Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I Sent Instructions!

As I carefully prepared my care package for its trip up North to the land of Downeast Maine, it occurred to me that I may need to include some instructions to go along with the South Georgia treats that were found in the box.  Oh, I'm sure the Downeast Duck Hunter could figure out how to wear the camo hat that was in the box, but the other treat would be foreign to him. 

I may need to back up a bit and inform you that through this little blog I have had the opportunity to share my stories of South Georgia and experience some of your stories from all over this great country.  I have also had the opportunity to meet some really great people and I consider myself "lucky" to have befriended The Downeast Duck Hunter who hails from the Great State of Maine.  I'm interested in a life above the Mason Dixon line and he asks me all kinds of questions about how we do things in the South.  We talk frequently and are trying to plan trips for each other to visit during  hunting season to share what life is like in Georgia or Maine. I think of him as a friend, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't poke a little fun at him every now and again??? It is with this that my present story begins.

In one of our many "question and answer" secessions the topic of local foods came up.  Something along the lines of "Have you ever eaten this or eaten that?"  I asked the DEDH if he had ever eaten boiled peanuts.  I knew from experience that most people from the colder states have not tried this Southern delight.  His response was "No, but my wife has tried them once when she was a little girl."  That got my mind to rolling and I figured I could do something about that.

I am a semi-professional peanut boiler!  In the fall of the year when the peanuts are being dug out of the ground and college football is in full swing, you can find me in the shop with a big pot of boiling salt water and fresh green peanuts.  You bring the peanuts to a boil and let them cook until they are the right consistency.  I then let them soak up some of the salt water and bag them up in gallon bags.  I freeze several of the bags so that I can have peanuts all winter long.  If you have never had a boiled peanut then just let me tell you that they are very addictive and you can easily eat your belly full in no time flat!

I went to the freezer and found no peanuts.  Between me, my wife, and kids we had depleted our boiled peanut supply.  My wife however will eat the boiled peanuts that you can buy in a can at the grocery store.  They are not my favorite, but they are not too bad either.  I went to the store and bought two cans to send to Maine.  I got them all packaged up and remembered a time when I was in college when we gave some Yankees Northern fellows their first try of some boiled peanuts.  They ate almost a whole bag, shell (or hull) and all before we could tell them that they were supposed to crack them open and just eat the meat from the inside.  I decided to include instructions in my gift.  They read something like this....Open can and drain.  Put peanuts in a sauce pan and fill with water.  Bring to boil and remove from heat.  Drain again and enjoy while still warm.  DO NOT EAT THE SHELL!

I received the following text from the Duckman.....Ha ha lol, next time I will read your letter before eating from a can!

I knew exactly what had happened.  In the Duckman's excitement, he tossed my instructions aside and starting chomping on peanuts straight from the can in the parking lot of the local Post Office.  After spitting out about 4 peanuts, shell and all, and decideing that this Southern boy was crazy to send something this God awful up North, he read the instructions.  I think that he enjoyed them from that point and when I called him he was full of questions about the process of boiling peanuts.  I had to sadly tell him that you could not take a roasted peanut and boil it to make it a boiled peanut.  Maybe this fall I will ship him some South Georgia fresh from the field Green Peanuts and let him give it a whirl!

I'll make sure to include BIG instructions!!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

It's time! Is your gear ready??


It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Saturday morning will bring in the Wild Turkey season for 2011.  After a very successful 2010, I am hoping that 2011 will be a repeat.  I was asked by someone what I did to prepare for opening morning.  My approach is fairly simple.  Since we have been hunting the same piece of land for the past 20 years, we can pretty much tell you where the birds will be.  You just need to know your gear and be able to use it well!

My wife is sick of hearing turkey calls in the house.  In order to become a good turkey caller with a mouth call you have to practice.  She will put up with me for a week or so, but I have now been moved out of the house and practice in my Jeep as I travel to and from work.  I want my mouth call to produce the tones I want on my command while I am out in the field. Practicing builds confidence that I can do just that.  I also practice with my other calls and make sure that they are properly sanded or chalked and are ready for me when I need them.

