mcelkek
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Snipe ShootingThe season so far has been pretty hit and miss, (mostly miss). We have had a lot of wet and very windy weather around these parts since early December. This has moved the birds from the exposed high ground were I shoot resulting in a lot of blank days. Our season closes at the end of the month and unless the weather changes to dry and cold or wet and not windy, I can't see many more snipe making it into the bag this year.
On the brighter side I went out this evening with my pals GSP and shot a snipe. Yeah! We had walked for the best part of an hour on the now familiar empty bog. We crossed ditches and over turf banks through yellow grasses until a place where the ground softens, your boots squelch as you pick your way through the tough and wiry heather. The dog has an exceptional nose, bred from top Irish lines. It put it to good use drawing the bird from a distance. At first I thought it was a rooster running ahead of the dog. She kept her head up as she tracked and didn’t check the floor for foot scent. I knew then that it was a bird holed up ahead in the heather; the scent must have been drifting just at dog height on this evening’s gentle breeze. Like a bee to honey the dog crept forward honing in on the bird. As she paced forward her head lowered closer to the ground her body stiffened to point. It was near dusk the air had stilled, I stood there transfixed on the dog, her muscular body was taught and rigid the only movement was her chest as she sucked great lungfuls of scent. Inches ahead I knew a bird was crouched ready to flee. The moment was magic. The light was fading and in the distance I could hear the pheasants going up to roost, I savored every second. The birds have been few and far between so I was etching this one in my memory. There was only me, the dog, the bird and the stillness. I whispered her name, told her to move in, the rest was automatic.
She buried her head in the heather up shrieked the snipe twisting and powering away, my gun was up my eyes fixed on the departing bird, BAM. The snipe spiraled then folded, diving dead to the ground. I picked her up myself. This little bird had made all the blank days worth it. It had made me feel, well, that feeling you get when you witnessed something personal and special. I didn’t put her in my game bag but carried it in my hand. I called the dog to heel and left.
The bird is in my freezer, some time in the months ahead when hunting seems a far time gone and yet to come, I will take it out and prepare it. I will selfishly sit on my own and savor my meal and the memory with it.
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Helen
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Well done! What a great time and you made it come to life.
Lovely pic but nearly missed the snipe as it was so well camoflagued. I love the snipe, especially when they are drumming. It is such a weird and wonderful sound to come from something like a snipe.
Helen
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josie
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What a great description!
Do snipe drum then Helen, tell me more!
I think they are very funny looking birds, I mean, can you imagine having a beak that long? (Well, that's if you can imagine having a beak at all!)
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Helen
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The males do it in the spring during the breeding season. It's to attract females, I think. They fly up into the air, circle and then fall, making the drumming sound. It's created by the outer tail feathers which are vibrating. First time I heard it, I wondered what on earth it was!
I saw a jack snipe as well for the first time last year. They are smaller and don't fly as far when flushed.
Helen
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josie
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Ok, I'll listen out for that in the spring!!
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tashap
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ashdown forest is a good place for snipe. There are some good breeding grounds there so its a good place to go to observe the birds and for scent
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DesO'Neile
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One of the colloquial terms for the snipe is " Heather Bleat " They soar and then dive for the ground and feathers vibrate in the wind thus generated and create the drumming sound. I don't know if it's a "Global Warming " thing or not but I haven't seen anywhere near as many as I usually do this year.
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Helen
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I've seen a fair few Des. One drive on a shoot had about 20 go over the guns and there were about 10 at another place.
The one thing which I haven't seen much of is woodcock. However, I flushed one from the hill outside the house which is just white ground so I'm wondering if they're not in the woods as much as it's been milder?
Helen
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mcelkek
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Im with Des, I haven't seen the numbers I usually see of snipe this year. Woodcock numbers have been lowish too!
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tashap
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we've not had much of either and none shot. My tutor is a bit concerned about woodcock numbers so one of the woods were we usual find them has been left completely alone this year adn instead we are recording numbers and using it just as roosting for the pheasants.
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Sally
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Agree - we have only had a handful in our 'snipe' field while last year there were upwards of 20 on some days. However it may be due to the mild weather - lots of species are not migrating in the usual numbers or flying so far because of the lack of cold weather to drive them south. I don't know whether the numbers of swans and other wildfowl have improved in the Ouse Washes, but numbers were well down in November.
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tashap
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there have been complaints about lack of geese in our area, we used to see large flocks on the corn fields at the back of us both of geese and swans but they haven't been around for a while now.
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DesO'Neile
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Typical. I went to the hill today hoping for no birds to do a bit of ground work. I saw as many birds today as I have in the last month and had several good finds, and paradoxically a couple of good flushes as well.
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mcelkek
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