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The hunt is one for the elusive snipe

I don’t know about you, but a practical joke in my younger days involved inviting someone to participate in a snipe hunt. The goal was to leave that hapless person with a sack, waiting for a snipe to be caught in that sack.

I heard of such dirty tricks but never participated in them. In fact, I figured there was no real bird called a “snipe.” Turns out I was wrong.

The common snipe is very much a bird and is found along the coastal areas of Texas. Technically, it is any of some 26 wading bird species distributed around the world. In addition to the common snipe, there is a Wilson’s snipe, a great snipe and a jack snipe, which is the smallest of the lot.

A sharpshooter was termed a “sniper”, because it was known that only an excellent marksman could hit a snipe, since this bird explodes from cover and flies rapidly away.

Woodcocks and snipes are in the same family and both dine on insects, snails and plants. Snipes are about the size of a dove and have long legs and a long bill. They are a game bird in Texas with a 107-day hunting season.

I am told snipes make a delicious meal, especially if cooked rare. In the 1800’s, you could purchase 12 roasted snipes for a dollar. Personally, I would much rather watch them than eat them.

Wimberley View

P.O. Box 49
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: 512-847-2202
Fax: 512-847-9054