Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Sandhill Crane outfitter/guide recommendations

Not sure if this should be in the upland game forum, water fowl forum, or general game forum, but I figured I'd try here first. Some buddies and I would like to go hunt some Sandhill Cranes. Anyone have any recommendations for any guides/outfitters?

We were thinking about OK or TX, but are open to other states where it's allowed. Thanks.

Adam

I don’t have any suggestions but am wondering if you just watched the Jimmy Houston episode where he hunted Sandhills in west Oklahoma? It sure looked fun.

I used to get the permit to take one just in case but never fired one or got one. I know some people around here used to try it. Isn't Nebraska the mecca of crane hunting?

In the spring, when the migration goes through central Nebraska, around the Kearney/Hastings/Grand Island areas, you can't throw a dead cat without hitting a crane. Since about the entire population passes through such a small area, Nebraska doesn't have a season for them.

AK only let's you shoot two or three per day (area dependent) during a long season...

Three per day here and it should be really good next week.

There is a guide or two here that does very well.

They're difficult to decoy (wary) and they're also very tough to bring down. They're "voice box" creates sort of a "double breast-bone". You need to break a wing or shoot them in the head/neck.

When I was quit young I can remember dad, his buddy, myself, and his buddies 2 boys all getting together to load "crane shells". I can't recall much about the components except that we 3 boys were tasked with counting 25 4-buck pellets into each hull then carefully handing it back to one of the adults to be crimped.

Good outfits in panhandle of Texas.
Take a gander on the Texas Hunting Forum outfitters section, or water fowl section.