Marsh hens

[BEAR]

Had a buddy of mine over from Alabama, to do some bird hunting before he gets married next weekend. Took him yesterday for Common Moorhens, and he quickly got 3 to take home to the taxidermist. Today, we headed down towards Beaufort for some marsh hens, and he got a couple nice Clapper Rail too. I took Daisy along too, who is now 13 years old. She enjoyed the ride and getting to do some retrieving too. The Clapper Rail, made game bird species #39 that she has retrieved in the past 3 years.

[Ring King]

Beautiful hammer gun!!! Is that a 20ga?

[BEAR]

It's a 12 gauge. Midland Gun Company out of Birmingham, England made it. It's chambered for 2 3/4" or 3" shells. I picked it up a couple years ago from bird hunting author Worth Mathewson.

[Headhunter]

Great picture! Glad that Daisy is still eager and ready to go!

[beanhunter]

Good job bud!

[scdiver]

Sweet gun and hens. I can't wait to get back on them in a few weeks.

[Goin Coastal]

Good job!

The numbers here just haven't seen to be what they usually are this time of year. Hopefully the weather will cool and bring them on down by the 7th.

[BEAR]

Yeah, we didn't see or hear nowhere near the normal numbers of birds that my buddies are used to seeing there. My buddy from Alabama only wanted one, so he definitely went home happy.

[GobblerHntr]

Chris I'm serious about that photo! You better do what I told you to do.

[BEAR]

Chris I'm serious about that photo! You better do what I told you to do.

I'll certainly look into it. Thanks! The whole boat trailer is getting replaced. The cross beam on the frame is cracked on one side and broke loose on the other, along all the other problems. A whole new one is waiting on me at Wesco.

[GobblerHntr]

Well there you go

[quackaddict]

I'll certainly look into it. Thanks! The whole boat trailer is getting replaced. The cross beam on the frame is cracked on one side and broke loose on the other, along all the other problems. A whole new one is waiting on me at Wesco.

Probably a good idea

[Salt Marsh]

I went in the September season. Rode/poled for 2.5 hours. Saw a total of six birds. There was plenty of tide and we were in places where we have always been able to kill limits in very short time periods over the past 45 years. I was very surprised. I am hoping it will be better on the next hen tide.

[Goin Coastal]

I was fishing this weekend and the water was higher than it was on the flood tide 2 weeks ago. North wind vs West wind. Didn't see birds and only heard minimal compared to this time of year in past years. The fishing was on fire though.

[Ring King]

They're short stopping due to flooded corn plantations north of the Carolinas! Or was it that they're bypassing the Carolinas due to over pressure and a lack of resting time! Or was it due to all day shooting instead of stopping at noon? Or how about a combination of El Niño and an over abundance of chupacabra predation? Never mind, I remember now...........it's all the Sunday hunting that has decreased the number of migrators!!! LOL

[BOGSTER]

They were loud as always where I was yesterday.

The marsh sounded like a symphony of lunatics.

[B.Miller]

Beautiful pic!

[BEAR]

I know there were plenty of them out in the marsh behind the house we rent every summer. I love to hear them. Might try again after I get a new boat trailer this week. The ones we flushed yesterday, held very, very tight on us. We had a time getting them to flush.

[Salt Marsh]

It was not a case of holding tight for us. I was trying out a Go-Devil Boat and longtail motor and I was cruising through places I normally would not be able to go except on the very highest of tides. I am talking tides that occur only every decade or so.

While I continue to hear hens, I just did not see them in their normal locations.

[Palmetto Bug]

Maybe it's just me but the tides seemed higher than advertised this year. Flats that I could normally fish on a 6.3' tide were underwater at peak tide. This was consistent and not coincidental with any particular wind direction.