Brant & eelgrass

eelgrass · Nov 19, 2005

Here on the west coast I have the unique opportunity to hunt the Black Brant, a strictly sea going goose. They nest on the Arctic coast and winter as far south as Baja, Mexico. On their migration, they stop in shallow bays that have eelgrass, their favorite food. When they come into Humboldt Bay, the hunt is on.

Here is a picture of eelgrass (not me, the REAL eelgrass, lol)

A good brant hunter will camo his boat with eelgrass! The boat is used as a floating blind.

Some brant decoys are available commercially, but I made my own. They are made of 1/4" plywood "silhouettes" in a tripod formation that fold together for transport, and painted.

I went out this morning, but with the nice weather, the birds were wary so only managed to get one. The limit is 2 per day.

When I got back in, a friend was there to take a picture of eelgrass....I mean me! Eelgrass....."Now you know......the rest of the story!" Brant are the very best eating of all the ducks and geese!

YukonDall · Nov 19, 2005

COOL SETUP STEVE, BUT WHO IS THE OLD CHINESE FELLOW IN THE PICS. LOL/ YD.

polarbear · Nov 19, 2005

Y-D
Buuhaaaaaaaahaaaa!!!!!!!! I was thinkng the same!! Good one. Cool pics man! Thanks for sharon!

Eric

Chef · Nov 19, 2005

Very cool Steve.
I never knew.
What do they taste like?
How do you prepare them?

Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"

D13er · Nov 19, 2005

looks like Hopsing from bonanza........deciding what to do with that water chicken.

JB

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
--Benjamin Franklin 1759

eelgrass · Nov 19, 2005

Chef,

I guess the only way would be to Stir-fry them! Served with chop sticks!

Steve

JohnSWA · Nov 19, 2005

Great story and awesome pics! It's nice to finallly have a face with the name! Bon Apetit!

eelgrass · Nov 19, 2005

LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-05 AT 08:32PM (MST)[p]Or, if you prefer, Sweet and Sour Brant! LOL

All I ever did was ask how do you hunt turtles? Now nobody will ever take me seriously again! LMAO!!!!!

Steve

Cass · Nov 19, 2005

Comes with the territory Ell. Great looking photos, That bird should be great tasting!

-Cass

fatrooster · Nov 19, 2005

When I lived in Florida the eelgrass was the favorite food of the manatee. We also wade fished in eelgrass for largemouth bass. Nice pics eel. fatrooster.

Flatlandr · Nov 19, 2005

Nice pics! Thanks for showing something alittle different. Very unique looking birds...did not know about them. Like the homemade decoys too.

Mark

YukonDall · Nov 20, 2005

HEY FATROOSTER, IS THAT MANATEE TAG HARD TO DRAW? I THINK EELGRASS NEEDS TO GET OUT ON A NEW KIND OF HUNTING ADVENTURE REAL SOON. ARE THEY DANGEROUS, I HERE THEY WILL CHARGE AT THE DROP OF A CROWN ROYAL BOTTLE. STEVE THIS IS YOUR NEXT HUNT, BUT SOME OF THE MM GUYS NEED TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ON THIS CUNNING, LARGE, AGRESSIVE BIG GAME ANIMAL. TURTLES AND BRANT ARE EASY, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL ON THIS BAD BOY. TAKE THE CHINESE FELLOW ALONG, I BELIEVE HOPSING IS YOUR TRACKER & PROFESSIONAL HUNTER--- HEH!! YD.

eelgrass · Nov 20, 2005

All kidding aside, I think I will try Chef's Seared Duck Breast with Jalapeno Honey Glaze!

Fatrooster, I had no idea that eelgrass was found on the east coast also. That's interesting.

YD, when turtle hunting in Florida, we use Manatees for bait!LOL

Steve

kilowatt · Nov 20, 2005

Steve,
Nice pictures and also wondered what the eelgrass looked like now I know.
Oh by the way, after seeing your mug shot I guess you could pass for a kin relative of Charlie Chan on a much smalled thin frame kind of guy. Just kidding, the pictures look nice.

Brian

B_F_E · Nov 20, 2005

Here the sage Eelgrass, teaches Dakotakid how to hunt Brant.....

"yes Grasshopper, in order to bag your limit, you must feel there presence in order to harmonize your ying to their yang"

Lien2 · Nov 21, 2005

Great pics Steve!
Unfortunatly, now I know what you look like!

Just razzin' ya!!!

Lien2

ridgetop · Nov 23, 2005

Thanks for the great pics and story eelgrass! Always nice to see and hear about different kinds of hunting most of us on here haven't ever experienced.

wymw · Nov 23, 2005

Now I know what eelgrass (the plant) and eelgrass (the person) both look like. Hey, Eelgrass, I prefer the person (being a carnivore..).

