Sand hill crane hunt January 2,3- can't wait !!

[Saltaholic]

We shot a few Sunday morning. Saw TONS of them, but they kept flaring just before getting into range. Those flat silhouette decoys look great from a distance, but as soon as the birds get overhead all they see are skinny cardboard cutouts. If 3D decoys weren't so expensive, it'd be a lot better.

Divebomb makes some windsock crane decoys priced right look way better than the silhouettes

[Shane]

Divebomb makes some windsock crane decoys priced right look way better than the silhouettes

We had a few of those in the spread. Needed a lot more.

[Greenheadless]

Divebomb makes some windsock crane decoys priced right look way better than the silhouettes

We use Silosock’s and they tend to work well except for in howling winds. I will have to look into the one you mentioned.

[DRT]

The flavor beats duck or goose but is nowhere near a ribeye or even a shoulder chuck.
We have quite a few around our place and get a crack at them now and then. They are big birds.

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[RockTippedStick]

Just go and have fun.


And, don’t walk up on a wounded crane without a shotgun in hand.

When we hunted cranes in Canada, our guide, Twitch, ran out there to get the birds. One stood up and faced off with him. He round house kicked that crane in the neck just like Chuck Norris would a Vietnamese Commie. It was a great laugh. Killed it dead.

[unclefish]

We shot a bunch Thanksgiving weekend. Great lean meat....rare to medium rare is best. Tastes like sirloin to me.

Our guide carried a 9 iron with him to take care of cripples. He does not take his dog with him on crane hunts.

[DapperDan]

Hardest bird I’ve ever tried to take down. Like said above, they are tough. We’ve shot them with 3” buckshot and had them fly 500 yards before dropping. And we hit them at 30. If it’s windy they can get some distance quick with those giant wing spans. These would get attributed and then lock their wings out and glide until they fell. Was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen bird hunting. As far as fun, it’s a blast. It really is under rated in my opinion. I’ve done it once and can’t wait to do it again.


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[asu-indian]

1. Get out of the way when you knock one down. 2. They are nothing like a ribeye. 3. Like an old Cajun done told me one day “you gotta cook da goose til da goose give up”.

[hully1029]

When you're in the blind, be still. Keep your head down and dont even look up until the guide says to.

Their eyes are as good as any raptor or turkey. You get caught trying to move around the blind to get a better look, they're going to bust and flare off.

Easy bird to shoot, when they do it right. Literally feet from the blind, slow to react, slow to lift off. We shot them with federal sea duck loads (3" 4-6 duplex) and it was money.

Dont expect a texas roadhouse ribeye when you cook one. They're absolutely good, but not a ribeye by any means.

Good luck and have fun!

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[hully1029]

We shot a bunch Thanksgiving weekend. Great lean meat....rare to medium rare is best. Tastes like sirloin to me.

Our guide carried a 9 iron with him to take care of cripples. He does not take his dog with him on crane hunts.

Our guide used a softball bat. He buys a new one every year.. haha.

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[Quackerbox]

You will hear rib-eye of the sky. I call them sirloin of the sky.

If comparing to a ribeye, they suck. But what does compare to a good ribeye?

If comparing them to all other ducks, geese, etc., they are awesome! Like all wild game, cook them rare to med rare. I like them. Will even keep the thighs and legs to make crane and dumpling’s.

People mistake shooting at them like you would other birds. Don’t. Picture their heads as dove and put 100% focus on killing that dove.

I hunt them with a 28ga most of the time and sometimes a .410. Usually shoot #4 or #6 lead.

all of this

Ive killed them with turkey loads pass shooting but killed them with steel 4s over decoys

heres one getting crushed with 2 3/4 steel 4s over decoys

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApyPoqh_wDk"]Cranes - YouTube[/ame]

[eradicator]

I have, they're not.

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Crane breasts cooked rare to medium rare is great table fare.

[eradicator]

And they don't taste like ribeye. They're not full of juicy marbling and fat. They're lean like venison. They're venison in the sky. Tastes more like deer than anything else. Similar to axis, but slightly stronger flavor. Very good. Cut the breast into strips and cook it seasoned and sauteed in butter in a cast iron skillet until medium rare. It's GREAT. Chicken fried is too.

The thighs are good, but really tough. Breast is tender. Drumsticks are filled with hard tendons. Just keep the breasts.

We cook the legs in crockpot until all of the tendons/bones let loose. Shredded crane tacos are wonderful. Season however you like

[CEO]

We tried booking a hunt this season but waited too long I guess. Try again next year.

When we hunted cranes in Canada, our guide, Twitch, ran out there to get the birds. One stood up and faced off with him. He round house kicked that crane in the neck just like Chuck Norris would a Vietnamese Commie. It was a great laugh. Killed it dead.

Note to self; tip Twitch well so as not to end up like the crane.

[Mr. Stickers]

Friend of mine that guided hunts for 20 yrs turned me onto Sandhill Crane meat. He slices breast into strips puts in a ziplock with a large can of pickled jalapenos juice & all...& a bottle of hidden valley ranch throw it in the fridge for a couple days then over mesquite coals till med rare.... DATS MONEY !!!!