Ideal gun(s) and load(s) for snipe hunting

[Mills Morrison]

I have enjoyed snipe hunting over the years but have not been much or very recently due to lack of opportunities and access to good snipe habitat. It looks like that may change this year. What do the snipe hunters out there prefer, as far as gun/load? Thanks for any responses:bigbye:

[wayne goerres]

Dose anybody out there have a pic of a snipe they could post. Up until quite lately I thought snipe were an emaginary bird.

[Byron Teates]

Not a very tough bird to drop... Subgauge guns work nice with #8's or nine's if you can keep the noise down and get fairly close. Google snipe and select pictures. quite a few photographs...BT...

[Mills Morrison]

They are small and fast which would make a typical upland bird gun the choice, but then they have a tendency to jump up way ahead of you and present long shots which would indicate a larger gun with tighter chokes. My plan is to split the difference with a 12 or 16 gauge with open chokes and maybe longer barrels.

[Mills Morrison]

Here are some photos

https://www.google.com/search?q=snipe&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=HALoUtqmFsGSkQfS1oHoDg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1093&bih=498

[Russ Lindsay]

They have many similarities to their cousins the Woodcock. And are related genetically.

[Mills Morrison]

That is right.

[chris dawe]

We have them up here ,great shooting when you can get into them ,and great eating too ...the straight away shots are the hardest to make as they have a zig zag flight pattern end on .

[wayne goerres]

They look really small. Are they smaller than a dove. Are they a costal bird.

[Mills Morrison]

They are as small, if not smaller, than a dove. They like cow pastures and old rice fields around here. I am not sure how far inland they go. Very sporty shooting, but not many people hunt them anymore and there are not many places to go to hunt them.

[Mills Morrison]

Here is a snipe painting by Audubon. You can't see the fine print, but the scene depicted is an old plantation near Charleston, SC. Prime snipe habitat.

http://prints.encore-editions.com/500/0/audubon-v-shorebirds-common-snipe-aka-american-snipe.jpg

[wayne goerres]

I am going to have to find something around here to hunt that aint made of clay.

[Rich Anderson]

Mills this requires a very specialized gun. I would look for a graded 20 or 28 with 28 inch barrels choked IC/M a straight grip is preferable for its quick handeling ability. Your Snipe gun is a multipurpose firearm and can double as a suitable Grouse/Woodcock gun should you ever decide to broaden your horizons and hunt a more northerly climate.:)

[Mills Morrison]

One suggestion from COB which is noted with thanks and added to the want list:bigbye:

Any other suggestions?

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I've always considered snipe to be the hardest to hit American gamebird. They will downright baffle a man at times, and I've been that man more than once.

To me the perfect gun would be a 28 inch 12 gauge with right cylinder and left full, with 1 1/8 ounces of #9 in the right and 1 1/8 of #6 in the left. Double triggers of course!

With the longer range shots that snipe oftentimes offer, I don't really think a smallbore is ideal. And I wouldn't want something I was afraid to get wet because the shooting grounds for them are often sloppy.

Last snipe I killed was on one of my most memorable mornings of gunning ever. I'd killed four mallard drakes (one banded), a pair of black ducks, had a right and left on canada geese, and then killed the single snipe as it flashed over the duck blind after we were done shooting. Kevin McCormack and Don Kaas were there, it was quite a day.

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks Destry. That makes a lot of sense. Yep the habitat down here is mud and tripping and landing your gun in nasty water is a real hazard.

[charlie cleveland]

i think destrey just discribed the perfect snipe gun...charlie

[Mills Morrison]

Remember when Countrysport did anthologies on duck, quail, woodcock and grouse hunting in the early 90's? Too bad they did not do one on snipe as well, but there seems to be little interest in these birds

[Mills Morrison]

I have a reeeeal beater of a GH 12 that Brian Dudley is brushing up and fitting new barrels on that I am hoping will be just the thing. This gun is used to getting wet, I think

[Mills Morrison]

I found this website while surfing around. This guy likes a 20 gauge, so one more perspective.

http://www.thesnipehunter.com/page4.html

[charlie cleveland]

the snipe hunter really spoke well on the choice of shotgun for snipe hunting..my gun of choice would be my 1894 remington 12 ga that has 26 inch barrels and imp modified barrels..i wish one of them wasfull choke...as destrey said i then would have the perfect snipe gun...a friend said you was suppose to use a tow sack and hunt snipe at night.i ve been on a few of these hunts...charlie

[David Dwyer]

Mills
I love hunting them on broken marsh at low tide. There are a bunch here now so go for it! I shoot a VH 28ga 30" barrel with RST 8's. I limit myself to one box of shells as my success rate is below 50%
There is always something to shoot in the low country!
David

[Mills Morrison]

I am thinking of taking a variety of guns and trying each out. Hope to get out this weekend

[chris dawe]

A 12 works well like Destry said, they come up wild and fast at times so you want some gun ...we mostly carry 12 on the barrens up here where we find them because the main quarry is Ptarmigan which are also wild and fast up here ...very much unlike the mainland strain

Here's a pic of typical spot where I would find a snipe ,which I did ...also a pic of Heiko locked up on one (which I didn't get ) they're his favorite bird to point
...

[David Dwyer]

I just has some minor work done on my DHE 12 duck gun and the smith packed the receiver with grease. He told me that was common in the early doubles used for ducks and is even mentioned in the Parker stock books.
This sounds like a good idea for any double used in the marsh. Anyone knowledgeable about this practice?
David

[Mills Morrison]

I have not heard about that, but it makes sense

[Angel Cruz]

Here you go Mills. This will motivate you.
I have a hunt scheduled for Feb. 9th and I can't wait. The guide recommended imp cy. and mod with 7-1/2 of 8 shot.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Nice Angel! Give us a full report when you get back.

DLH

[Mills Morrison]

I have one scheduled this weekend, as long as other engagements don't interfere.

[charlie cleveland]

hope you boys have a good hunt we expect some good shooting and a full report even on the misses...charlie

[Mills Morrison]

We are iced in here today, so I have been reading Twenty Years Snipe Shooting by JJ Pringle. A must have book for any avid snipe hunter.

[Angel Cruz]

That's funny. I've been reading "Reflections on Snipe" by Worth Mathewson.
Gonna have to take a look at that book.
I found that picture in the internet and I keep it till I'm able to take a picture of my own.

[Mills Morrison]

The copy I have is a reprint (original very rare and expensive) and Worth Mathewson does the intro

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I believe that's about the only one of the early US sporting books that I've not at least handled an original copy of. I've got the same reprint, it's an interesting book for sure.

DLH

[Mills Morrison]

Sure would like a copy in my library one of these days. You can't have it all though

[John Marscher]

I have always used a 12ga. We burn quite a bit of marsh every year to draw them in. Burned about a month ago and have had two good hunts. Tricky little birds.

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt176/marscherj1/DSC09926_zps4b1cad8a.jpg (http://s609.photobucket.com/user/marscherj1/media/DSC09926_zps4b1cad8a.jpg.html)

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt176/marscherj1/DSC07286.jpg (http://s609.photobucket.com/user/marscherj1/media/DSC07286.jpg.html)

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt176/marscherj1/A621B819-D72C-4E9F-9300-C3A1BF2CA7AD_zpspzn4bvng.jpg (http://s609.photobucket.com/user/marscherj1/media/A621B819-D72C-4E9F-9300-C3A1BF2CA7AD_zpspzn4bvng.jpg.html)

[Angel Cruz]

Nice John. Here in Fl I'm hoping for more rain.
Nice gun!!