doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Favorite Game/Gun Picture - 2013 Hunting Season

Stan, nothing like shooting a pile of greenheads in the timber. Glad you had a good time doing it.
16 or is it "Mossman"? Great Ghillie suit and sandhill action. We see them around, but can't hunt them. I understand that a wounded sandhill is nothing for man nor dog to trifle with because of that spear on the end of his face.

Oh it's nothing a 3" magnum load of 2s to the middle of the neck at a safe 5 feet won't take care of...Geo

I've never seen whoopers on the lease, but their reputation for mixing in with the cranes makes one sure they know what one looks like, and the TPWD hunting booklet has some solemn warnings. Another of the crane nicknames around here is "ribeye in the sky." Made the mistake of giving a breast to the neighbor- now he wants an invite to hunt cranes next season. Actually, it was given to his wife (who loved it)who gave her husband a bite. They can be mean when wounded (cranes and neighbors), and I have great memories of Milton (pictured by the smoker) in mortal hand to beak combat. He broke a wing, and the bird took up a defensive position in some brush (they often run, and just last week Milton chased one for about a quarter mile before he was able to get close enough to put some more lead in it). Milton was my guest on the hunt, and we were pretty new to cranes. Not wanting to waste a shell, he closed in on the bird with a stick. What followed was a dance of bob and weave, poke and parry, with me laughing so hard I could barely hold the camera. Milton would swing, the bird would hiss and stab, and I would forever kick myself for forgetting the camera's video function.

They are smart, with incredible eyesight, and stalking when they are on the ground is seldom successful. Lead is allowed, and 'round here where pass shooting is the norm, the larger the shot the better- #2 is my preference, though the first one I ever bagged was with my Arrieta 16 and # 4's. The last two were with #6 lead, as my poor shooting had depleted my supply of 2's and the last two were at a range of less than ten yards (yes, they were in the air). For some reason, a reporter was on the property with her husband, and wanted to take a picture of my friend in the ghillie suit. He has been hunting cranes many years, and thought the suit was helpful. Camo is a must, but lack of movement, not unlike turkey hunting, seems even more critical to success. All in all a worthy adversary, and fantastic table fare.

Mike

Gil, when I was about ten, my brothers and I were about 1/2 mile from home catfish fishing one summer day. While lolling around waiting for a bite a great blue heron landed about 20 yards from us on the shoreline of the river. One of my brothers, who was pretty good at this sort of thing, in youthful ignorance and excitement, picked up a rock and took aim. He managed to stun the bird, whereupon my other brother rushed in and grabbed it.

So we are standing there, my brother holding the bird, one hand around the neck just below the head and the other arm and hand pinning the bird's body and wings against his.

Now that we have a live blue heron , the only thing left to do is to show it to someone, so we headed home to show my dad. As we were walking along the gravel road, about half way, I guess my brother with the bird got a little complacent as suddenly the bird's head (and of course beak) snapped towards the brother who had beaned it with the rock. Missed by a fraction of an inch. Could have been a real disaster!

With a much snugger grip and a bit more focus, we got home with it, showed it off and let it go. Pretty sure he was happy to be rid of us.

All three of us have had a healthy respect for those kinds of beaks ever since.

duplicate post

My go to electrician lost an eye to a heron when he was a boy. Pecked him right in the eye.

SRH

There is a marsh bird called a bittern. It's sort of a plump brown heron looking bird with a spindle beak like a sandhill. They have the unususal habit of not flying when you get close but stick their head and beak straight up in the air and think they are invisible. They ain't!

A big "flight" of them came into Ocean Pond one year and I put my kid brother in the front of the jon boat and we went bittern grabbing. He'd get'em by the neck and stick them in the boat's live well. They all went for his eyes when he'd grab them. We turned'em all loose without injury to them or to us...Geo

Another awesome hunt!

12 coveys (mix of wild and early released) that produced 32 birds for the bag


Copper pinning down a covey that was caught dust bathing on the edge of the field.

Last duck hunts of the season. One on the Altamaha River, GA, and the last in SC lowcountry

Adam great pictures of a great hunt. Wish there were quail around here. I loved to hunt them out by Carlisle, Pa years ago and in southern New Jersey near the now Marlboro Hospital.

Mills, nice to see a woodduck, they are one of the first to leave and won't see any till spring.

I don't hunt ducks or geese but that is the only thing around here anymore, might have to take it up.