Sandhill Crane Hunt In Minnesota

Well, I guess I better keep my lower back covered in orange this fall:  The Minnesota DNR announced that after 94 years they are reopening a hunting season on sandhill cranes this fall.

I know some birders are outraged by this, but I have to admit, I'm not so outraged.  I'm a little curious that it seemed to happen with no discussion, the DNR just suddenly announced it without any public input.  The only hint I saw was a pole on the Outdoor News website a few months ago asking if Minnesota should have a season on cranes.  Originally, the pole was in favor of the hunt until the site was mentioned on a few birding listservs and birders swayed the pole to a firm "No."  There's currently another pole asking if people approve of the season.  Birders have yet to find it, so the overwhelming answer on the hunting website is, "Yes!"

I'm not a hunter, although this summer I have been trying my hand at fishing and I understand the interest in hunting.  Heck, quite a few of the techniques I use for getting photos of birds are similar to hunting techniques of getting closer to wildlife, I understand the human nature's thrill of the chase (I have a ghillie suit for cryin' out loud).  But I see this being a good thing in the long run. When a bird or any other animal is suddenly made a game species, all sorts of money goes to habitat restoration and insuring we have a sustainable population (to hunt).  Many other bird species including native warblers, sparrows, shorebirds and all sorts of wildlife would benefit from sandhill crane habitat protection, so in the long run, this could be good news for habitat.

Sandhill cranes are already a game species in a handful of other states.  I have had conversations with 2 different crane hunters.  Both had the same comments about cranes: 1. They are hard to hunt, very cagey and wary of decoys.  2.  It is some of the best bird meat you will ever eat in your life--better than grouse, better than turkey and even better than pheasant.

Who knows, maybe a Cranes Unlimited organization will sprout up?  Will there be a Crane Stamp leading to more conservation dollars?  Hunting groups are well organized and get the money they need for their species, I would argue they are more organized than most birding groups.

We have a healthy population of cranes in Minnesota. Our population that breeds in the state is part of a 450,000 bird population that exceeded the conservation goal of 349,000.  That's a lot of cranes.  Birders may not agree with it, but they can at least take heart that there will be dollars seriously set aside for crane habitat.

And really, do birders have as organized a voice as hunters?  Had there been a time for public comment on a crane season, would they have had a strong enough voice to stop it?

Random Sandhill Crane Head

On the off chance anyone needs a cleansing bird, how about a sandhill crane head? Check out that red patch of bare, red skin. Look at the nares (nose hole) you can see right through it, just like you can on a turkey vulture. Those yellow eyes are mesmerizing.

You can get so frickin' close to the birds here in Florida. I'm now asking myself why I have led trips for the past ten years to Nebraska (to an incredibly cold blind) to watch a several thousand mostly at a distance who freak out when you get too close. Here in Florida at the Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival, they kind of look at you and almost seem offended if you only take a few photos.

Granted, it is a tad chilly right now, but nothing like some of those mornings on the Platte River in March.

Coldest Day In The Blind

Of course, it makes sense--I have about 80 million photos and entries from Nebraska (not to mention a few hundred emails and messages to deal with) and I'm wasting hours because blogger won't load photos (insert Yosemite Sam tirade here).

I have to say that Friday morning in the crane viewing blind at Rowe Sanctuary was the coldest morning I have ever spent in a blind--my camera batteries were totally hating me and I wasn't bummed when the cranes took off before the best morning light for photography (above photo).

Like my cold observation blind fashion? I borrowed the Fargo Hat from Non Birding Bill. When I was watching the forecast throughout the week it predicted temperatures in the teens--that's chilly, but doable to me. When I woke up and checked the weather Friday morning, the temperature was 7. When I checked right before we loaded the van at 4:45am, the temperature was 6.2. Thanks to Stan's iPhone we were able to get a temperature update while standing in the crane blind...1 degree Fahrenheit. I was seriously beginning to question my sanity. I had pushed for coming to Nebraska in early March because we would see millions of snow geese as well as thousands of cranes. I didn't think about the possibility of it being this cold in the blind at dawn.

And just to prove that I wasn't being a wiener about the weather, take a look at the above photo of a crane in flight. Notice anything weird? If not, take a look at this next photo.

Do you see the difference? Note how the legs are hanging out in back? It was so cold, that as the sandhill cranes would take off from the river they would tuck up each leg into their body. I watched one individual do it. As soon as it had cleared the ground, one leg bent forward and then the whole thing disappeared into its belly feathers and a few seconds later it repeated the same movement with the other foot.

Here is a photo of a whole bunch of cranes in the air. Some crane experts said that only the young tend to do that, but on Friday morning--all the cranes were doing it. It seems to me that the legs in back would act like a rudder--I wonder how much they are affected in flight with them tucked in? The did look like large, strange geese in that flight position.

After we left the blind, the birds went to the field where they usually forage, but in the cold temps, they seemed more focused on hunkering down and staying warm. Above are some sandhill cranes and cackling geese.

More in coming...