A Turkey hunter loves all of his gadgets that he can fit in his vest.  Most turkey hunting vest are made with more than enough pockets and I am guilty of trying to fill everyone with something.  Most of the time I do not need half of what I carry with me, but it is there if I need it.  Every year I bring out my turkey vest and remind myself what is in each pocket.  I check to make sure that I have everything I need and have not robbed my vest for other hunting purposes.  For example I found that I had taken my favorite face mask out of my turkey vest to be used during this past deer season.  I also found that my bug repellent spray was in need of refilling.  I also needed to replace some shells in my empty shell loops.  Did I mention that 2010 was a good turkey hunting year!!!?  After checking to see if everything is there where it should be, I start testing myself to make sure that I can recover an item quickly and that I know exactly where it is.  There is no worse feeling in the turkey woods than not being able to put your hands on something that you need in a timely manner!  So be prepared!!

Now some of you may be wondering exactly what I take to the turkey woods.  I have tried all kinds of turkey hunting gadgets and over the years I have whittled it down to this.  Here is a quick rundown. 

-Browning NWTF turkey special with 3 1/2 magnum turkey loads.
-One folding Gobbler Lounger chair
-One small blind that can be rolled up and put in my vest
-Tactical Tat'r II Turkey vest
-Two Vaughn Slate calls with two different strikers and sanding rocks
-One Wet Willie box call
-4 different mouth calls
-One owl hooter
-One crow call
-Face mask and gloves
-Binoculars
-Thermacall as well as bug spray
-Small pair of pruning shears
-Extra ammo
-One fold up decoy (my Dad has the other one)
-Knife
-Turkey boots and full camo
and

A strong desire to Wack and Stack some South Georgia Thunder Chickens!!

Saturday morning can not get here fast enough for me.  I know I'm ready.  Are you???

Thursday, March 17, 2011

It's Raining Folks in Fitzgerald!


The engines have already been fired up!  The planes are taking off two and three at a time.  Crazy people are jumping out of a perfectly good airplane at a very rapid pace!  Right over my house!!!

This marks the third year in a row that an area skydiving club had held an annual event at the Fitzgerald airport.  They bring a large crowd and will have people jumping all weekend.  The event got an early start today and at the present time I can still hear the planes as they buzz over my neighborhood.  The airport is only about 2 miles from here and we will spend the weekend watching parachutes pop open and bring these crazy souls back down to earth.

We like to go watch!  You can hear the plane as it approaches and it can easily be found in a pair of good binoculars.  You can actually see the free fallers when they leave the plane.  If you do not have binoculars, then you just watch the blue heavens and chutes will open like pop-corn across the sky in all sorts of colors.  The kids think it is really neat.  The group will be trying to set a record this weekend by linking up with other free fallers to see how many than can actually hook up while falling.  They will be jumping out of at least two planes at one time to do this.  It looks like pepper thrown on a blue plate when they start.  They move close together to try and hook up and then spread back out to hit their chutes.  There will be around 60 parachutes in the sky when that happens!

They offer tandem jumps for those adrenalin junkie type of people, and people will come from miles around to participate.  So if you want to jump out of a plane this weekend, make your way to Fitzgerald.  Make sure to wave at me on your way down!! 

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Fishing Tournament We Almost Won in 20 Minutes!


Our local High School Football Booster Club held its third annual Bass fishing tournament this past Saturday.  This is a two man event in which you can fish anywhere you want and weigh in your three biggest fish.  First prize to the winning team is $500 and a boat load of goodies.  They also have prizes for the biggest fish caught for the day and different prizes for kids who fish in the tournament.  There were 70 teams signed up to fish for the day and a large crowd gathered for the weigh in.

My partner for the day was none other than my 7 year old son Reid.  Saturday morning was expecting temperatures in the high 30's so I made the decision to sleep in.  My plan was to let the day warm up a bit and then hit a few neighborhood ponds in hopes of landing 3 fish that we could weigh in.  My primary goal was for Reid to catch a fish so that he would be eligible for the kids big fish prize.  He got up and got himself dressed as I did some work in the yard.  He declared himself ready to go, so we loaded up the golf cart and took off.

Our first stop was his Papa's house.  My parents live just down the road and have about a 4 acre pond.  I know that there are some big fish in this pond because I have put several large fish in this pond over the past few years including 2 over 8 and one that was 9.5lbs.  The biggest ever caught out of my childhood fishing hole was 12 pounds.  We fished the pond pretty hard with not a lot of luck.  I caught one small fish and threw him back.  We decided to move on. 

