Though I've hunted rails and I've hunted woodcock, I've never chased after cousin snipe. Yesterday, being off from work and dealing with a constant barrage of rain, my hunting partner and I decided we would walk the fringes of the duck swamps and bogs, as well as some flooded fields to see if we could put up any snipe. We did not raise a feather. Any tips for hunting snipe in the northern states?

I hunted them in the south and still do from time to time. Populations are way down where I am. Best advice is good luck finding huntable populations. When you find them, they are a lot of fun to hunt

They will occasionally show up in flooded pastures down here. Wet,shallow areas are what you need, the bigger the better. Gil

I've shot hundreds, mostly in the wet meadow zone of grazed wetlands. Few here now, as willows, hybrid cattail and reed canary grass have shaded the meadows out and glyphosate (Roundup) has killed the wet meadow plants around the edges of wetlands that still lie in cropland. Four of us shot 31 in one walk around a single bay of a grazed hardstem bulrush marsh when the limit was 8. Buddy Tom found the 32nd in his hunting coat about three weeks later!

Old rice fields and cow pastures - preferably rice fields that are cow pastures - are what they have historically liked down here. Even friends with perfect habitat report low populations, though

Are snipes different than woodcock?

Yes they're different birds (though they look similar) and I believe they have completely different diets and habitat.

Back in the 80's we hunted Snipe at Catahoula Lake in central La. and there were lots of them. It was a lot of fun. We just walked them up in the wet ground covered with cockle burrs.

We shot a lot of shells because we would shoot at some slower flying birds but found out they were actually mosquitoes.

"We shot a lot of shells because we would shoot at some slower flying birds but found out they were actually mosquitoes."

Now that is funny. I can believe it though.

Hunted a few, normally around shore line, or edges of pounds in middle of field

Look for hummocky ground indicative of grazed seepage areas. They make a beeeek sound when they get up and then go into a zigzag flight that makes for tricky shooting. I think they taste a lot like woodcock.

Are they usually found in groups (not physically together like quail but numerous birds in an area)?

Snipe are at least half the size of a female woodcock and have a grey/black coloration with a white belly. The tailfeathers have some brown near the tips. Woodcock are brownish with a buff/tan belly. No self respecting woodcock would be caught dead in snipe habitat and vice versa.

Thank you GLS.

Gil, I have seen a few woodcock out in open, big, wet areas. But, have never seen a snipe in woodcock thickets.
SRH

Stan, at night woodcock will often move into and can be seen feeding along road shoulders and pastures. Their eyes will glow like rabbit eyes when hit by car lights.
Caleb, at about 7:30 and for the next couple of minutes, large flocks ("wisps") of snipe can be seen flying in and around some perfect habitat on the Georgia coast. A lot of yakking before then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hqMQvCoLsE

Surprised we haven't heard from Skip, snipehunter, who knows more about hunting snipe than anyone I know.


Gil

Stan, I shot one my dog pointed near a small pond in woods. I was expecting woodcock. As soon as I pulled the trigger, I said to myself: "Darn. That was the fastest woodcock I've ever seen!"

Used to hunt them in Iowa along with rail (mostly soras) before any upland seasons were open. (Iowa didn't have a dove season back then.) Snipe on the fringes of the marsh, frequently on mud flats. Rail in the marsh, requiring wading. Snipe are fast, bob and weave a lot. Sora rail fly low, slow, and drag their landing gear. A real contrast in shooting those two birds. Even more so than grouse and woodcock.

Thanks Gil, I've seen that video and it looks like a ton of fun...