by MJ Logan

Created on: August 28, 2009

The joke was first played at boy scout camp. A few older guys came around with pillow cases and paper bags and tried to convince the younger guys to go snipe hunting. "It's a great night for it with no moon and..." Sure. Uh huh. I laughed and told them to go ahead because I knew better. I suppose I spoiled their fun that night.

A snipe is a small bird, smaller than a robin with brownish gray feathers, a long thin beak for poking in the mud and dirt with and a shrill cry as it takes off into the air. They fly at amazing speeds, are extremely agile and make very difficult targets.

Snipe are migratory birds, their primary habitat being marshy areas and they do in fact migrate, staying ahead of the bad winter weather and gradually moving south. You must have a federal waterfowl stamp to hunt them, in addition to your state hunting license and stamp (if a stamp is required). Seasons for snipe are partly governed by federal wildlife laws as they are categorized as migratory waterfowl.

They are tasty, if you have a bunch to cook up. You won't find any meat except on the breast and there is a surprising amount of it there for such a small bird. A little hot oil in a pan and about 20 snipe breasts is a pretty good snack for a hungry hunter. Think about two chicken McNuggets plus a little.

Where the joke about hunting snipe came from is a matter of debate. It probably began with some poor city fellow visiting country relatives and having a joke played on him.

During peak migration, snipe gather in their favorite habitat to probe the marsh mud and muck for worms and other invertebrates. A hunter with a small bore open choked shotgun and small shot will still find the little birds very hard to hit. Plan to spend 5 or more shells for every bird you collect. For some reason, like the woodcock, a lot of dogs don't want to retrieve them.

The bird will flush from the tall grass with a shriek and fly in a wide arc. Just about the time you recover from the shock of the flush and get your gun on target, he'll change direction suddenly, seemingly dodging the shot column. Once a snipe's been shot at, he dives and climbs and twists and turns in flight not unlike a mourning dove, only quicker and faster.

The snipe is one of the most difficult targets I've ever shot at. Although it has been a few years since I've hunted them, I can still remember going with my dad and seeing him grin when I cursed a missed shot. Later, it was my turn to grin when he missed. One thing is certain, hunting will never have a significant effect on the snipe population. Few people choose to hunt them and of those that do, few can hit them consistently.

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