Encouraging Snipe with bloodmeal

[PeterHenry]

Does anyone know if this works? Is it a modern equivalent to the (alleged) old trick used in Ireland where they slit an old cows throat and let it wander around the marsh bleeding until it collapsed and died?

I have a good (?) snipe bog on the land I shoot. In the summer it has cattle on it, and come the shooting season it holds a good (?) head of snipe - it's only a small marsh - about seven and a half acres - sometimes 15 or 20 birds get up on a red letter day, but you can always count on a few. I say good because locally, there are far more birds there than anywhere else I have shot. I always limit myself to a max of three birds at the most (normally a max of two unless a chance for a L+R presents itself). I start my snipe season late on 1st October, and only go out a maximum of once every two weeks untill the season ends.

As you can tell, I'm very keen to conserve the numbers of these fantastic birds - and if I could, I would like to give them a boost.

I'm starting a small walked up syndicate next season, and would like to have the snipe shooting as part of it, without it being detrimental to birds already under pressure from habitat loss, etc.

One recommendation to encourage worms for them was to bury sacks of manure - but blood meal sounds a lot easier to apply?

Any thoughts welcome,

 

 

[WalkedUp]

1 hour ago, PeterHenry said:

old trick used in Ireland where they slit an old cows throat and let it wander around the marsh bleeding until it collapsed and died

And to think some people believe I’m brutal 😳

[PeterHenry]

5 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

And to think some people believe I’m brutal 😳

When I first read about it, I read, and re-read it several times to make sure that was what was actualy written. It still shocks me that anyone would think that as a means it justified the ends.

[Lloyd90]

52 minutes ago, PeterHenry said:

When I first read about it, I read, and re-read it several times to make sure that was what was actualy written. It still shocks me that anyone would think that as a means it justified the ends.

 

Where was it even written?  

Don't snipe just feed naturally on that type of ground? 

 

Similar to how you can't feed woodcock, you just got to make the habitat excellent for them? 

I found a lovely marshy and reedy ground the other day. Ran the springer over it and flushes 2 that very very tight, one from almost under my boot. 

 

Stunning wee birds, and very exciting to flush. 

[PeterHenry]

16 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

Where was it even written?  

Don't snipe just feed naturally on that type of ground? 

 

Similar to how you can't feed woodcock, you just got to make the habitat excellent for them? 

I found a lovely marshy and reedy ground the other day. Ran the springer over it and flushes 2 that very very tight, one from almost under my boot. 

 

Stunning wee birds, and very exciting to flush. 

 

The Shooting Times Library 'Rough Shooting'

 

They are wonderful birds - and delicious - but you want to be careful of the ones that get up right from under your feet - more often than not they tend to be Jack Snipe in my experience. 

 

Edit - not sure why those are displaying sideways on.

Edited January 6, 2021 by PeterHenry

[blackbird]

I personally think shooting this wonderful little bird is totally pointless.

[PeterHenry]

24 minutes ago, blackbird said:

I personally think shooting this wonderful little bird is totally pointless.

I dont - because it allows me to make a compelling argument to my family and our land agent not to drain and 'improve' seven and a half acres of what is the only marshland around for miles.

Edited January 6, 2021 by PeterHenry
Spelling

[WalkedUp]

5 hours ago, PeterHenry said:

I dont - because it allows me to make a compelling argument to my family and our land agent not to drain and 'improve' seven and a half acres of what is the only marshland around for miles.

I agree. If we didn’t manage grouse moors for groose shooting we wouldn’t have any grouse. Same for snipe etc. 

[r1steele]

For the past few years I've been getting buckets of turkey blood when they are being bled during the preparation for Christmas. Not sure how much it has helped as the snipe bogs were already extremely successful but additional help can't be a bad thing. I do think we have a better residency than previously so that may be down to this .

[WalkedUp]

I would contact the GWCT 

[Smokersmith]

10 hours ago, PeterHenry said:

As you can tell, I'm very keen to conserve the numbers of these fantastic birds - and if I could, I would like to give them a boost.