We headed down the street a little further to our second pond.  This is a nice size pond with some cypress structure.  We fished this pond with gusto to no avail.  Not one bite.  Time to move on!

Our third pond was a little pond that always produces fish.  We have access to a little boat there so we loaded up our stuff and paddled out to where we always catch fish.  You guessed it.  Not one fish!  I was stumped and Reid had lost patience.  We decided to load up the gear and head for the house.  We would grab some lunch and go watch the weigh in.  At least we could have a good time watching teams bring in their fish.

As we were having lunch, my good friend Hal Wiley called me to see how we were doing.  Hal was fishing with his son who is the same age as Reid.  Hal had the same goal in mind that I did.  He wanted his son to catch a fish for the kids division.  I told him of our luck and he told me that the fish were biting at his little pond behind his house and to bring Reid.  We decided to give it a try.  Hal's house is only about two miles from the weigh in site so I figured we could stop in on the way.

We pulled up on the pond dam and got out a couple of poles.  On my second cast I hung a 4.28lb bass.  In 20 minutes I had caught a total of 6 more fish.  They all looked liked twins as they were all in the three pound range.  We had three fish that we could weigh in, but Reid had not caught one yet.  I tried my best to coach him on where to throw his bait.  He finally got a hit and landed a bass that weighed 3 pounds on the nose.  It was the smallest bass out of the ones that we caught, but he caught it and therefore he had a fish that he could weigh in.  We packed up and left!  It took about 20 minutes!!

We were the first team to weigh our fish.  We totaled a little over 10 lbs.  I knew we would not finish near the top as a team, but Reid had a chance at the big fish prize for a kid.  We actually finished in the top 15 for the day and Reid held on to the lead in his division for 68 more teams.  The last team of the day weighed in a 4lb bass that was caught by a 4 year old little boy to edge him out.  It was still a great day!

A local TV station interviewed Reid and will hopefully be up for the world to see on Youtube very soon.  I will let you know when it will be available.  I am glad to say that the interview did not go like this.....

Reid, tell us about your day:

Well, Team Diawa had a good day today.  Our Stren line hung tuff as our Eagle Claw hooks found their mark attached to those Strike King Lures.  We were able to land our fish with the help of The Big Dipper fishing net and keep them alive in our Yeti Cooler by using a Bubble Box aerator.  If it wasn't for Gatorade and Lance crackers, I'm not sure we would have had the opportunity to brave the elements and fight off hunger and thirst.  I'm just glad that Northface provided us with the proper gear to keep the wind from chilling our inner core and allowing us to use those Ugly Stick rods to our advantage.  But I need to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors Browning Fishing and Duckpower, Inc.  Without them none of this would be possible.

How do you feel about you leading the big fish category:

I'm just happy to be here thanks to our Jeep Wrangler who brought us to the weigh in on time on those Goodyear Tires, and for that Gerber booster seat in which I was lucky enough to sit.  If it wasn't for that, then this big fish that was caught on a Dancin' eel using a Zebco 33 rod and reel combination wouldn't have been possible.

Thank you Reid:

You bet.  Can I have a dollar so I can buy a Coke?

Luckily the interview was more about fishing with your kids and I got a chance to tell why I thought that was important.  If you take your kids hunting and fishing, then you will not have to hunt and fish for your kids!!

Take a kid fishing!  It makes winners out of all of us!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Interviewing the Duckman from Downeast!




It started out innocent enough.  I found the Duckman's blog through another site and signed up to read his word's of wisdom as he sent them out over the Internet/blogging waves.  Besides, I found life in Maine to be an interesting subject to follow, especially an outdoorsman from Maine.  We began leaving comments on each others blog and I eventually got up the nerve to poke a little fun at the Founding Father of Duckpower, Inc.  I sent out this jewel of a blogging post, and with that a great friendship has developed!  The Duckman from Downeast and I decided to conduct an interview with each other in efforts to let our readers know more about the other.  It was my idea, but he beat me to the punch and posted his interview first.  Being the good person that I am, I answered his questions and returned them to him the very same day.  He held out on me and did not return my questions for a week.  The Duckman will deny this, but I know he did it on purpose.  You see we both won a gear review from the OBN for a gun cleaning kit.  It came to both of us in the mail on a Friday afternoon.  My review was up on Saturday.  The Duckman was off fishing.  I think he holds it against me for making him look like a slacker!

