North Texas Sandhill Crane opening weekend

[Altitude sickness]

Goggles. That’s nothing, my dog is wearing the whole suit. Halloween that is. We have a couple million honey bees on the place now so that’s a current theme. Well actually the bees are on their way to California almond Grove’s not still here.

Sorry for thread left turn at Albuquerque

 

[Green Chile]

Have to protect your dogs. Here's one in a loud airboat...

 

[Philip Glass]

I have been curious about the "ribeye in the sky" for quite sometime. I was watching YouTube videos at our place in Colombia and a Sandhill crane hunt in Texas was on when Mama walked by and told me to stop watching and go do it. I booked with #dustdeviloutfitters out of Lubbock. Had a great time and the cranes were flying steady. Day 1 everyone in our group was limited in just under an hour. On day 2 in took about 2 hours for everyone to get their limit. The limit is 3 per day. I was shooting a Beretta 12ga Perennia SV-10 OU and using 2 3/4" Tungsten Hevi Shot #4. They absolutely crush the cranes.

View attachment 723234
Nice sunset out my hotel window

View attachment 723233
trailer blind covered in tumbleweed

View attachment 723232

View attachment 723235

View attachment 723231
All the birds from our group on day 1

Safe hunting

Awesome hunt! Good to go early season before the wise up

 

[mcaustin]

Nice! This is a hunt I've been interested in for a while as well. I've done some basic internet searching for outfitters in OK or TX but haven't come across any first-person reviews. Thanks for the info!

 

[Surgeon1]

I lived in Nebraska for a few years and they protected them more than any other bird or animal! Totally ruined the Platte River water flow system just so there would be water in this refuge by Kearney NE. They would be there maybe 2 weeks each way in their migration, but when hey reached the rice fields in south Texas there was no limit on the number you could shoot! I was on a hog hunt and a farmer caught up with us and asked us to “chase them” off a couple of his fields, even let me borrow a shotgun (shells and all). Shot several and fixed them on the grill and “chickedfried” a couple. When I returned the farmer’s shotgun and offered to pay him for the shells he wouldn’t even take some of the breasts I had cleaned (“how can you even think of eating one of those nasty things”.
They live up to their name of “Ribeye in the Sky”

You can always count me in on another chance to shoot them!