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

Heck, I'd use a grinding mask/goggles for a heron. They WHIP that beak.

If you net it, don't dink around. Pin it quick, snip and gone.

Actually, I'm not sure what I'd do. We've got a local heron, and I can tell when he's been around, lots fewer fish visible in the creek. If it was hurt, I'd probably put it out of its misery only.

Just don't try to hand feed them. You'll come back with a hole through your hand.

We catch them the same as pelicans to get hooks out. Three foot section of heavy mono leader (50lb +, do not use braid, NO HOOK), tied to reasonable lb test main line on fishing rod that you can cast a ways. Catch a bluegill or two (bream, perch, similar sized baitfish). Tie the leader securely through the baitfish’s eye sockets. Cast close to heron and let it swallow the baitfish, get tension on line and have someone run up to the heron and grab it (heavy gloves and a hand towel help) controlling the beak and wings (you need to be quick here as the heron will spit the bait out quickly if given time). Remove lure (usually have to cut the hook point and barb off and back the hook out). Pull the leader and baitfish gently out of the herons gullet if it hasnt spit it back out already. Wave bye to the heron or remove leader and feed him the baitfish, then wave bye.

Pelicans are easier as you can get much much closer to them, and they are always suckers for a free meal. The issue with pelicans is their beaks are at about the same level as your jewels, and they won’t hesitate to take a nip if given the opportunity. They are much easier than herons to hand catch, mostly because their “handle” is longer and not as sharp. Might take a couple of tries, but it is completely doable with herons.

Please make sure you have someone video this, and post it here...

Good luck!

If its not hurt , you can always hurt it with a bullet, and then you'll have a reason to put it out of its misery !

That sounds like a fun rig and crew to work with...LMFAO 😂🤣😎

Great post 😎

I’m just gonna add to the chorus about protecting your eyes. Forty years ago a guy in East Texas tried to pick up an injured great egret in a roadside ditch. It struck with an open beak and hit both his eyes.

A good thing you are trying to do.

Yes, I would not count for a second on "safety glasses", I handled quite a few pelicans that were stuck on exposed trotlines years ago. A GBH would be even more dangerous and I believe could easily pierce through the plastic safety goggles.

I attended a workshop where a rehab. expert was trying to teach us how to handle a great horned owl safely. She failed the test and nearly lost an eye in front of 75 students. Be careful who you attempt to learn from!

sounds like a bullet would be the best solution here

I've seen them after they were dead, and they're nothing but feathers.

The first thought that crossed my mind, since I could get up within 20 feet of the bird, was that a load of #8s from the 20 gauge would fix this bird up.
However, as you can see, Lake Louise is hardly in the wilderness, there are houses and apartments all around the lake.




There is always a big crowd in the park, walking dogs and playing on the swings, with Mom watching. Even on a rainy 50 degree day, there are a dozen people in this park. The park is closed after dark.
There is no way you could shoot this bird without someone hearing and seeing it. And every one of these park goers has an Iphone. I have no doubt it is illegal to discharge a firearm in Weaverville, after all, it is just 6 miles from Asheville.

Also, I think these big birds are protected by Federal law.

I was telling my girlfriend yesterday, while I was ordering the $50 cast net from Amazon, that back 50 years ago, when I was a kid, someone living near the park would have just shot it with a shotgun, and nobody would have cared. Times have changed.

Well, boys y'all have really opened my eyes, to coin a phrase, about the dangers of this big bird. So I am trying to be a nice guy, and this bird would peck my eye out.
It is a 30 minute drive to the park, I will go back down there today and see what is what. Will try to get a pic.

A .177 pellet gun will take one down

The heron that the OP is talking about is obviously not able to eat and is slowly deteriorating, so this approach won't work in this case.

Academy didnt have cast nets?

.22 Short, after dark.

If you catch it, can I have my lure back?

G23

I use to have a huge full adult Great Blue Heron that would hang out in my house.

It all started one evening when I'd left my sliding glass doors open, I was wintering in a water front home on Treasure Island Beach in FL.

It was only 20 feet to my dock from the doors, this heron was a regular, he hung out on docks around me feeding off fish cleaning stations and leftover baits people would have on their docks.

If you came in my sliding doors you were in my family room, there was a dividing wall with a 7 foot opening in it that entered into the living room. I'd be kicked back in the living room watching TV from my recliner on any given night.

I'm just sitting there one evening and caught movement in my peripheral vision, spun my head and looked and this sucker was in the middle of my family room and he was huge, he had to be 5 ft to the top of his head.

I jumped up and headed to the frig, I had some fish we were using for bait in a ziploc bag chillin in the frig, I dumped it on a plate and sat it in that opening between the living and family room. He'd backed off a little with my movements but he was still inside the door.
He jumped right on the fish, gobbled it all down, hung out for a couple minutes then left.

This got to be a regular occurrence, he'd come by most evenings looking to get a free meal.
I was keeping frozen bait around just for him and I'd gotten to where I'd leave the plate of goodies in the middle of the living room.

He'd walk right by my recliner, eat, look around a little bit, maybe watch some TV with me then split.

When he did, you'd better believe I turned my head and shielded my eyes, that beak on his face was big, long and very pointed.

All went well, just another freeloader, their in abundance everywhere ya go.

One evening when I nuked his dinner to thaw it out I noticed the plate seemed a little warmer that usual, there was a little steam rollin off the fish. He had yet to arrive so I just sat it there in the middle of the living room and started watching TV.

It wasn't long and there he was, right in the door lookin' for his dinner. I turned my head a little as usual as he passed by.

Well apparently from his reaction to my offering, that fish hadn't sat long enough to cool down before he had just swallowed it whole.

He spreaded those wings, screamed and proceeded to bust up every thing he could on his way out the back door.
The collections of glass and porcelain niknaks sitting on shelves and tables in the living room were wasted, even a high dollar porcelain of his own image laid shattered in pieces in the floor.

I'd just rolled outta the far side of my recliner, laid face down on the floor with my arms protecting my head.

He musta had a 6 or 7 ft wing span and he just flailed them all around the living and family room as he headed for the door.

Typical freeloading entitlist, just a screw you and out the door, I guess he expected me to blow on his damn food to cool it for him...he never returned.....good riddance..

That thing can poke a hole through your throat and you’ll end up in the ER or morgue. A load of #2s or BBs would be my choice but since you live in town let the authorities take care of it. Ain’t no shortage of those fish-eating bastids around here. They decimate the froggie population on my pond and eat my trout, too. Not to mention schitting up my dock. Happy Trails

Call the game warden. They need something to do.

They are doing something, they are watching him starve to death while they run around in circles prolonging his death.
Want to do something for him? Be a little humane, put him outta his misery, it's gone too long, you can't save the world..

If he was in his nature environment a predator would have already taken care of this, but I'm sure in that developed area there are no predators left.

The added stress he is going to suffer being caught the handled in his current state will probably push him past the possibility of recovery even if he is caught and the hook gets removed.

Shoot the hook off.