Sandhill cranes

[Blacktail135]

 Had 10 sandhill cranes land on my place this evening. Watched them for about 2 hours through the spotter before they left, heading south. Oldest granddaughter wanted to know if we can hunt them. Nope, not those I said. She’s got a new retriever and is chomping at the bit to bird hunt (ducks and geese).

[callturner]

I shot a couple in eastern Montana a few years ago. DONT let your dog go after cripples . I was told the same and did it any how. My male chessie got stuck twice while trying to retrieve it. I finally go him called back so I could swat it.

[Alchase]

Had 10 sandhill cranes land on my place this evening. Watched them for about 2 hours through the spotter before they left, heading south. Oldest granddaughter wanted to know if we can hunt them. Nope, not those I said. She’s got a new retriever and is chomping at the bit to bird hunt (ducks and geese).

The wife and I spent a weekend at Trout Lake Lodge summer of 2014. We took a drive to the Conboy Wildlife Refuge, there was a huge flock of Sandhill Cranes. We were engrossed watching them do their dance where they jump 10-20 feet straight up and flutter down. They are awesome to watch, and we took some amazing video. The nice sized herd of elk we also saw was like icing on the cake.

 

[huntingfool7]

I shot a couple in eastern Montana a few years ago. DONT let your dog go after cripples . I was told the same and did it any how. My male chessie got stuck twice while trying to retrieve it. I finally go him called back so I could swat it.

x2  I had the same issue.  Dog looked like it was trying to retrieve a sword fighter.  I ended up in a head first tackle and choke out to minimize the damage.  They eat good. 

[Pegasus]

I shot a couple in eastern Montana a few years ago. DONT let your dog go after cripples . I was told the same and did it any how. My male chessie got stuck twice while trying to retrieve it. I finally go him called back so I could swat it.

x2  I had the same issue.  Dog looked like it was trying to retrieve a sword fighter.  I ended up in a head first tackle and choke out to minimize the damage.  They eat good.

Do they taste as good as eagles?

[h2ofowlr]

They are the flying ribeye of the sky.  They eat well.  A ton of them winter in SW Washington.  All around Vancouver lake, Ridgefield and Sauvies Island in Oregon.

[huntingfool7]

Do they taste as good as eagles?

Swan is better on the table than crane.  Ridiculous that WA doesn't have a season on either.
Eagle tastes like k'yote.

[Pegasus]

Do they taste as good as eagles?

Swan is better on the table than crane.  Ridiculous that WA doesn't have a season on either.
Eagle tastes like k'yote.

If they don't taste like eagles do they taste like blue herons?

[huntingfool7]

I've never eaten a blue heron as there is no season on them anywhere that I'm aware of.   
There is no shortage of cranes or swans in Washington state and both are interesting game birds and well suited for the table.  There is no legitimate game management reason that we don't have a season on either in Washington.  Comparing them to eagles and cranes is a personal perspective bias that has no basis in wildlife management.

[Karl Blanchard]

I want to try a Sandhill something fierce.  Looks delicious.

[JimmyHoffa]

Do they taste as good as eagles?

Swan is better on the table than crane.  Ridiculous that WA doesn't have a season on either.
Eagle tastes like k'yote.

Bald or golden?  The bald eagles I assume are pretty nasty as they eat some pretty rank stuff.  Goldens are probably much better.
I've heard sandhill tastes kind of like steak.  I know I had it when young, but can't remember. 

[Humptulips]

Can someone explain to me why some states have seasons on Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans and some like WA do not. I know Federal Migratory bird but what gets some a season over others?

[Pegasus]

Can someone explain to me why some states have seasons on Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans and some like WA do not. I know Federal Migratory bird but what gets some a season over others?

Populations, major flyway routes and reciprocal treaties with Canada and Mexico.

[huntingfool7]

Can someone explain to me why some states have seasons on Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans and some like WA do not. I know Federal Migratory bird but what gets some a season over others?

Primarily politics.  In states with tundra swan season, a set number of permits are issued through a lottery system.  Similar to a deer tag here in Washington, a permit allows for one swan.  Sandhill cranes have a set season and a bag limit.

ETA- Washington will have a swan season right after we have a wolf season.  The similarities between the two having seasons are much more similar than eagles and herons as table fare.

[Humptulips]

Hard for me to think it is  population when I see a thousand swans in a field or several thousand cranes lift off from a lake.

