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That mud, man. You come out of there a foot taller than when you went in.

I’ve long since discovered that some of my happiest moments as a California sportsman have come from pursuing some of the more obscure fish and game species such as snipe, crappie, frogs, monkey-faced eels, bandtailed pigeons, etc. No crowds, no competition, good conversation fodder, and great table fare.

I read a great book on my honeymoon called “Reflections on Snipe” (how’s that for romantic), which explored the history of snipe hunting in America. It was really interesting. From what I remember about the book, snipe hunting used to be a hugely popular activity in the U.S. Market hunting and other factors, however, severely reduced the snipe and rail bird populations to the point that the hunting seasons were closed for many years across the U.S. By the time hunting seasons were re-established, the culture, passion and knowledge about the sport was gone. Snipe hunting never much caught on again.

Makes me think about the closure of the CA salmon fishing seasons and what happens if that continues. Or arguments about closing waterfowl seasons when breeding is poor, etc. I think those closures may do more harm then good in the sense of diluting and removing passionate advocates for those individual species, the cultural loss, the financial loss in terms of license sales, gear and conservation contributions and enthusiasm.

Enjoy those snipe!!

Kindred: I hear ya. I’ve shot two birds in the same flock that were radically different. One thing about drakes this lates in the season, though — they tend to be skinnier than the hens now because they’re doing all the chasing; the hens can still sit around and be wooed…

And Matt: I am still absorbing Alinea. I am definitely not into his presentation, which is beyond rococo to me, but I am interested in the techniques. More to come…