I have enjoyed getting to know the Downeast Duck Hunter and I am glad to include him in my circle of friends even though we have never had the opportunity to shake hands.  I think that we will make the effort to make that happen as we have both given the other an open invitation to try out living in the North or South on any given weekend.  So here we go!  Readers, I present The Downeast Duck Hunter, President of Duckpower, Inc.-

1). How did you get into this whole blogging thing?

My blogging world began shortly after the Rabid Outdoorsman started The Maine Outdoorsman, rather than be a contributor to his site I chose to offer up some of the happenings in Downeast, Maine. My other hope was to network with quality outdoorsman from other places in the country in hopes that maybe we could exchange hunts.

Over time I’ve met some decent people on the Internet pipeline, I don’t aspire to have six hundred followers nor do I have the energy to communicate with a lot of people. My intent is to find those who are like me, honest hard working diligent Americans who have a passion for the outdoors. If the dialogue works, then all is cool. So far, I’ve been able to network with a few writers. Two of whom, I’m friends on Facebook while the others are usually commenters on the blog.

2). Tell us about being a history teacher. Did you choose to teach that subject or was it a subject that was assigned to you?

I teach every social studies class imaginable. The class list for me includes (not every year): U.S. History, World History, Civics/Government, Geography, Economics, Sociology, Current Events/Debates, and some outdoor leadership instruction. Our school is small and I am the history department. I used to be a junior high social studies teacher, but moved up after two years. Most recently, I earned my masters in administration. My hope is to teach for 20 years, be a principal for 5, retire at 47 and do the lobstering/guiding gig until I can no longer walk.

I didn’t always enjoy history, but as I’ve gotten older it becomes far more interesting. Part of my problem was how history was taught, I try to make it relevant and enjoyable. I can’t dazzle them all, but I’d say I’m cranking out little citizens.

3). Give us your best recipe for Sea Ducks.

Take some eider breasts, tenderize them by severe pounding, soak them in a brine of baking soda & salt for at least one full day, then throw them in a pot with vegetables, seasonings, cream of mushroom soup, and ten small chunks of hickory wood. When all is well cooked, eat the pieces of wood. It should be slightly tastier and more chewable than the eider.

Actually, I give the sea ducks to local families that either could use the meat or have an acquired taste for salt water fare. The elderly residents who take the ducks sometimes offer to pay for my shells, but I figure them taking the ducks saves me from eating so many. On occasion, I do slice up the eider breasts into thin strips, grab some marinade, and turn it into beef jerky. It’s not bad. The only other way I dare do eider is stewed slowly with vegetables and dumplings.

4). If you could come to Georgia for a visit, what outdoor activity would you want to participate in?

If I were to grace the fine Georgians with my presence, I’d love to do some bass fishing and try my hand at a turkey. The dove hunting seems interesting as so does the rattle snake pursuit, but I may need to play spectator with the rattlers. Honestly, I hate snakes but for some crazy reason I’m thinking I’d look good in snake chaps.

6). If the “Hump Day Crowd” were to get together in Maine for a Northern mid week celebration and you were the host, what is on the menu?

That depends, most everybody who comes to Maine usually looks for a lobster and they are not hard for me to get. Maybe some seafood, good steaks on the grill, and some of my wife’s fine cooking. I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s usually good. Besides, I’m not much of a cook unless we are either at camp or in the woods. Then I impress all and anybody.

8). Why are you a fan of Brave Eagles Hunt with Antique Brownings, and please feel free to tell everyone why you feel it is the single best outdoor blog on the Internet?

Your blog is somewhat super cool simply because it’s the reflection of life from a man who loves his family, life, and god. There exists no question that we are elbow to elbow in terms of raising children, share an immense passion for being outdoors, and have built a great dialogue in terms of friendship. Even though I’m not into wood working or cooking, I believe there exists a genuineness about your blog that many others lack. I’ve always believed that a few good connections is better than a bunch of lousy ones and when I see that, I stop following. And besides, it’s good because I post on it.

9). I find it interesting that you are a registered Maine Guide. Your good friend and fellow blogger, The Maine Outdoorsman, is also a Registered Maine Guide. Who guides who when you are in the field together?

