doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rail Birds-Anyone hunt them in NJ?

I would like to go out and try hunting rail birds. I have read articles in DGJ and others about hunting them. I used to have some contact info for a couple of guides in NJ but they were lost in transit. Now that I am located close again, I would like to go out and try it. Does anyone have any contact info or other experince that you could share? When is the season? Also does anyone remember the edition of the DGJ article?
Thanks!

No contacts in that area but suggest that you hurry and make a date. The birds leave for the South fairly early in the Fall.
The chicks are all hatched around here and in a few short weeks will be gone for the Fall and winter. They, too, like it in the South for the winter. Perhaps they are the original "Snowbirds".
Best,
John
PS--If one hunts Rail as we did in South Carolina, your fine guns are a no-no. Tromping in or over salt marsh is no place for a high grade gun. If you are in a poled sneak type boat, you may not need a substituted paddle, but salt and brackish water is not a friend of finely honed metal.

Might want to ask at Parker Bros. BBS, I think those boys enjoy this sport. The article was about using Parker gun and Bill Murphy was quite taken by it, so I would pm him.

I wrote the article in DGJ about railbird hunting ("Small Bores on The Rice Meadow', Vol. 14 Issue 3, Autumn 2006. My article dealt with Sora rail hunting, which means freshwater marshes ("meadows" of wild rice stands) that the birds favor.

The Sora is strictly a fresh water rail; below the salocline (where fresh riverine water meets salt water from the incoming tidal creeks) you will encounter the Clapper rail, a much larger bird.

The rail season opens Sept. 1 and goes to roughly the first week in Nov. by the book, but at the very first sign of a hard frost, the Sora are literally gone overnight. I have encountered hardy Clappers, however, as late as early January in bays behind the barrier islands.

Sora and Clapper rail hunting are very different; hunting rice meadows requires a true rail skiff (see the pics in my article), whereas almost any flat-bottomed wooden or aluminum boat will do for oceanside flats. I have even seen people poling Boston Whalers after Clappers, a true labor of love, believe me!

You can get out and wade the tidal flats for Clapper; not so for Sora, as the vegetation is nothing but a floating mat and won't support a thing (one reason you'll never see a dog in a rice meadow). Clapper hunting, however, lets you use your Lab or other retriever to good advantage as you wade the marsh.

The tide governs everything in rail hunting: strong equinoctal tides are good; high tides on a dark or full moon are good, but the best of all is a new moon tide driven by a full-blown Nor'easter, which produces the very highest levels of water in the marsh.

Guides still available in South Jersey are Ken Camp of Port Elizabeth and Capt. Dick Henderson of Elizabethtown. They are close to one another but hunt separate meadows along the Maurice River and thereabouts. CALL NOW for bookings as both have clients whose grandfathers hunted with their fathers. So a 2-month season with about one really good tide per week fills a season's bookings real fast! KBM

Danged ORTOLAN, I lived on the OB and now live on the mainland close to the sounds --- never heard of a guide for rail bird hunting much less anyone hunting them. Could it be that they aren't worth eating ? Ken

My friend Ken:
I cannot speak to any but the Clapper Rail. They are much better than quail if you like your chicken to taste like very old fish with a Pluff Mud sauce.LOL
Best,
John

John, Ken -

I like Sora breasts barely sauted in hot olive oil with a tiny bit of butter and garlic to taste, with a little finely-ground black pepper sprinkle on. Served with a properly chilled white Zinfandel or Chenin Blanc they are delicious. Mixed wild or "dirty" rice can come on the side, but I like them as hors d'oeuvres to anything mild from the sea like red snapper, sea trout, fresh tuna, or rockfish. They come in the time of year that is the best of all for flavors from the wild - late Sept. to mid-October. Only 38 more days! KBM

Thanks for the great info. I will re-read your article and contact those guides. I hope I don't drop my new Fox in the water!

Kevin:
If you were to drop it overboard, it would be retrievable by wading. If not, consult King. He has good luck with Fox guns that have slept with the fishes.:}
Best,
John

Sora rail are delicious. Smallest game bird on the planet. I've hunted with Rick Henderson in Mauricetown, N.J.. A great operation. Rick has built his own fleet of beautiful hand made rail boats. Give it a try. Enjoy it. Rich