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Virginia Rails #7611132
06/23/22 06:09 PM
06/23/22 06:09 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
T
Tray Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
Tray  Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
T

Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
Every year there are certain birds I like to target, Rails are one of my favorite birds to photograph, typically they are buried in the thick cattails of the marsh and usually heard calling but not often seen in the open.
After several early mornings laying in the marsh surrounded and covered in mosquitos I was able to get a pair of rails out in the open.

3FA36AC7-EBAF-4995-A45B-2FB84A32A14E.jpeg27108926-1B5C-46AE-9E6E-C04EC1849A5A.jpeg2F944B00-591F-481C-9F69-487C26A35E45.jpeg9B5CF87E-1CF7-4FCB-B60D-62B47777BF84.jpeg8C7CAB37-0374-4B26-9F1B-1237F22883A7.jpeg
Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611136
06/23/22 06:12 PM
06/23/22 06:12 PM
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,804
Greene County,Virginia
R
run Offline
trapper
run  Offline
trapper
R

Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,804
Greene County,Virginia
Nice pictures.


wanna be goat farmer.
Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611146
06/23/22 06:20 PM
06/23/22 06:20 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,279
texas
L
la4wd54 Offline
trapper
la4wd54  Offline
trapper
L

Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,279
texas
Awesome pics, I like em pot roasted.... grin

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611147
06/23/22 06:21 PM
06/23/22 06:21 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
N
Northof50 Offline
trapper
Northof50  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
Their down fall is they like rolled oats, and the old bander would put the drop-traps inside boat houses along the Delta marsh. After a week of addiction...he would set the traps in the evenings to live trap them. That way the blackbirds were not out a consuming the oats if they found them.

40 years ago a trip in Minnesota learned how to hunt them but that is another story.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Northof50] #7611178
06/23/22 06:56 PM
06/23/22 06:56 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
T
Tray Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
Tray  Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
T

Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
Originally Posted by Northof50
Their down fall is they like rolled oats, and the old bander would put the drop-traps inside boat houses along the Delta marsh. After a week of addiction...he would set the traps in the evenings to live trap them. That way the blackbirds were not out a consuming the oats if they found them.

40 years ago a trip in Minnesota learned how to hunt them but that is another story.


Probably wouldn’t be a good idea to bait during nesting season, might really mess with territorial boundaries.
Have thought about trying it in fall when yellow rails are migrating thru and see if I could photograph one that way.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611183
06/23/22 07:01 PM
06/23/22 07:01 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,441
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon Offline
"American Honey"
Sharon  Offline
"American Honey"

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,441
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Lovely shots of a hard to see bird. Thank you, Tray. They are beautiful.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611195
06/23/22 07:08 PM
06/23/22 07:08 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
DelawareRob Offline
trapper
DelawareRob  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,763
East of the Mason-Dixon Line
Great shots!!


Who is John Galt?

You don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training.

Semper Paratus
Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611248
06/23/22 08:16 PM
06/23/22 08:16 PM
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,471
Iowa
T
trapdog1 Offline
trapper
trapdog1  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 10,471
Iowa
I'm glad you share the results of your dedication with us!

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611267
06/23/22 08:39 PM
06/23/22 08:39 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 10,787
Asheville, NC
C
charles Offline
trapper
charles  Offline
trapper
C

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 10,787
Asheville, NC
I had cattails in a marsh behind my house. Full of redwing blackbirds every year.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611309
06/23/22 09:10 PM
06/23/22 09:10 PM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30 Offline
trapper
yotetrapper30  Offline
trapper

Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
Nice pics. I don't believe I have ever seen one.


~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
Re: Virginia Rails [Re: charles] #7611328
06/23/22 09:32 PM
06/23/22 09:32 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
T
Tray Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
Tray  Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
Thanks for all the supportive feedback.


Originally Posted by charles
I had cattails in a marsh behind my house. Full of redwing blackbirds every year.


Learning the calls they make is probably the easiest way to find and ID rails, you should have the possibility of 3-4 different rails in your country.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611410
06/23/22 11:24 PM
06/23/22 11:24 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
N
Northof50 Offline
trapper
Northof50  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
When I was setting up the American Woodcock sing ground counts in Manitoba did an evening one then a pre-dawn singing route.Rails were everywhere of all the species we have here.
What was thought to be rare the Yellow Rail was too numerous to count. Seems the birders dont go out in the witching hours to feed the mosquitoes like I was doing.

