Great Blue Heron

[Kayser]

Maybe as they grew the collars strangled them and the Heron ate the dead chicks.ph34r:

Lets see, Mergansers, Herons, Eagles, Osprey, Gulls, Kingfishers, Otters, Mink, snakes, I guess would be a good start for the slaughter.

The only birds that I have ever seen eat a pre-dead something is a buzzard (no native vultures, there actually is a difference) and a bald eagle. If you have ever seen the "Majestic Eagle" plucking at dead carp in dried-up borrow-pits, then you know that they are just a glorified buzzard. The baby woodies were wearing collars that were fitted loose and with elastic, so that they had room to grow in them. Still can't find the article on it.

Oh yeah, it's legal to hunt mergansers during regular duck season, at least on this side of the Mississip'. I've been after a hooded merganser for a couple years now. Gotten close, but no mounter yet.

GF: The reason that we can't hunt herons is because PETA doesn't want us "murdering another friend of the forest." They have more say in the government than I will ever admit. That and it's a shame and a waste to kill something that you won't (or can't) eat. Maybe we could ship the herons to Mexico; they might eat herons down there. Market it as "the big blue chicken" (el grande pollo azul!) .

Just my two cents.

Rob

[gonefishin]

GF: The reason that we can't hunt herons is because PETA doesn't want us "murdering another friend of the forest." They have more say in the government than I will ever admit. That and it's a shame and a waste to kill something that you won't (or can't) eat. Maybe we could ship the herons to Mexico; they might eat herons down there. Market it as "the big blue chicken" (el grande pollo azul!) .

Just my two cents.

Rob

ROFL Rob. I agree it seems a waste to kill something for no reason. To bad women dont wear big poofy flowerdy hats like they used to. They could decorate them with 'el grande pollo azul' feathers.

[riverrat]

Speaking of herons, about ten years ago I stocked a dozen grass carp in my buddy's pond as a birthday present. A couple of weeks later I saw a heron gulp down 2 of them at $4.50 a gulp. Maybe we could convince MDC to do a study on how to control heron populations and use Taney as the test program. I would suggest raiding the nests for eggs and to help defray costs concerned trout fisherman could volunteer. To keep from wasting the eggs maybe we could have a heron egg cooking contest. Any volunteers on judging the contest?

[gonefishin]

Speaking of herons, about ten years ago I stocked a dozen grass carp in my buddy's pond as a birthday present. A couple of weeks later I saw a heron gulp down 2 of them at $4.50 a gulp. Maybe we could convince MDC to do a study on how to control heron populations and use Taney as the test program. I would suggest raiding the nests for eggs and to help defray costs concerned trout fisherman could volunteer. To keep from wasting the eggs maybe we could have a heron egg cooking contest. Any volunteers on judging the contest?

I dunno....sounds fishy to me.

[troutchaser]

Brings new meaning to "poached eggs," eh?

I'll bring the toast . . .

[rls1936]

Can we use blue heron feather for fly tying? Just come up with a new hot fly that's guaranteed to catch trout. The population of herons would start to dwindle after that. Heck, if people can poach trout won't these same people poach herons. I say, put the unsportsman crowd to work for us.

Seriously, I sometimes use herons as fish finders. You know that were they are stalking, there are fish. Doesn't matter much on Taney as there are fish all over.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Sorry guys, I wouldn't want them interfering with the natural setting of the tailwater, but keep up the hope, maybe some will drown when they open the dam, or choke from eating to many trout when the stocking truck visits.

[Quillback]

It's funny how you see the same thread topics on different boards. On the Columbia river there's a big Sealion problem, Sealions eat returning Spring Chinook when the fish are congregated at the dams waiting to get upriver, considering about $400 million a year is spent on salmon and steelhead management on the Columbia, watching these expensive fish get gulped by Sealions is aggravating. The Marine Mammal protection act covers Sealions so they can't be lethally removed without Federal approval (they're working on it.)

There is also a problem with a predator known as the Northern Pikeminnow (formerly called Squawfish, name changed for PC reasons). Pikeminnow eat salmon and steelhead smolts, so the Feds came up with a program to PAY people to catch and kill Pikeminnow, it's a $3 per fish bounty. Top Pikeminnow fishermen make 30-40K per year catching Pikeminnow.

[motroutbum]

sign me up

[Kayser]

GF:

I dunno....sounds fishy to me.

Just add lemon. Lots of lemon.

Quillback: Saw the same story. Hey, if people can make a living fishing, all power too them. Wonder how pikeminnow taste?

Rob