Bird Board
Be Careful Out There
This morning I walked the L31W canal outside Everglades National Park and while the birding was great (as usual) there were some new...er...obstacles. Hunting season is in full effect and as I walked along the spreader canal I flushed a hunter in his blind. This guy hopped up with his shotgun and I don't know who was more alarmed me or him. I don't think you can hunt along the main canal, but behind it (where the ducks were) seems to be open season. Despite this, shotgun shells are all over the place along the main path.
While walking north I saw a couple hooded mergansers flying right toward the hunter. He must not have been very good or they aren't good eating as I found the little guys a few hours later. Be safe out there. The birding is great, but try to be visible!
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I've heard from hunters that they are fishy. But more important, they are really fast; probably out of this yahoo's league.
I spoke to hunters in Merritt Island NWR and they (the hunters) are really picky about what they shoot. Not only are some species not good eating, they have strict limits on what they can shoot and when. One hunter showed me a male Green-winged Teal he had just shot and I was amazed how small they really are. If they look small out in a lake, they are much smaller in the hand!
mergansers are really fishy. It's the teal that are good eating.
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