Black brant rig

[Brad Bortner]

Atlantic brant switched their diets to Ulva (sea lettuce) from eelgrass when the eelgrass all died out. Their value as tablefare dropped dramatically when this happened. I have heard that many Atlantics have learned to graze on lawns of golf courses and corporate campuses. I have wondered if this has made them more palatable.

Pacific or black brant still eat eelgrass and are fine table birds. They are smart, i hunt them on open water from an anchored boat. They decoy sometimes and or just pass by other times. Anyway they are fun to hunt and a worthy game bird.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Brad et al~

Most Altantic Brant on Long Island feed on lawn grasses when they can. However, this supplements but does not fully replace their aquatic foods. Further west on the south shore - mostly in Nassau County into NYC, their aquatic diet is dominated by "cabbage" (Ulva) and so they smell and taste rather rank - barely edible without some serious marinating (maybe "chelating" is a more apt term). The further east you go - Great South Bay, Moriches Bay - there is more Eelgrass (Zostera) and so they retain their traditional table qualities.

Either end of of the bays, though, the sights and sounds of a decoying Brant flock remain one of waterfowling's unforgettable experiences.

All the best,

SJS

 

[KPIves]

The poles have 4 rings through them and 3 or 4 decoys are attached to each ring and then you can shoulder the pole to move a dozen to 16 decoys where ever you need them on the flats. Then to store them in the rafters of the house we had loops of wire through a rafter and both ends of the pole would slip into a loop and they could be stored in a hanging cluster.
Just found 2 pictures of decoys hanging in the garage rafters.

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[Brad Bortner]

That's an interesting set up and I can certainly see the utility on the mudflats. I'll bet it sets up fast and easy. Do the decoys get banged up when carried this way?

 

[KPIves]

We did have to do some end of the season touchup on some of the birds but don't remember it being much after washing them down and letting them dry off in our big play and storage room.