Les Becassines

I love the term "kinder kill". If you know what you're doing you can pick a bird up off the ground firmly by the head and in one quick spin sever the spinal cord and break the neck. A body might quiver but that is going to happen no matter what you do, including decapitating the bird. Wringing a bird's neck properly results in instant paralysis. The total amount of time from when you touch it until it is finished should be no more than a few seconds. All that is required is that the person doing it know what they are doing. That shouldn't be too much to ask. There's no sense in carrying around

I have never had a problem wringing the neck of any bird up to the size of a duck.

That is a Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti). It is one of several pit vipers we have and a common sight when hunting around water. We also have a few non-venomous water snakes and the colors can vary considerably and some people have trouble differentiating between them. When I encounter one of the venomous cottonmouths I let its demeanor determine its fate. When I found that one the temperature was barely above freezing so it was quite cold and docile. It was all I could do to get it to raise its head and pose for me. Perhaps an hour later I ran into another one that starte

There has been a fair bit of snipe shooting for me in the last month. The place I hunted in November has too much water and each time it rains it makes it worse. I have switched to a pasture that borders a lake. Not only are there a few birds there but it is very comfortable hunting conditions. The downside is with so little cover the bird aren't approachable and the shots average a bit longer than when I am in better cover. Skip The first few photos photos are from the last couple of hunts in November before I started hunting the new area.

Everyone knows you can't hit a snipe with a four-ten. On a serious note, I am very selective about when I use one. I am more concerned about crippling and not recovering birds than I am missing them. Skip

Ten days ago we got some heavy rain that has really hurt the hunting in my area. Water levels were already high from a storm a couple of months ago but this last rain has put all of the snipe hunting areas areas under water. It is too bad since I was just beginning to find a few birds. I had been worried before the season opened three weeks ago but the first couple of days I found some birds. I don't know if many will choose to winter here under the current conditions. In past years when the conditions have been poor I have turned to hunting ducks instead of snipe. If we don't get any rain in

Yesterday wsa the day that we honor veterans that have served our country in the military. Many people don't have that day off from work but I am fortunate that I do. As has been customary on this date for the last handful of years I went snipe hunting. I got up early enough to be out of the house at 6:00. About halfway to the lake I noticed that it was lighter than I thought it would be so I gave the gas pedal a little extra foot pressure. The procedure at the landing was a fire drill. I had both hands going at the same times, throwing junk in the boat, attaching the trolling motor, tight

I understand about the snakes, especially if you aren't accustomed to seeing them regularly. That particular kind isn't venomous so he posed no threat. However, on days when I have seen a couple I spend more time than usual with my eyes fixed on the ground where my next step will be. Skip

The last time I looked at the clock Friday night, or more correctly Saturday morning, it was within a couple of minutes of 2:30. When my alarm went off at 5:30 I decided I wasn't dedicated enough to go get that sunrise picture so I went ahead and reset it for 6:30. Four hours of sleep sounds much better than three. That hour went by too fast and when the alarm went off another hour was again added. I had already missed sunrise so what was the rush? As a dedicated warrior of the marsh I dragged my tail out of the bed at at 7:30 and within a half-hour I was headed out the door. It rained ov

Yesterday as I was sitting at my desk I came to the conclusion that I really needed to go to the lake instead of the office this morning. It was as I was walking to my truck that I made the final decision that today I would not be going to work. Having not hunted since last weekend and without another opportunity to before this Saturday being able to slip out today would break that week without shooting is half. I came home, got out my hunting clothes and gun, switched guns, switched guns again, and then all I was waiting for was a few hours to pass. I was on the lake before the sun came u

Joe, the snipe forum is a small discussion group that is connected to my website. It is just a few handfuls of active but mostly dedicated snipe hunters. I don't know what the rules are here about advertising other discussion forums and I want to be respectful and within the rules. I usually have it so only registered members can access it during hunting season but I will unlock it until about this time tomorrow so anyone here that wants to can look around. The link in my signature will take you to the website and either the banner picture with the guy in the marsh at the top of the page or th

Longrange, it would be great to have lived at a time and in a place where large bags were recorded. It might not be fashionable to make such a statement today but that is how I honestly feel. I am not well educated on the geography of Ireland so I have to look at a map to see where you are talking about. Yesterday I mailed a training collar to a friend from the snipe forum that lives in Co. Tyrone. I'm sure you know where that is. Doubles are a rarity for me. Again I must turn to the game register for an accurate account. It seems the last left and right came on February 4, 2005. Both bird

Any dog used at the lakes where I hunt snipe would almost always have to be kept at heel and used only to locate dead birds. Unfortunately even if kept directly beside me a dog would be more of a liability than an asset. The conditions alone can be dangerous but when venomous snakes and alligators are factored in I'd rather not take the chance except when conditions minimize the odds of running into either. Those odds are minimized when water levels drop quickly exposing mud flats that are void of dense vegetation. The downside is that those conditions are also when the birds are least approac

Joe, I don't have any photos of my own. I haven't shot or eaten either one in years. Below are a couple of links that give a picture as well as basic information of each. There are other species or rabbits and hares in the states but these are the only two in the southeast. Skip Eastern Cottontail Marsh Rabbit

Joe we have two rabbits here, the cottontail and the marsh rabbit. They will mostly stick to the woods unless they can stay in heavy briars or brambles. If they venture out into the open very far they won't be around long due to getting caught by one of a number of raptors that are common. There is always several in the air and on most days I flush a couple from the ground when out on the flats. It can be startling when an unseen bird with a 3'-4' wingspan takes off right in front of you. I like them (when they aren't stealing my snipe out of my yard) because they do a better job than anything