Whooping Cranes back in La.

[Garfish]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/blogs/po...115521674.html

Thought this was pretty cool.

I've seen em several times in the Aransas NWR while fishing around there mainly in Mesquite Bay in the spring. They are rather tall which surprised me the first time I saw them.

[meaux fishing]

I talked with the head ldwf wildlife biologist about this at my great aunts funeral a couple months ago. Its pretty cool how they are doing it. The birds are being raised in captivity without ever seeing a human. When it is necessary for there to be contact with humans the workers put on costumes like gillie suits. It is also gonna be a great way to get federal money for coastal restoration to improve the habitat for them

["W"]

there are many fields on HWY 14 and Hwy 27 in Cameron parish that have been holding them steady for 8 or 9 years now!

Heading to big lake this week we saw a field on 397 with about 200 in it. I have seen some in Jeff Davis parish south of Welsh last year! I wish we could hunt them

["W"]

Originally Posted by "W"

there are many fields on HWY 14 and Hwy 27 in Cameron parish that have been holding them steady for 8 or 9 years now!

Heading to big lake this week we saw a field on 397 with about 200 in it. I have seen some in Jeff Davis parish south of Welsh last year! I wish we could hunt them

My bad.....It was Sand Hill Cranes we saw!! not Whooping Cranes

[gckid]

thats sandhill cranes u see. they are grey with red facial coloring. whooping cranes are white.

[specktator]

I have killed some sandhill cranes in Mexico. They are huge!

[DUCKGOGETTER]

W i think you're talking about sandhill cranes not whooping cranes, and i saw a field yesterday with about 100 or so. I also wish you could hunt them down here, cause i bet that's fun to shoot.

["W"]

Yea thats what I meant.......LOL.........I wish we could blast a few of those!! Eric Mexicans that crawfish for him said thats the best eaten

[DUCKGOGETTER]

I would love to take a trip and go lay a few down. Do i hear a salty cajun sandhill crane hunt next year?

[specktator]

Shot them in Mexico. Some guys wanted to mount em but they wouldn't let us bring em back to the states. They cleaned em up and grilled the breast filets for us. It is truly a "ribeye in the sky" That morning my dad, myself, and 2 buddies shot 93 pintails in one hunt. Place is unbelievable. Too bad Im too scared to go back.

[DUCKGOGETTER]

That's awesome look at the size of them things.

[BIGJ]

Dats some big ol birds right there.

[Ray]

Which one taste better????

[gckid]

Originally Posted by Ray

Which one taste better????

whooping crane, taste like bald eagle

[Ray]

Originally Posted by gckid

whooping crane, taste like bald eagle

What's the GC stand for in your name?

[speck-chaser]

w, in case you forget,those would be sand hill cranes.

[specktator]

I saw a bald eagle while duck hunting a flooded timber hole right by Angola prison a few weeks ago. I haven't seen one in years. He was huge. Landed in a tree right by us.

[aidan]

Why wont they let us hunt sandhill cranes?

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by aidan

Why wont they let us hunt sandhill cranes?

Louisiana doesn't have a big enough population. The population at Holmwood is right at 1000 birds. Its the largest popualation in the state. I know Cheneyville has another good size population and there are a few other little populations in the NE part of the state. Our birds are a different subspecies from the ones that are hunted in TX, they come from different breeding areas. TX and the west have tens of thousands of birds, we don't have enough to sustain a huntable population. I know some subspecies are endangered or at least threatened. Our subspecies may be on the list, have to look that up.

On eagles - Morgan City had an Eagle Expo this weekend. That area has something like 70 nesting pairs of eagles. There is a pair on Lake Martin in Breaux Bridge I see quite often, but haven't found the nest yet

[swamp snorkler]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Louisiana doesn't have a big enough population. The population at Holmwood is right at 1000 birds. Its the largest popualation in the state. I know Cheneyville has another good size population and there are a few other little populations in the NE part of the state. Our birds are a different subspecies from the ones that are hunted in TX, they come from different breeding areas. TX and the west have tens of thousands of birds, we don't have enough to sustain a huntable population. I know some subspecies are endangered or at least threatened. Our subspecies may be on the list, have to look that up.

On eagles - Morgan City had an Eagle Expo this weekend. That area has something like 70 nesting pairs of eagles. There is a pair on Lake Martin in Breaux Bridge I see quite often, but haven't found the nest yet

I see eagles all the time along the Houma Navigation Canal In Houma.