tell the difference when either flushed.

[MCgunner]

I can tell by their noise....well, and the fact that we don't have any woodcock in the marsh down here. LOL! I've seen woodcock up in east Texas, though, pretty similar lookin' bird.

I don't remember the birds being that bad eatin'. I only ever shot a couple. I've shot at more'n that. LOL I shoot steel now days at 10 bucks per box of 25, yeah, still seems like a waste on a snipe.

Snipe is dark meat being a migratory bird. I'd think it'd be a little less tasty than a woodcock, but never ate a woodcock to say. I can tell ya this, I'll take quail over any of 'em. Never had a dog for 'em, though. Those scaled little cotton tops out west, you'll burn a thousand calories for ever calorie of meat you get off 'em. They'll run you to friggin' death. You'd starve to death if you had to live off 'em.

Of the dark meat migratory birds, I guess I like sandhills and doves best. Ducks and geese are kinda gamey, but I've acquired a taste for 'em in the 40 years I've been shootin' 'em. Pintail and mallard ain't bad, but most of what winds up in my bag is usually teal...well...and spoony bills of course with a sprinkling of widgeon, scaup, gadwall, etc thrown in.

[sm]

MCgunner,

I know for sure you and I would get along just fine. :D

Snipe for us, were easier than doves, I guess were were lucky them days.
Teal, now I like busting teal, one reason I spent so much time shooting the teal targets at 5 stand . I really really like "springing teal" *grin*

Gadwall and other 'trash ducks' we breast out and do Gumbo and Chili.
Feathers...work for the folks tying flies for fly-fishing.

Sandhill Cranes, now them are "interesting", like an idiot, I show up with a 28 gauge not knowing the "game" plan had been changed.
Oh well...run what you brung as we say, and don't let anyone tell you a 28 ga with handloads of #6, and #5 shot will not fell one...I know better. *smirk*.

Quail is by far the most...Reverent. Quail are special, and we when hunt, we are picky.
For us, Respect the Quail is serious.
There is a special bond b/t me (us) and Quail, heck, been known to pop the feral cats on a Quail hunt, never take a shot at the Quail.


Table fare: I have to laugh.
Had a fellow from here in the South have to run up Nawth for a bit, and he is cracking up, and can hardly tell us what he had to share.

Carp, they were taking carp and making a "croquet" and serving with 3 little carrots, and 3 little potatoes, sprig of parsley and getting $17.95 for this delicacy in New Yawk.
It was a big deal at the time.
WE all got to thinking how much money we might make "bootlegging" trash fish to NY.

I dang near got slapped for telling a lady from Jersey "need to saucer and blow" , since she said her coffee was too hot to drink.
She thought I was being dirty and suggesting something...:p