Of course you realise that your proposal would not give the numbers of snipe a boost ... potentially it could move some of the winter population to your area, but not increase the numbers.

Limited takes of Snipe are fine in my book, when we start to romanticise it's a slippery slope to the land of pink & fluffy.

Golden Plover are wonderful birds too ... especially with Dauphinoise spuds !! 

[PeterHenry]

3 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

I agree. If we didn’t manage grouse moors for groose shooting we wouldn’t have any grouse. Same for snipe etc. 

👍

2 hours ago, r1steele said:

For the past few years I've been getting buckets of turkey blood when they are being bled during the preparation for Christmas. Not sure how much it has helped as the snipe bogs were already extremely successful but additional help can't be a bad thing. I do think we have a better residency than previously so that may be down to this .

What sort of numbers of snipe do you expect when you go out if you dont mind me asking?

2 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

I would contact the GWCT 

👍

1 hour ago, Smokersmith said:

Of course you realise that your proposal would not give the numbers of snipe a boost ... potentially it could move some of the winter population to your area, but not increase the numbers.

Limited takes of Snipe are fine in my book, when we start to romanticise it's a slippery slope to the land of pink & fluffy.

Golden Plover are wonderful birds too ... especially with Dauphinoise spuds !! 

I take your point, but we do seem to have a small breeding population as well as overwintering birds. At the end of the day, if I can improve the habitat to support more birds - overwintering or otherwise - and even just continue to shoot the same amount as I do now, then it's something I'd want to do.

[Scully]

Can’t say I’ve heard that one. 
We have large swathes of watermeadow/marsh/boggy bits in our rough shoot, and although I’ve never seen it grazed by cattle in summer nor sheep in winter, it holds a good amount of Snipe, none of which we shoot as no one eats them. 
It is regularly flooded in winter, but the Snipe always return. 

[Lloyd90]

11 hours ago, PeterHenry said:

 

The Shooting Times Library 'Rough Shooting'

 

They are wonderful birds - and delicious - but you want to be careful of the ones that get up right from under your feet - more often than not they tend to be Jack Snipe in my experience. 

 

Edit - not sure why those are displaying sideways on.

 

Fortunately I was just walking the dog and not shooting  

 

The book seems to suggest it is a waste of time and money 🤷‍♂️

[PeterHenry]

52 minutes ago, Scully said:

Can’t say I’ve heard that one. 
We have large swathes of watermeadow/marsh/boggy bits in our rough shoot, and although I’ve never seen it grazed by cattle in summer nor sheep in winter, it holds a good amount of Snipe, none of which we shoot as no one eats them. 
It is regularly flooded in winter, but the Snipe always return. 

👍

19 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

Fortunately I was just walking the dog and not shooting  

 

The book seems to suggest it is a waste of time and money 🤷‍♂️

It does, but I thought that there must be something in it and was curious if anyone had tried it. The original Irish approch with the cow seems a bit drastic if it was for nothing - but then people often hold strange ideas in their heads. 

[Scully]

19 minutes ago, PeterHenry said:

👍

It does, but I thought that there must be something in it and was curious if anyone had tried it. The original Irish approch with the cow seems a bit drastic if it was for nothing - but then people often hold strange ideas in their heads. 

Originally cattle grazed water meadows, as you’ll know, so there may well be something in it. 
On a significant patch of marsh on BIG shoot there are Snipe, even though the ground is never grazed, and on the lower Fells there is an abundance of Snipe, and thus is grazed by sheep only. 🤷‍♂️

[old'un]

Some well rotted horse manure will encourage invertebrates, I would lift the top layer of grass with a spade, put a couple of spades of manure under the sod and heel it back in, lot of hard work but you only get back what you put in.

[marsh man]

At one time many years ago in the late 60s and early 70s we would walk the ronds for Snipe when we were on the way home after the morning flight , if I am honest this was more to have a shot than for what little meat the Snipe would produce , now a days I don't know anyone who would bother lifting the gun up to have a shot at a Snipe , not only that , how many would really know the difference from a Jack Snipe and a Common Snipe ? , I will admit there are a lot who can , but there will be just as many who can't .

