Anybody been out? Tides were BIG and perfect for opening weekend!
We didn’t get out Saturday, but did get an hour in yesterday in Rockville. Plenty of birds and they really did fly well. Gator’s first time marsh hen hunting was a success. Took him some getting use to the taste of these nasty little things, but he ran like a champ.
Next time we’ll shoot our limits.
Good looking dog! I haven’t hunted marsh chickens in years. Used to have a lot of fun with them.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker LarryGood looking dog! I haven’t hunted marsh chickens in years. Used to have a lot of fun with them.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
It really is my favorite wing shooting…the excitement of it all, the reaction shots, etc… It’s just a good time on the water.
Thanks, Gator is my little cousin’s dog. He’s 5 and is an incredible bird dog, but he didn’t like those nasty marsh hens at first! It was comical to watch.
Larry you ever eat these things?
We’ve always given them to an older family on the island who eats them, but I’ve only had them one time where they were edible in my opinion. A friend’s dad took 40 we killed two years ago and made a perlot or chicken bog of sorts. We took the whole pan to a dove hunt and set it out on the table and the whole pan got eaten before anyone realized what it was or even asked. No one would believe it was marsh hen.
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
quote:
Larry you ever eat these things?
Hundreds of them 
About every way they can be cooked. My mom was a good cook with any game. She would even clean the gizzards and we’d eat the livers and gizzards too. Just like chicken. Almost.
Marsh Chicken hunting was one of my dad’s and uncles favorite things to do. I think I was about 8 years old when I shot my first one, and it was a fall tradition for many years in my family. Dad would always get me out of school for a few days during the fall spring tides. He got me a double barrel Stevens .410 and I didn’t miss many birds. Marsh hens are a LOT easier to hit than doves!
I think the limit back then was 25 a person, and dad didn’t worry too much about limits, so we ate a lot of marsh chickens.
My favorite way to hunt them is to wade the hard ground around the higher hammocks and flush them by foot.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Are what you folks calling Marsh Chickens, Clapper Rails?
quote:
Originally posted by bigjim5589Are what you folks calling Marsh Chickens, Clapper Rails?
Yes.
Marsh hen. Marsh chicken. Mud Chicken. Nasty ass pluff mud ball with feathers. Clapper Rail. Same thing, lol.
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
quote:
What are what you folks calling Marsh Chickens, Clapper Rails?
Are you from Ohio?
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Always wanted to hunt these looks fun. Happy dog!
quote:
Are you from Ohio? :smiley:
No, from MD. I’ve known folks who called them Marsh Hens in MD, but also “clappers”. I never hunted them. Didn’t get the opportunity & there were too many other protected shore birds that looked similar I didn’t want to worry about fines.
Closest thing I ever hunted were Woodcock. Them little buggers are harder to hit than doves.
Marsh hens are slow and don’t fly far. The shot is usually easy, and they roll up pretty good with 410’s and 20’s.
But it is very exciting like upland hunting, in that sometimes they don’t flush until the boat is on top of them. Makes for some fun shots and a lot of adrenaline when they do fly.
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
Love marshans, easy to shoot and great work for a small dog, they walk alot and don,t fly far! Hard to beleve they walk down here from the Chesepeke area every fall!
Andrew Zimmermrn just had a show on Marsh hen hunting and eating them out of Georgia.
http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/bizarre-foods/travel-guides/savannah-travel-guide
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”