# My first Cranes in TX



## JvT (Jan 19, 2008)

Having seen Sandhill cranes on our Deer lease the last weekend of Deer
season, I thought I would give them a go Sunday morning. Told Blaze my Vizsla to "Get in the truck, we are goin huntin! Left the house at 4:30 am and arrived just before legal shooting time. I set up on the North edge of the wheat field as that is the direction the birds had been coming and going. About 7:30 am a small flock of Sandhills came in from the East this time so I was out of position. Though they circled about 70 yards out from me and I was loaded up with BB shot in a 10GA with a Turkey choke, I passed on the shot hoping for better later. They ended up smack dab in the middle of the field. I positioned in the Broomweed due north of them with Blaze as my companion. I knew they would fly North into the wind and this was also the direction they had been leaving to some distant roost. After a very long nap buried in Broomweed with Blaze at my side to keep me warm I was awoken about 11:00 am to the constant dreeep, dreeep, dreeep sound those Cranes make when flying. They came right over us!

First shot, nothing happened. I picked another bird and took a little more
lead. It folded and looked like it was going to dive bomb me, but opened
it's wings again and swooped back up separate from the flock headed to the stratosphere. I had immediately picked a third bird, shot, but I just rocked it a little. It left the group soaring up to the other bird I hit. Just as
it joined the first bird, the first bird gave up the ghost and folded. It was so high it seemed like a good minute of falling, but I am sure it was much less. It was the loudest Pfoomp! I have ever heard from a falling bird.
It pushed up this Great donut of dust out in the field. The other bird just
started circling the location of the first bird slowly losing altitude with
each circle and finally folded and fell on about the third or fourth circle.










Wow, just Wow, my first Cranes! Wounded Sandhills are known for trying to take out an eye on a Dog, so I would never even think of letting Blaze tackle one of these. She would only had been used to locate downed birds if they had sail'ed off into the thick creek bottoms. We waited a couple
minutes before walking out to retrieve the Cranes to make sure they were
good and dead. I knew they where big, but I had no idea..... Blaze walked over and picked up one bird as I was picking up the other. She looked funny holding onto a bird bigger than her so I told her to "let go" and picked it up myself. Well that was my first Crane hunting experience. Hopfully not my last. 
John from Texas[/b]


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Good for you.I think they are the best eating waterfowl.The one in the picture with you holding the wing out looks like a young bird.....reddish brown feathers on it.those are the best eating.....the other looks like an adult.....all blueish feathers.....much tougher.


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## JvT (Jan 19, 2008)

Thanks, did not know that. I was not sure if the colored feathers indicated a male/female thing or age.


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

Congrats on your birds. I would agree with KEN, one of the best eating fowl!


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## mach (Aug 29, 2005)

Nice story and nice pics
Once you get to hear their wing beats and awfull squawks there is no mistake....like you said when they fall they usually make a distinctive thump when they break evry bone in their body.
My wife says they are top prioity over geese as she makes a medicinal herb vitalizing soup out of them.
Anyways these two wound up in the soup pot after they came over my good old stonepile and were met with a load of rem nitro hv 1450 BBB in Sask last Oct


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## JvT (Jan 19, 2008)

Nice picture. Beautiful birds in your picture. I do hope to get out to try it one more time. I think our season here runs through Feb 2. The wheat was just starting to come up when I killed those two, so hopefully the birds will still be hitting our field.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

How you you guys hunt them? Decoys or pass shoot, or jump them?


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## mach (Aug 29, 2005)

Here are some tips for you guys:

The last ones I jumped were 30 years ago an half hour of crawling along a fence line..can't do it anymore as they have sharp eyes.

Some guys use dekes as these birds are creatures of habit and will stay in a field up to a week depending on food supply..they will on a side of a hill with the wind in front of them and the sun behind them
A good lay down blind and maybe 4-8 dekes paired up about 6 ft apart about 10 yds from the blind..keep in mind these birds are early risers and will be airbourne before the geese and just after the ducks.

Pass shooting is the most productive and cheapest way..you have to have good camo and a face mask and not move.
They are habitual meaning if you saw them there last year they will be in the same area next year unless their habitat changes ie drought
They normally take the same routes every day depending on weather
so scouting is easy and so is getting permission as farmers hate them as they go into the swath and stomp/scratch and crap

Most likely they will go over a rock pile as a reference gide, fly right over the middle of a slough or fly over the biggest clump of trees, over bales and fence lines.
Get your *** pronto to the flight path of the first one to three waves as that will be the established route for the day otherwise it is a frusturating waste of time watching..be mobile and stealth
They will gain altitude as they pass along a roadside so ditches /gulliesare no no.

I like crane shooting as you can hit them three time s day.
-morning pass shoot
-lunch time pass shoot as they return..they will use the same flight path
-afternoon sortie to feed

I use #1s and BBBs as the back up rounds.

Make sure they are in range as their wingspan gives the illusion of being close...swing thru beak/ 1ft shots are easy as they could be going faster than geese..a good rule of thumb is when you hear their wingbeats they are too close and have been almost long gone.

There is a certain joy when you are by yourself trying to hammer wave after wave of swauking sandhill cranes and seeing the dust fly off ttheir feathers when they are hit and hearing that solid thump when hey hit the ground.

This is no hunt for fido or weak kneed hunters when they mount a crippled foot charge!!

Here is a pic from the stonepile


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## JvT (Jan 19, 2008)

Very good response. Thank you!


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## Feather Freeks (Jan 21, 2008)

there needs to be a crane season in Minnesota. There are WAY to many sandhills here.


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