Long Hair Dave's Great Snipe Adventure

After reading Dave's Post of duck hunting frustration from this week, I decided to throw this mornings plan of hunting Okie land out the window and give Dave a call. First suggestion was to change scenery and get away from that lake or at least the area he was hunting. After discussing a few different hunting options we came up with a mission; I had Dave meet up at my house late this morning for a drive to a new lake to scout for ducks and then hopefully find some Snipe to shoot at. So we flew the coop, off we went.


Mission accomplished. We found one little oasis in the middle of the dead sea that Dave should be hunting in the morning. Unfortunately I will be at work. but I have high hopes for his solo hunt tomorrow. That is if he don't oversleep from all the walking we did.
Now please don't turn this into a lake name guessing game. Y'all know I personally don't care, but we probably should be respectful of those that do. Anyway, we had a good day.

The Dead Sea




Mission Two accomplished also. We found Snipe.


Daves first Snipe ever



And the second one



And another one for me



Snipe were spread out, so they usually surprised us. Most flying out low and fast. This was modified choke day for sure. Dave got his two, I ended up with five. Dave made one great shot on a high flyer that looked impressive from my vantage point.

Good Times

great pics and story as always John! thanks

I saw a couple of snipe on the last duck hunt I went on. Didn't shoot them because I wasn't 100% sure they were snipe (hadn't really seen them before). After doing some research, I will be bringing some smaller shot next hunt I go on....

Good Job on the snipe guys. After seeing them fly, they move really fast....

Yea, Dave could have shot more birds. Even for me there is that second or two process in my brain to work out if a bird coming up is a Snipe, or Killdee, or Meadowlark, or Dowitcher, etc. Dave being his first Snipe hunt, that process took longer. I shot a couple of Snipe today that should have been his, but once they reached the outside edge of shooting range, I took them. I did apologise at least.

I let alot of snipe live Tuesday as we were duck hunting. Probably gunna run into a bunch again on Friday, I'll et them live until after duck season closes.

John,

That looks like another outstanding day in the marsh!

H.

Hey Dave,
Kill any Ducks today???

No ducks today. The place was full of noise as I crunched through a a half mile of ice, and I got set up, and I had coots and grebes all over me but nothing flew. I held tight for two hours then threw the decoys and stuff over my back and walked-- thinking if they wouldn't fly maybe I'd have to make them. Literally, every kind of bird you could imagine was in the sky this morning except duck.

I got back to the old pond and flushed a couple dozen ducks before I could get sneaky or anything. After a while I stashed my gear under a tree and started looking for snipe. I shot at one but I was using #4 and I think it went through the pattern-- seriously, because it was an easy going away shot.

Noon came and I felt a little let down but when I walked back to my truck to put up the duck stuff I ate lunch and took a nap rather than run away. When I woke up I felt a little better and went back out for snipe.

Not five minutes out one flushed near me into the wind, it had no chance, one shot, dead in the air. Good thing the wind was howling!



I shot right behind three more snipe. They were flushing farther out today, but they were more or less in the same places.

To be honest I think snipe is just as much fun as anything else, I just thought maybe I'd get a duck in the morning. But the one bird saved the day and anyway it was a lot of fun. I got my GPS started up which surprised me. I walked 4.75 miles this afternoon for snipe and who knows how much this morning (2.5?) I'm beat!

Just before I left I flushed some mallards. I went over to see if I could figure out why they were in this particular spot (I had flushed a pair there earlier.) I marked the spot on my GPS after looking at it, but thought something seemed familiar. I had also marked the spot I put out decoys in the morning in case I wanted to find my way back. I was 50 feet behind my original spot. I was in the right place all along, just at all the wrong times!

Sounds like you are a quick study LHD, your figuring it out pretty quick.

Where was your Verona John? Thought you used the double gun for snipe.

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Sounds like you are a quick study LHD, your figuring it out pretty quick.

Where was your Verona John? Thought you used the double gun for snipe.

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You never know what I might be hunting with. I was looking at a gun catalog online just a little while ago. My wife walked in, looked over my shoulder, and said I should buy another gun with the Tax money. I was floored. She wants something!
I also told her about an airboat I saw for sale that I am going to look at. Same thing, "buy it if you want it and its a good deal".
I do have a wonderful understanding wife, but there is a line where you got to wonder what she is up to.

Sorry, you skunked on the ducks, I sure had high hopes for your hunt, but looks like you had fun with the Snipe! Lets do it again before Feb 15!