With all this rail talk

BillS

BillS

Well-known member
I thought I would post up my recent rail hunt. I had never been out after rails but a few buddies go every year down to the eastern shore of virginia. This year I was able to go and game plan was to walk the islands on a rising tide with pointing dogs loking for clapper rails. The dogs had to be outfitted with booties because of all the oyster shells.
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Unfortunatley the weather was brutal on us and the dogs with temps reaching the low 90's when we started. It made the dogs tire quicker and they had a tough time with scenting. My dog had never smelled a rail before either so it took him some time and a few retrieves before he understood what we where after and pointed. We ended up shooting 20 birds and losing 4. It was a great time and after telling my brother about the trip he wanted to try it when he was out here for the Vintager shoot this last weekend. We didn't have anywhere near the flushes when he was here but he was able to shoot 2 and was extremely happy.

here are a couple pics from 3 weeks ago, sorry for the psuedo tailgate shot of some of the birds.

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I went rail hunting (marsh henning) on the Eastern Shore a couple of weekends ago. All three of us limited out with 15 each. It was great! Having never hunted them before, my father-in-law let me take point. We poled and walked the marshes. I wish I had a photo of the results but I was afraid to take my camera due to the possibility of it getting salt water and mud all over it. The tides we were hunting on were a lot higher than what your photo shows. The marsh was completely flooded except for the taller grass along the guts. The birds will hide out in the taller grass and when we walked by or poled by they would flush or swim away. I've cleaned plenty of them, but I haven't eaten a marsh hen yet. Everyone that has seems to rave about them. Legs, breast liver and heart are what is commonly eaten. Next time I'm up there we'll be frying some up. Can't wait!
 
we had flood tides when I went with my brother last weekend, no dry ground and I think it had been that way a few days, jelly fish all over and had 10 dolphins swimming back out to sea. We may have down better polling the edges, but instead we walked them and any high ground to mostly no avail.
 
I hate you.....

You suck.......

I like Obama better than I like you......

I'd vote for the bailout before I'd ever talk to you again....

You suck....oh I said that already...but SO WHAT -- YOU DO.....

CRAP....can you tell I'm jealous? Seriously guys hunting Clappers on a flooded tidal marsh has always been one of my favorite ways to start a season....my Clapper HOm Grounds were the N.Florida Tidal marshes of the ICW between Fernandina and St.Augustine....still one of the things I miss most about living in Washington...

Sorry about the above but I can't help it....I HATE YOU .....

Steve
 
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