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Sandhill cranes flying overhead emit a loud and raucous sound
that for some reason has always annoyed me. In the early morning
when thousands upon thousands of cranes are leaving their roost,
sailing over you in wave after seemingly wave of 10 to 50 at a time,
they are especially loud and annoying. I don't know why I feel this
way. When equally large number of geese move around the skies with
their low- to high- pitched honks, they are just as loud - almost
deafening at times - but that honk seems more pleasant than the
trilling ka-rooo, ka-rooo coming from the cranes. Perhaps it
is not really the loud cacophony of sound that is the true
annoyance; perhaps it is the fact that these cranes intuitively know
the exact range of the shotgun you have with you, and they purposely
fly right outside that limit and watch you stamp your feet in
frustration shot after shot, time after time. That was the story of
my first sandhill crane hunt in Lubbock, where decoys were
nonexistent and pass shooting was the name of the game. I knew that
the next time I hunted those birds, I would have to convince them to
come to the ground with a good decoy spread and good calling. It did
not take me long to find a talented guy who had already mastered the
art of sandhill hunting - Mark Meissenburg.
Meissenburg, a former school teacher from California, moved to
Amarillo with his school teacher wife, Kim, several years ago. He
did not like the looks of the cloth decoys used by some people in
the attempt to lure the cranes into range. He thought the plastic
decoys were not much better. So, he set about making a better
mousetrap. The solution was inspired. He prepared about 70 sandhill
cranes just like he would a taxidermy mount, but he put them on
steel legs so he could stake them into the ground as part of a large
decoy panorama. Some of the mounts were in an easting position, some
with their heads part way to the ground, some with their heads up
and beaks open, some with their heads up and beaks open, and some
mounted as sentinels. All of the birds' feathers would ruffle in the
wind, giving them a true, life-like style. An ingenious idea that
not only worked but shows why Meissenburg calls his company
Panhandle's Best.
Meissenburg suggested that we bring copper plated lead or lead 4s in
2 3/4-shells. He was confident that we would be shooting the birds
close and said we did not need high-powered 3 or 3 1/2-inch shells.
I liked his confidence! I had been on only one other crane hunt, and
as I indicated above, I can assure you that aif I had six-inch
shells, I could not have hit the high-flying beats that refused to
come closer than 100 yards from where I was hiding.
We were up not-so-bright and very early the next morning and
helped Meissenburg set up the sandhill decoys in the pattern he
wanted. Next we set up our blind, which covered with stalks woven
together so they looked like part of the field of broken stalks were
were hunting. Chairs were put inside for us to sit on. Individual
tops were placed on the blind above each of us to conceal us from
view. The idea was that Meissenburg would call the birds in, and
when they were close enough, he would say "Get 'um!", whereupon we
would throw up tops off the blind, standup and shoot.
This was a good plan. After getting all the decoys out and
getting the tops put on the blind, it was not long before wave after
wave of cranes started snaking across the sky in small and large
groups. They were looking for places to land and eat. Meissenburg
called, and it was not long before a small group came right into our
decoys. "Get 'um!" was called; the tops flew off the blind, and four
shots rang out. Four birds tumbled from the sky. We were mighty
proud of ourselves, and we could tell this was going to be an
excellent day. We got one out of the next group, another out of the
next, and then seven out of the following one. Seeing seven of those
giant birds fall from one group was a fantastic sight - there were
birds down and scattered everywhere we looked.
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Up to the task of brining the birds back in was Meissenburg's
English curly dog. He looked like a black lab, but he had curly,
Brillos-pad-like hair. I had never heard of an English curly before
this hunt, but I can vouch for its retrieving abilities. This dog
looks like a left tackle when it goes after a wounded crane - which
could easily put a dog's eye out with its long beak - and crashes
into them before picking them up and bringing them back to
Meissenburg. Quite a good dog.
What a great day it was to hunt. The weather was nice and in
the 50s, the wind was not significant, the sky was blue with a few
clouds here and there, and the birds were still coming over.
Unfortunately, we had our limit and had to quit. It took only one
hour and 15 minutes to get our shooting done for the day. Pictures
were taken, the blind was taken down and put back in the trailer and
the birds were again stored away.
We knew that the next morning was going to be cold with a
large mass of cold air heading our way, according to the weather
reports. The reports were right. It was a bitter cold 24-degrees
when we got up on day two, and the wind was whipping everything in
sight. After standing and shivering outside the motel room for a few
seconds, I returned to my room to put on warmer clothes. I was glad
I did because it was not even slightly comfortable outside, even
when protected from the wind. Meissenburg arrived, and we headed to
a new location where we went through the same drill setting up
decoys and the blind to wait for the cranes. Soon the birds appeared
on the horizon. We got four out of the first group, and then there
was a long period of waiting for another group. Something seemed to
bother the cranes as they flew over. They would stare at us
intently, start to come in and then think twice about it and flare
off.
Another group finally arrived, and four fell to our good
shooting. Two toppled over from the next group. But, unlike the day
before, it was taking longer and longer to convince our feathered
friends that this was a good place to come eat. We decided to change
tactics - when the next group came to look us over we would et them
as they were circling lower and making their inspection run. It
worked. The next group spiraled in low giving us the once-over. We
heaved the tops off the blind and shot the circling cranes right
above us in the air. Good plan! There as a long period after that
before we got the next opportunity and an even longer period before
getting the one after that. In the meantime, the temperature and the
wind were not getting much better, so we decided to call it quits
with one bird shot of our limit. No one was unhappy; it was a good
day of shooting and being outdoors.
If you want to take this trip, you should call
Mark Meissenburg at 806-467-0273, or email him at
mark@panhandlesbest.com.
The cost of this years hunt was $225 per person per day, and Meissenburg
provides breakfast (muffins and a cold drink or coffee), lunch and
bird cleaning. The limit this year was three per day, six in
possession during the season from Nov. 1, 2003 to Feb. 1, 2004. All
of us highly recommend the hunt.
~ Curtis Frisbie
Honor Roll Subscriber Report
The Bird Hunting Report, June 2004
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