My good friend Steve, the Maine Outdoorsman, is an adept student of a variety of subjects within the realm of the Maine wilderness. He has an immense passion for the outdoors and has in fact become highly successful within the scope of hunting turkey, fresh water duck, and northern pike. I’d say he is gaining a greater ability in predator, trophy whitetail, and small game. In addition, he’s well trained in hiking, mountain climbing, and traveling. But I must say, when it comes to mechanical applications if it doesn’t have a kill switch and a pull cord- he’s screwed. I’ve got the edge on him especially with sea ducks & bass fishing, and my top four deer are bigger than all of his combined. When we are on the ocean, I call the shots and know that he trusts me 100%.

All jokes aside, we compliment each other well. He continually jaws me about being over prepared but will never complain when he’s sucking down that perfect cup of coffee, enjoying a dry experience under a tarp during a down pour, or watching me drum up a meal to remember. It’s hard to compare us simply because we have different talents and styles, maybe that’s why we make a good team. However, I’m far cooler and don’t lie nearly as much, even though I have to stretch the truth sometimes.

I once told the Duckman that the only ice fishing we do here in Georgia is when we fish for another cold beer in the bottom of our cooler!

Thanks Mr. President for being a supporter of my amateur writing and for teaching me about life Downeast!  I hope to make the trip one day, as soon as it warms up!  For now, you know that you have a friend "Down South" and I am glad to know that I have a brother "Up North" from "Downeast"!

PS.  Keep the ducks off of my menu.  I'll have the lobster!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Pinewood Derby Time!

There are special times in the life of a father and son that should be looked forward to.  For example, the first time you take your son fishing, or the first time you take your son hunting, or the first time you play catch with your son in the yard.  All of these things have been very special to me as a father and I am so glad that I have been able to experience them with my son.  With that in mind, I have to say that I have been waiting for this day for a long time.  Reid is in the 1st grade this year and is in the RA program at our church.  RA's is a great program for boys in the 1st through the 6th grades where they learn a lot about missions, God, and being better young men.  It also means Pinewood Derby Racing and this year Reid and I are gunning for the prize!!

We give the boys an opportunity to choose between a pre-cut car design or a squared off block of wood in which to design their own car.  Reid and I chose the block so that we would be eligible for the "best design" trophy.  A pre-cut car does not qualify for that award.  The boys are all judged on design, artwork and the ability to go fast down the track.  The 1st - 3rd graders (Lads) race against each other in a double elimination tournament, while the 4th - 6th graders (Crusaders) race against each other in their own bracket.  A winner is named in both divisions and then we bring all the boys together to determine the "Car of the Year".  The car that wins that race is displayed in the RA room in a special case for the next year.  All of the boys want that honor!

Reid and I took his square block of wood and tried to decide what we wanted to do with this soon to be work of art.  We started by trying to come up with a theme for his car.  We talked about an Atlanta Braves car and a Lightning McQueen car and a hunting car and a golf cart car, but I was pleased to hear him say that he wanted a Go Eagles (Georgia Southern) car.  My mind went to work on how we could make his car unique.  It would be very simple to cut out a car and give it a Georgia Southern paint job, but I wanted to do something a little different.  Besides, if my mad skills can not produce a fast car at least I could make one that looks really cool.  I spent some time on the Internet looking at different designs and decided that I would try and incorporate the Georgia Southern Eagle logo into our car design.  I'll let the pictures take care of the rest of the story.

After a quick trip to Mr. Bill's to use his saw, we came back to my shop to do some sanding and shaping.  Reid helped me or watched me in every step.  He is full of questions and I was happy to give him answers!

This is the design that I came up with.  The Eagle head is the academic logo of the school.  The rear of the car is an Eagle wing.
The next step is adding weight to the car so that it will travel faster.  You want to be as close to 5 oz without going over that you can.  I cut out a section on the back and put 1/4 oz weights in the hole.  I covered it with wood filler and sanded back into shape.
The painting process begins!
What car would be complete without racing stripes?

Some detailed painting by Mom adds feathers and we are ready to race!