Nothing wrong with those who like shooting Snipe and I believe there are places where they can be driven towards the guns and they create a good bit of sport , but around these parts , most people go on the grazing marshes for far bigger fowl with webbed feet and the Snipe in peace.

[islandgun]

Worms breathe through their skin and permanently flooded soil will drown them, I would think raised drier areas would harbour worms whilst the margins [wet/dry] would provide a suitable habitat for both worms and the animals that eat them. Semi seasonal flooding and occasional grazing by cattle will provide nutrients and humous [dung] and the hole left in the soft soil by hooves will provide a convenient nest site for ground nesters in the summer.

Edited January 6, 2021 by islandgun

[Lloyd90]

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

At one time many years ago in the late 60s and early 70s we would walk the ronds for Snipe when we were on the way home after the morning flight , if I am honest this was more to have a shot than for what little meat the Snipe would produce , now a days I don't know anyone who would bother lifting the gun up to have a shot at a Snipe , not only that , how many would really know the difference from a Jack Snipe and a Common Snipe ? , I will admit there are a lot who can , but there will be just as many who can't .

Nothing wrong with those who like shooting Snipe and I believe there are places where they can be driven towards the guns and they create a good bit of sport , but around these parts , most people go on the grazing marshes for far bigger fowl with webbed feet and the Snipe in peace.

I think we need to get away from the idea of shooting game is solely about food. 
 

If it was just about food we could just go down the shops. 
 

As you rightly say, the sport has an element in it. It’s good sport and they fly and jink through the air like nothing else. 
 

Besides they are supposed to be fantastic to eat, despite being so small. A bit of a delicacy. 

A scallop is only a bite but I still love to eat them they are delightful.

 

I have a woodcock in the freezer I need to pluck and eat soon. I hope it’s a good eater  I doubt it will fill me up mind. 

 

[PeterHenry]

3 hours ago, Scully said:

Originally cattle grazed water meadows, as you’ll know, so there may well be something in it. 
On a significant patch of marsh on BIG shoot there are Snipe, even though the ground is never grazed, and on the lower Fells there is an abundance of Snipe, and thus is grazed by sheep only. 🤷‍♂️

I think it may often be a mixture of things - and some luck as well.  Perhaps more of an art than a science if you get my meaning.

2 hours ago, old'un said:

Some well rotted horse manure will encourage invertebrates, I would lift the top layer of grass with a spade, put a couple of spades of manure under the sod and heel it back in, lot of hard work but you only get back what you put in.

Haha, yes - this is what I feared. It looks like a solid way of doing things though.

1 hour ago, marsh man said:

At one time many years ago in the late 60s and early 70s we would walk the ronds for Snipe when we were on the way home after the morning flight , if I am honest this was more to have a shot than for what little meat the Snipe would produce , now a days I don't know anyone who would bother lifting the gun up to have a shot at a Snipe , not only that , how many would really know the difference from a Jack Snipe and a Common Snipe ? , I will admit there are a lot who can , but there will be just as many who can't .

Nothing wrong with those who like shooting Snipe and I believe there are places where they can be driven towards the guns and they create a good bit of sport , but around these parts , most people go on the grazing marshes for far bigger fowl with webbed feet and the Snipe in peace.

Ducks arn't really attracted to this particular marsh - when I have tried, the cows just eat the barley, and when I put up an electric fence to stop them it grew legs of its own and wandered off. Theres also a footpath to one side of it, which I dont think the ducks appreciate - but the snipe dont seem to mind. So in a nutshell, that's why I'm keen to make use of it as is. Snipe on toast, made in the aga with homemade pontack sauce is a treat as well.

1 hour ago, islandgun said:

Worms breathe through their skin and permanently flooded soil will drown them, I would think raised drier areas would harbour worms whilst the margins [wet/dry] would provide a suitable habitat for both worms and the animals that eat them. Semi seasonal flooding and occasional grazing by cattle will provide nutrients and humous [dung] and the hole left in the soft soil by hooves will provide a convenient nest site for ground nesters in the summer.

