Important News you won't want to miss...
New Hunting Rules and Regulations
for 1999.
Killer Snipe Peck Out Kansas
Hunter's Eyes.
Snipe Whistles Now Legal.
More Stories.
New Hunting Rules and Regulations 1999
As hunters flock to the woods in search of the ever-evasive snipe this year, they better know the new rules for the winter 1999 season. A migratory bird, the snipe has always been protected by federal law. This year, the feds are adding even more rules to the veritable encyclopedia of regulations hunters already need to memorize. Hunters should, however, be pleased about most the new changes. Following is a list of some new rules hunters will look forward to.
No longer must you hunt snipe bare foot. Good news for victims of frostbite; footwear is now legal!
Whistles and artificial birdcalls are legal for 1999—No more hoarse voices!
It will now be legal for you to hunt with trained bird dogs. Just be careful that the ferocious snipe do not eat your prize golden retriever,
The new snipe limit is 12 birds per season. All birds must be tagged. Tags now accompany your snipe license and must be attached to the bird's metatarsal bone immediately after the bird is bagged.
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Killer Snipe Peck Out
Kansas Hunter's Eyes
Tired of having the burlap pulled over their eyes, some snipe are fighting back. It seems absurd to most snipe hunters that their fat, smelly game could be aggressive, but they are. If it wasn't hard enough for hunters to capture snipe before, this season promises to be more challenging.
Snipe all around the country are turning on hunters, attacking them with beak and claw. A Kansas man was killed March 20, 1999 when he encountered a flock of snipe near his farm. Apparently he caught one large snipe in his bag when the rest of the flock turned on him. According to witnesses, the birds pecked his bare feet causing him to fall to the ground. "It was all over after that," said 53-year-old Grahm Baker of Peaquod KS, "He hit the ground and the birds swarmed all over him, pecking out his eyes and throat before anyone could help. It was all feathers, beaks, and blood!"
This is not an isolated incident. The Burlap Bag has received hundreds of reports claiming equally aggressive behavior from the birds this season. Hunters do not seem to be intimidated, though. Letters to the editor indicate a mood of excitement for this winter's hunt.
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Snipe Whistles Now Legal
There are a few changes in the rules of snipe hunting this year. Among those changes is the new rule allowing the use of manufactured snipe calls this winter. This is good news for hunters who struggle to learn just the right pitch, volume, and inflection to use when standing in the woods calling snipe. Now they can just buy a whistle that already has the right call for your snipe. But where can you get one of these calls?
Sporting goods stores have been stocking up extra calls to be released Nov. 11, 1999 when the first season opens and the calls will be legal. The calls range in price anywhere from $1.80 to $50.00, and they come in all shapes, sizes and colors. There are different calls for different times of the year and even different parts of the country so be sure to buy the call that is right for you.