We had a fine afternoon on the Maurice River, really a great experience. There weren't a ton of birds around but we made the most of what we found and only one of the pushers fell out of the boat so really a red letter shoot in all respects. I managed to stay dry and considering it was my first time in that type of gunning I felt pretty good about it.
Five guns killed about 35 rails, far from a 25 bird per man limit, but plenty enough to make the day worthwhile. I fired 10 shells and knocked down 8 birds, picking up 7 of those. I missed one of those shots at a rare chance for a double killing the first and missing the second.
I cleaned the birds we brought back and Don cooked them in butter with a little garlic to go along with a skillet full of trout from the creek in front of his house. Quite a bit different than the clapper rails I'd eaten previously, very mild in flavor almost like wild quail. Very pale meat with tremendous flavor, a rare treat. Sora rails are tiny, the breasts no bigger than your thumb, so the dozen we cooked were more of an appetizer for the fish.
Tomorrow I'm headed upcountry for a live pigeon shoot then home to Michigan to get ready for a weeks duck gunning on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.
Destry
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I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough; swore little; diced not above seven times a week; went to a bawdy-house once in a quarter--of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three of four times; lived well and in good compass: and now I live out of all order, out of all compass. Falstaff - Henry IV
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