Sounds like good advice 👍

6 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

I think we need to get away from the idea of shooting game is solely about food. 
 

If it was just about food we could just go down the shops. 
 

As you rightly say, the sport has an element in it. It’s good sport and they fly and jink through the air like nothing else. 
 

Besides they are supposed to be fantastic to eat, despite being so small. A bit of a delicacy. 

A scallop is only a bite but I still love to eat them they are delightful.

 

I have a woodcock in the freezer I need to pluck and eat soon. I hope it’s a good eater  I doubt it will fill me up mind. 

 

 👍

Tagging onto your reply - I think shooting has to multifaceted. Sport, conservation, and food in the same measure.

Edited January 6, 2021 by PeterHenry
Spelling

[Scully]

Have never eaten Snipe, nor Woodcock for that matter, but when I shoot the latter I give them to a fellow syndicate member who’s Mother makes them into pate for his Father. 

[islandgun]

I shot two woodcock yesterday and will quick roast them tomorrow,  one each for me and the missus, Woodcock are probably the only game we have and are a very fine flavour, There seems to be a good few woodcock at the moment, I saw 7 yesterday which was a good number compared with other years. To the best of my knowledge these are migrant birds from Scandinavia/Russia as they are not present here in the summer, I also shot 3 just before Christmas and hope to get a couple more before the season ends, Despite good numbers I dont shoot Snipe as they are very small but have yet to shoot a Golden Plover which we also have in good numbers

[ by the way if your wondering we arn't in lockdown....yet]

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Lloyd90 said:

I think we need to get away from the idea of shooting game is solely about food. 
 

If it was just about food we could just go down the shops. 
 

As you rightly say, the sport has an element in it. It’s good sport and they fly and jink through the air like nothing else. 
 

Besides they are supposed to be fantastic to eat, despite being so small. A bit of a delicacy. 

A scallop is only a bite but I still love to eat them they are delightful.

 

I have a woodcock in the freezer I need to pluck and eat soon. I hope it’s a good eater  I doubt it will fill me up mind. 

 

Shooting Snipe is a sport in it's own right.

If the intention is to shoot Snipe you wouldn't wander round armed with a tightly choked gun with three inch shells up the spout that contain large shot , you would be idearly armed with a light gun with fairly open chokes with small shot cartridges in the chambers , you will always hear about the guy who shot a Snipe using BBs from full choke gun at 60+ yards and the same chap would tell you about the goose he got at a greater distance with open choke using 24grms steel 8 shot , yes it can be done but not recommended ,  when you are walking up Snipe you need to be switched on as soon as one jump up in front or either side of the path you are walking , when one jump you are locked on to that Snipe and you have only got a split second to decide weather it is a Common Snipe or the Jack Snipe which is protected in the U K , so as my reactions are no longer quick enough and I don't eat Snipe I now leave well alone and get all my sport with slightly bigger quarry .

[Scully]

30 minutes ago, islandgun said:

I shot two woodcock yesterday and will quick roast them tomorrow,  one each for me and the missus, Woodcock are probably the only game we have and are a very fine flavour, There seems to be a good few woodcock at the moment, I saw 7 yesterday which was a good number compared with other years. To the best of my knowledge these are migrant birds from Scandinavia/Russia as they are not present here in the summer, I also shot 3 just before Christmas and hope to get a couple more before the season ends, Despite good numbers I dont shoot Snipe as they are very small but have yet to shoot a Golden Plover which we also have in good numbers

[ by the way if your wondering we arn't in lockdown....yet]

Good for you. I shot a brace of Woodcock four days ago and they’re still hanging up outside until I can get them to the syndicate member I’ve previously mentioned.
There were quite a few on our syndicate ground which was good to see.

On our last syndicate day prior to lockdown, one of the regular guest guns from the West  coast was shooting, his hat is festooned with pin feathers. Apparently his syndicate shoot nothing but Woodcock!