The big day finally came on Wednesday.  All of the boys lined their cars up for the official weigh in and the races started promptly at 6:00pm.  It became apparent fairly quickly that Reid and I were not built for speed with our car design.  Reid lost his first two races in the double elimination tournament in his age division. He showed good sportsmanship and did not act very upset at his loss, but I was sure hoping that we could pull out at least one race in the overall competition.  We did just that as we one our next race!  He was so excited and jumped up and down.  We were promptly eliminated from the tournament on our next race, but one win was all we needed to keep a smile on his face!

The boys are lining them up for competition!

The RA Crew!
This next picture is what it is all about!  Reid may not have won many races, but he took home the trophy for best design!  He was so proud and I was so happy for him!  He had a big time and I could tell that he was proud as all his friends told him that he had the coolest car that they had ever seen!!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
I can't wait until next year!!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Snipe Hunting! More to me than a practical joke!

All of us have heard the stories about taking some poor helpless non-outdoors type person out into the woods to do a little mythical "Snipe Hunting".  Most of the time you hear of the guilty party giving this helpless soul a sack to bag his prey in and telling him to clap loudly and make funny noises as he walks through the woods.  All the while you and your buddies are back at the campfire trying to contain your laughter as your victim is wondering around in circles, his path easily detected by listening to the outrageous noise he is making.  When he finally gives up and gets back to camp, he is met with good ribbing and he can check "Snipe Hunting" up to a life lesson learned! 

However to me, Snipe Hunting is not a practical joke.  In fact it can be some of the best wing shooting that you can participate in.  I found this out while I was working for East Georgia Turf Farms in Statesboro, Georgia.  I was fresh out of college and took a job with EGTF as a salesman selling sod and golf course construction jobs.  The sod farm was a beautiful farm with large fields of green, green grass always maintained to perfection.  In order to keep this beautiful grass ready for harvest, the irrigation system was run on a daily basis.  This led to drainage ditches that constantly held water, especially in low lying areas.  We even had some low lying small ponds that attracted several species of ducks.  Hunting on the sod farm was a company perk and one that I took advantage of on a weekly basis.  Although ducks and doves were always on my mind, the sod farm was home to another lesser known game bird, the Common Wilson's Snipe.

Snipe like wet areas just like the ones that we had on the farm.  It was not too uncommon in South Georgia to jump a snipe while fishing around one of your favorite ponds, but other than that you just didn't see very many of them at one time.  That was not the case on the farm.  These guys grouped up in groups of 20 or more and could be forced out of their homes by walking irrigation ditches through the fields.  Think shooting quail that have been flushed from a ditch.  They are very quick and dart around your shot pattern with ease, but they are not very smart.  I could walk up a group, fire off a couple of shots and then watch them as they gained altitude just to fly back over me again offering a third shot.  Then they would just fly down the ditch and light on the other end of the field.  Pick up your kills and start walking.  Get the group up again and start the process over.  Easy, peasy, lemon squeasy!  If you could shoot just a little you could get your limit of 15 on any given afternoon.  There were some afternoons when one field would yield my limit.  I have never seen more Snipe in one place than I did on that sod farm.  They were there by the 100's.  It was a blast!!  We had a good time eating them as well.  Batter and fry those bad boys and it was just like eating a small dove.  If you get a chance to chase these little guys, you should definitely do it.  I always thought it to be a combination of quail hunting and dove hunting and what could possibly be better than that?

I was reminded of my Snipe Hunting days by two different things last week.  The first was I jumped one of the little rascals at my Dad's pond while Reid and I were trying to catch a fish.  It scared me to death as it took off across the pond. The second was I read about a Snipe Hunting adventure on "The Maine Outdoorsman". (No link to the actual story because I don't feel like trying to find it again).  He was successful in killing ONE snipe.  It made me realize how lucky I have been with some of the hunting opportunities that I have had in my life.  I had never seen Snipe like that before and I have never seen them like that again.  I just happen to come along when the getting was good and was able to enjoy the chase that God provided.   I had some good days on that farm!  We would get up for an early morning duck hunt, change ammo and hunt snipe until lunch, hit the fields in the late afternoon for some good dove shooting and then hit the creek one more time for a few late arriving Wood ducks.  That is a day in heaven for a wing shooter like myself!!

I haven't killed a Snipe in over 15 years.  Like I said, you just don't see them that often around here, but I still have wonderful memories of the chase that the Wilson's Common Snipe provided!  As my buddy from Down East would say....

God love it!!