[full choke]

Can someone explain to me why some states have seasons on Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans and some like WA do not. I know Federal Migratory bird but what gets some a season over others?

Populations, major flyway routes and reciprocal treaties with Canada and Mexico.

Also, Washington winters quite a few Trumpeter swans as well as Tundra swans. And seeing as how every year dumb***** manage to shoot swans thinking they are snow geese, the chance that some would be able to ID a Tundra vs a Trumpeter is pretty slim. I have also seen dead pelicans in Central Wa that I can only assume someone thought was a goose. So, it is an uphill battle...

[Pegasus]

Hard for me to think it is  population when I see a thousand swans in a field or several thousand cranes lift off from a lake.

Not too many breeding pairs in this state of the greater sandhill cranes:

"The Sandhill Crane was listed as an endangered species by the state of Washington in 1981.  Sandhill Cranes are represented in the state by a small number (<100) of Greater Sandhills that breed in Klickitat and Yakima Counties, much larger numbers of Lesser Sandhills (~25,000) that stop in eastern Washington during migration, and Canadian Sandhills (up to 3,000–5,000) seasonally present on lower Columbia River bottomlands.  Most of the cranes seen in Washington winter in California, but up to 1,400 Canadian Sandhills have wintered on the lower Columbia bottomlands of Washington and Oregon in recent years.  The Greater Sandhill Cranes that breed in Washington are part of the Central Valley Population, so called because they winter in California’s Central Valley; most of this population nests in Oregon, northeastern California, and interior British Columbia; those that breed in British Columbia migrate through eastern Washington among large flocks of Lesser Sandhill Cranes.  These migrating Lesser Sandhills of the Pacific Flyway Population stop during spring on their way to breeding grounds in Alaska, and during fall on their way to wintering areas in California.  The Pacific group of Canadian Sandhills that is seasonally present on lower Columbia River bottomlands may be the smallest discrete migrant population of Sandhills.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/01854/wdfw01854.pdf

[callturner]

Not sure your seeing swans in the fields, maybe snow geese. Swans feed on scud, a type of small shrimp, not grain that I have seen. I've seen up to 12.000 at a time at Freezeout in Montana. Never seen one in a field.

[full choke]

Not sure your seeing swans in the fields, maybe snow geese. Swans feed on scud, a type of small shrimp, not grain that I have seen. I've seen up to 12.000 at a time at Freezeout in Montana. Never seen one in a field.

In Skagit and Whatcom counties you will see hundreds if not thousands of swans in the fields. 100% NOT snow geese.

[Stein]

Not sure your seeing swans in the fields, maybe snow geese. Swans feed on scud, a type of small shrimp, not grain that I have seen. I've seen up to 12.000 at a time at Freezeout in Montana. Never seen one in a field.

In Skagit and Whatcom counties you will see hundreds if not thousands of swans in the fields. 100% NOT snow geese.

   Snohomish too.  Tons and tons of swans around here in the fields all the time.  Snow geese too, but not exactly difficult to tell the difference.

[hunt4life]

😂 swans don’t eat grain!! Like saying a duck don’t eat corn!!

[lastmk8]

The Meateater had a show on the sandhill cranes.  Was on a hunt for them in Texas with some old timers.  You know his deal, if its on his show they are going to eat it on the show also.  They dropped a few birds then back to the truck for lunch.  Broke out a Coleman stove and fired it up.  As Steve chewed on his first hunk of Sandhill crane, he said, if I wasn't here doing this and seeing this myself, I would swear I was eating a Ribeye steak.  Hence the Ribeye of the Sky.  I can't wait to get down to Texas some day and check this off the list.

[Humptulips]

Not sure your seeing swans in the fields, maybe snow geese. Swans feed on scud, a type of small shrimp, not grain that I have seen. I've seen up to 12.000 at a time at Freezeout in Montana. Never seen one in a field.

For sure swans along with Canadian geese. The farmer plants rye for green silage and they are there all winter eating it. These are mowed silage corn fields so no grain present but that rye grows all winter and the birds gobble it down.
They never leave for water. You can walk up to within maybe a 100 yards before they fly to another field.

[callturner]

Like I said , I never seen them do it (eat in the fields) . It don't mean they don't , just never seen it. In Montana where I hunt them they hang in the water. 

[Stein]

Different swans too, trumpeter are common here.


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[callturner]

I'm heading east in a couple hrs. Hopefully there's a few cranes still around.