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Since Whooping cranes migrate through the Central Flyway (North Dakota, South Dakota, eastern Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma), and when traveling as singles they join groups of sandhill cranes, I'm actually pretty surprised that there is a season in any of those states. With only about 200 birds left, just a few yahoos could put a serious dent in their population.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HPL
You can't mean this???? Have you seen the stark difference between whoopers and sandhills??? How is it we hunters can limit ourselves from shooting too many suzies...or too many sprig, or cans??? Or are you into calling us hunters "yahoos"?
Until proven differently, I'll chaulk this up as a brain fart...or certainly a subject you are ill-informed about.
UB
Quote:
Originally Posted by road kill
wow! what pushed um through? were they in front of a cold front?
wow!
Yup, and I was out in that and got to see these birds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Bora
No one else in the marsh except me & Elvis.
Something I will never forget.
I thought more folks would think this was cool, I guess it's just the "YAHOO" in me!!
Wish you could have been there Ken!
I would have loved to seen it, I live next to the Lac Qui Parle wildlife refuge and he see about 100K Canadian Geese a year come through, I remember a time as a kid when the migration went through and we saw waves of geese by the thousands for a couple hours, I can only imagine watching a migration of birds I have have rarely seen.Quote:
Originally Posted by road kill
For those who may have missed this, open this link:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display...89648&source=0
Those are birds, not storms.
I would have also loved to have seen it Stan.
Oh... as for the bird ID by yahoo's issue. Tree hugger that I am I partake in the vermont christmas bird count. It's real google it :rolleyes:
I am in the woods anyway most days off and it beats sittin' with the relations. Anyway, my point is I find as a group waterfowel hunters are more better bird watchers than the average man on the street. Needing to properly ID a flying bird a half hour before sunrise under threat of breaking the law will hone ones bird watching skill. I would not have noted this without hanging with the "bird watchers" now and again. And yes I point out how my hunting $$$ pay for the access areas both groups use. They always marvel at my bird watching shirts ? ? :cool:
Yep, it can be trickey ID'ing a hen mallard after 1 is on the ground.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Bora
(limit here of 1 hen mallard in the bag)
1 Can is all ya get, sometimes Can's and Redheads can look the same.
Especially under a full wing.......real life "google":cool:
YAHOO regards..........
I politely disagree with some of the NE crane hunting assessments and I’m even a central NE native. I literally grew up in the middle of the Central flyaway hour glass, still hunt the same sections of river and look forward to the crane migration each spring. Would I like to go on a crane hunt? Yes. But not in the central part of Nebraska. Do I along with a lot of Central NE hunters dislike the Trusts and Bird Watcher organization purchasing up vast areas of land, absolutely. But this area - in this point in time - is simply not the right location to hunt cranes.
Nebraska is not a fly-over state for cranes as are the other mid-west states where hunting is allowed. Yes, we see them during the fall hunting season like John said but nowhere close to the population numbers we see in the spring.
In addition to the 7-10 million ducks and geese that use the Platte River and Rainwater Basins each spring on their migration back north (2 million snow geese stopped in the Rainwater Basins last spring alone) nearly 500,000 sand hill cranes stop in this short stretch for about one month to refuel before picking up and flying to Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Their diet consist mainly of waste grain on fields that was picked the previous fall. Thousands of years ago before big agriculture the cranes fed on Platte River water vegetation tubers so this area is imprinted upon them. The day I see cranes habitually hanging out on golf courses will be the day I hang up my gun. They would much rather stay safe on the river’s shallow sand bars. Might I also add cranes are among the oldest living birds on the planet and they were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800’s until the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act was enacted. Today, be thankful we have huntable numbers allowed in several states and Canada. I’ve watched them circle in the air for hours on warm air currents and drifted with a canoe through huge flocks roosting at night. Cool birds. Ribeye of the sky? I hear that too. Someday I hope to shoot and taste a few myself. But not in central NE. Not going to happen. It's a unique area unlike anywhere else.
Today, Central NE is the only place in the world where these birds have the pefect conditions to rest and fuel up so they can make the long journey back north and have a successful breeding season.
Whopping vs. Sandhill Crane. No difference at all. Whoppers are taller, have larger wing spans, gray vs. white, and you can consider yourself very lucky to see a Whooping crane. Then again some people shoot swans and tell the warden they thought they were snow geese too.
Robert, great words thank you for posting. UB, at your age, I would suggest you sit in your window and watch the leaves blow and the snow swirl. You have no idea how many Moose in Wyoming get shot because some Yahoo thought it was an Elk or how many Mule deer get shot because the Yahoo thought it was an elk etc. it happens and happens often. If the great state of Nebraska can offer these cranes peace and quiet and other states offer you a chance at harvest, we will keep it this way if that is okay with you... I was fortunate enough as well to witness the migration this year, natures best spectacle. I had my first taste of sandhill crane in Tx last Feb while dog training, it was everything plus "ribeye".