Charles probably has 5 or 6 species to learn the calls of rails

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611431
06/24/22 12:07 AM
06/24/22 12:07 AM
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,101
Northern Michigan
J
J.Morse Offline
trapper
J.Morse  Offline
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J

Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,101
Northern Michigan
Cool photos of a cool little gamebird. I haven't hunted them in several years (20+!), but we used to go after them in the September wild rice beds. I have taken many more Sora rails than Virginias. I even have one mounted under a small glass dome with a small amount of habitat. Maybe I'll sneak out in the pole barn and get a photo of it to post. They are usually long gone by the time waterfowl season opens up, although occasionally we'd still have a few hanging on in the first part of October. I paddled my All Purpose Boy all over in the rice beds of a huge marsh near home and he whacked a near limit of Soras one fall when we happened to be out in September during the 2 day "Youth" hunt.

Last edited by J.Morse; 06/24/22 12:08 AM.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7611523
06/24/22 07:49 AM
06/24/22 07:49 AM
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,190
Kansas
Pawnee Offline
trapper
Pawnee  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 6,190
Kansas
Nice pics


Everything the left touches it destroys
Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7612259
06/25/22 07:31 AM
06/25/22 07:31 AM
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,665
PA
W
w side rd 151 Offline
trapper
w side rd 151  Offline
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W

Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,665
PA
Thanks for posting your pictures of a bird I know nothing about .The great thing about the outdoors and the wildlife that is part of it is there is always something new to learn about

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7612281
06/25/22 07:59 AM
06/25/22 07:59 AM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
N
Northof50 Offline
trapper
Northof50  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
One of the methods of hunting them is to use a 2X4- 5 inches long painted blaze orange.
Once you hit one, you throw the block in the area the bird went down in the wild rice paddy.
Never use a dog as their feet get entangled in the long vegetation trying to retrieve.
They normally flush at 5 yds and land at 25 yards away, so you have to be fast wing shooting

at least there is no trees in the way like Woodcock shooting smile

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7612498
06/25/22 03:08 PM
06/25/22 03:08 PM
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,101
Northern Michigan
J
J.Morse Offline
trapper
J.Morse  Offline
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J

Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,101
Northern Michigan
[Linked Image]

This mount was done 25 years ago, or longer! I can not even remember exactly where I bagged this bird.

Last edited by J.Morse; 06/25/22 03:08 PM.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Northof50] #7612661
06/25/22 07:05 PM
06/25/22 07:05 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
T
Tray Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
Tray  Offline OP
"Wilson Jr."
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 683
SD
Originally Posted by J.Morse
[Linked Image]

This mount was done 25 years ago, or longer! I can not even remember exactly where I bagged this bird.


Very cool mount, I like that idea.

Originally Posted by Northof50
One of the methods of hunting them is to use a 2X4- 5 inches long painted blaze orange.
Once you hit one, you throw the block in the area the bird went down in the wild rice paddy.
Never use a dog as their feet get entangled in the long vegetation trying to retrieve.
They normally flush at 5 yds and land at 25 yards away, so you have to be fast wing shooting

at least there is no trees in the way like Woodcock shooting smile


Hunting them would be interesting, we don’t have a season for them. I don’t see many by the time our waterfowl season opens so not sure if other states have special timeframe for their seasons.

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7612671
06/25/22 07:23 PM
06/25/22 07:23 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
N
Northof50 Offline
trapper
Northof50  Offline
trapper
N

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,120
Manitoba
many move out mid August in most of the rails
So even a 1 Sept opener you have missed 1/2 of the migration.
Rice pickers just hate them depending on the speed they are going---- that beak and jump up just before they get there....is trouble
now for Common Snipe they migrate on the full moons and a early Oct can be a real bonus,,,,,once you figure out the flight path

Re: Virginia Rails [Re: Tray] #7612731
06/25/22 09:01 PM
06/25/22 09:01 PM
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,101
Northern Michigan
J
J.Morse Offline
trapper
J.Morse  Offline
trapper
J

Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,101
Northern Michigan
Tray, the seasons are set up within a timeframe established by the Feds, just like ducks and geese. I can't imagine why S.D. doesn't allow you to hunt them. The seasons are always earlier here than regular waterfowl season, mainly because they do, as stated above, migrate real early. I would think, based on the numbers of cattail filled potholes I've seen in your sate, that there would be bunches of them there.


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