Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How Can You Catch a Blue Heron?

In my experience, if you leave some rods lying on a dock or in a boat, it will entangle itself in them within a few minutes.

Base of the neck shot works best...

Full face motorcycle helmet might be a good idea.

I hear Retch Sweeney on his way over now....

That's not fair...
22CB!

I suspect they are tough birds, but Cookie and I watched one buy the farm during one of our fall steelhead trips. Landed right at the river's edge above our camp where a mink leaped out of the vegetation grabbing the bird by the throat. The struggle lasted about 30 seconds. When I got to the site, I could see the bird's feet disappearing as the mink was attempting to drag it beneath a cut bank. Looked to be a young of the year bird

This park is a 30 minute drive from my house. I drove down there today.
Near my house, I cut a 17 foot long bamboo pole. There is a WalMart near the lake where the bird is.
If I saw the bird, and could get near it, I was going to go back to WalMart and buy the regular fisherman's net, a net about 2 foot diameter.
It is on a handle that is 5 feet long. Costs 25 bucks. So, I could duct tape the bamboo to the net handle, and have a handle about 20 feet long.

I walked all around the pond, took about an hour, the bird was not there.
On the way back home, I got a call from a wildlife rescue group, Wild For Life, I had left them a message yesterday.
The gal said that they had been trying to catch the bird but were unable to.
She said the bird has been flying back and forth to Beaver Lake, about 4 miles away.
She said, if I caught the bird to be careful he would peck my eye out.
She said, if I catch the bird, to call them, they would help me remove the hooks, or else, help me take the bird to a veterinarian.

Every good story includes or involves a Walmart

I just got back from Walmart. There wasn't a chittlerling or chicken neck to be found, because the local Blacks were shopping for their MLK day feast on Monday.

I can't march with them this year because I have a doctor appointment. But, I'll be with them in spirit.

"Cannon nets
Cannon nets are similar to rocket net except a cannon-net projectile is a heavy metal barrel which is fired from a launch-rod attached to a metal plate. Cannon propellant is smokeless gunpowder ignited by an electric match.

The primary advantage of cannon nets is the lack of explosives, therefore storage and transportation is easier. However, cannon-net projectiles have to be cleaned after every use. A full-sized cannon-net may utilise four or more cannons to pull the net over the target birds. Smaller nets with fewer cannons may also be used."

Or one of these:

https://youtu.be/gDcwas2pPFk

Ok! Go to Wal-Mart and get skinny rubber minnows. Attach them to a #1 leghold with light fishing line , acquired at -------t. Place in area known to be frequented by the pray. Anchor trap and return tomorrow. Same with geese but use corn for bait! I thought every hillbilly knew that!

Get caught with a Blue Heron in Texas & it’s an offense under the game laws.

I almost caught one with my truck yesterday. It was standing on a low water bridge and almost didn't fly quick enough. Rare here to get that close to one. People here don't like them much. Blue Herons carry worms that get in our fish. Mostly in bass and crappie.

If you’ve ever used a spoon of spinner you are mimicking a bait fish with a tapeworm cyst on its brain, these afflicted twirling fish becoming easy prey for both predatory fish and birds.

A predator/prey dynamic altered by a parasite, in the same way that wolves carry a tapeworm that causes the gruesome hyatid cyst disease in their prey.

I went down Friday afternoon, saw the bird and got within 10 feet of him. He was looking pretty bad.
I went home and ordered a cast net from Amazon for fifty bucks.
Saturday at noon, I loaded up my truck and I was headed down the driveway, for the 30 minute drive to the park in Weaverville.
Just then, my phone rang. The gal from the rescue group said she had just caught the bird an hour earlier.
Damn I am glad she called me, I would have been on a 3-hour excursion, to find a bird that was not there.

And here he is. These photos are from the time of the rescue.





The bird had hopped out of the pond, and crossed the very busy Merrimon Avenue, it was a miracle he wasn't run over.
There was a steep hill leading away from the road and the bird was too weak to climb the hill. The gal just threw a blanket over him.


And here I am with a brand new 8 foot cast net. I have never used one of these. This thing would be tricky to use for catching a bird, there are 2 ounce lead weights all around the perimeter. Very good chance you would hit the bird in the head with a weight, and kill him.

Interested to hear if he makes a full recovery or not. Keep us posted.

As stated, bird was caught by the rescue folks. Hooks were removed. It was a juvenile bird. It did not survive.

Information from Facebook below. Some folks are upset. They can have the GBH near my house if they want it.

💙 R.I.P. Great Blue Heron

Cause of death: fishing tackle. The lure, in his mouth, kept him from eating for 2 weeks. Other, assorted hooks, were removed, as well. Malnutrition & infection resulted...

Nancy Vergara, from Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, informed me of his passing. What to say... May his death not be in vain. May we learn from this sad event!

After speaking with several Lakers (park regulars), the Public Works Director, a Weaverville police officer, AWR, & other rehabber folks... I have a few ideas. I presented them at the Weaverville Town Council meeting, tonight.

Suggestions for prevention of fishing-related waterfowl (and other wildlife) death:

1. New signage at Lake Louise, with info about proper fishing practices, & contact info for AWR, WVL Police Department, in case of injured animal sightings.
2. Education at time of purchase of Weaverville fishing permits.
3. Periodic, random checks, of fishing permits.
4. Presentations by AWR, or other wildlife groups, about this issue. The Weaverville Public Library, or Town Hall could be possible locations. (Scouts could be invited!)
5. Organized clean-ups of discarded fishing tackle, by adult volunteers. Groups or clubs, such as the LLPA Lake Louise Preservation Association, Women Of Weaverville (WOW), Weaverville Is Neighbors, or the Sierra Club, might be interested in hosting such an endeavor.

There has always been a Great Blue Heron, at Lake Louise, while I've lived here... (Not always the same one, though! Nancy told me this one was a juvenile.) May another one, come to take this one's place. May we be better friends to wildlife, in this new year, & the years that follow.

- Laura Ayres
LLPA Volunteer

Photos: left, Linda Creasman Alexander Monteith; right, Laura Ayres

Sorry for my dark humor.


It would have been hilarious to spend $50 and a week
worrying about that bird,
Only to kill it with your net.

Good on you for being concerned, I hate to see something suffer.