Great job on the decoys!
mark

ansonlynn · Dec 11, 2005

Hey eelgrass, nice pics and story. I've got one you might like, my college wildlife law enforcement instructor was a retired USFWS agent who worked Great Bay in New Hampshire, where they hunt a very similar bird, the Atlantic Brant. There are also many cormorants (NOT the best eating of all the waterbirds, as he tells it!).

Some of the hunters were a little ID challenged, and it was not uncommon for a cormorant to get bagged as a "black goose", the local name for brant. He carried a Coleman stove and a frying pan, salt, pepper and oil, in the trunk of his patrol car (back then, they worked out of cars). Hunters who bagged a cormorant were offered the choice of breasting it out, cooking it and eating it in front of Dave, or taking the ticket.

Some took the ticket after cutting into the cormorant to breast it out. (Apparently, cormorant meat smells like rotting fish.)Some took the ticket when they smelled the cormorant meat hit the hot oil. Some took the ticket after after the first taste was spit out on the ground. Some took the ticket after they puked. Some toughed it out and ate the cormorant.

He relayed that it got to be quite a social affair out there, to the point guys would rat out their buddies just for the cormorant cooking experience, and other hunters would leave their spreads to watch the show. Other hunters would end up rolling on the ground in hysterics, watching some poor slob eat - or attempt to eat - filet of cormorant.

Any group he'd caught with a cormorant would talk about it on every subsequent field check for years after, and quite a few of those guys helped him out with good info on serious violators after that experience. He used this story as an example of how to develop a rapport with your hunting public, as well as getting the message across effectively of target identification. The stories among the hunters azbout the ordeal of eating cormorant probably got that message across more effectively than any penalty.

eelgrass · Dec 11, 2005

ansonlynn, that's a funny story. I know the cormorant very well, as we have them here too. I would gladly pay the fine before eating one of those!LOL. They are similar in size and color to brant and can fool a lot of hunters for sure, especially from a distance.

One thing to look for: A cormorant will fly along for a while and then I guess he get's tired because he will glide for a few seconds before continuing. Brant, and all geese for that matter, have a steady wing beat except when they "set" to land. That's a fool proof method to tell them apart when at a distance.

On very rare occasions, I have heard of Atlantic Brant being seen here on the west coast. And I'm sure a few Black Brant have gotten their wires crossed and headed down the Atlantic flyway.

The Black Brant numbers must be down, as we only had a 15 day season this year. It's usually a 30 day season.

Steve

kilowatt · Dec 11, 2005

Steve,
There was a group of us that went out on a party boat for bottom fish a few years ago and those darn Cormorant would come flying right over the boat and dive down to get the bait off the hooks as we would be bringing the lines back up. My friends son hooked one of them on the wing and the Capt. got mad, he tried and finally got the hook out and released the "thief". What's the stupid bird do, comes right back and drives down to get the bail as the young guy was letting out line.
Down here they are protected I guess.

Brian

eelgrass · Dec 11, 2005

Brian,

I hooked a Grebe one time while salmon fishing on the Eel River. I was using Anchovys. The dang thing dove down and picked it up off the bottom. Thank goodness for barbless hooks! I got "razzed" pretty good. Especially since I felt the strike and yelled "FISH ON!"

dakotakid · Dec 11, 2005

Steve,

I hooked a seagull once while salmon fishing offshore. Or I should say he hooked himself. His whole experience of the situation was probably much less satisfying than mine.

Mike

bobcatbess · Dec 11, 2005

Mike

THATS A FEDERAL OFFENSE!!!

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COMMITTED THEM???

THATS THE UTARD STATE BIRDY!!!

WAIT TILL THE UDWR READS YOUR POST!!!

THE ONLY bobcat HOPEING YOU WERE PRACTICING YOUR CATCH & RELEASE TACTICS!!!

dakotakid · Dec 11, 2005

bess,

A gull diving out of the sky and impaling its beak on MY hook is a federal offense?

Mike

eelgrass · Dec 11, 2005

A Federal Offense? It's more of a "sport" here on the coast! Some of the local "kids" use light line with no weight down at some of the docks. No hooks either. They swallow it whole! Kind of like flying kites! It's funny to watch!

We have thousands of seagulls hanging around the fish processing plants and fishing boats. I have to "wash the seagull" off my truck at least once a week from where I park at work.

I HATE Seagulls!

Steve

bobcatbess · Dec 11, 2005

Mike

IT'S CALLED 'ENTICING BAIT'!!!

THEY WON'T LET YOU HARM THE GULLS!!!

NOW YOU KNOW I'M JUST RAZZING YOU A BIT,SOMBODY'S GOT TOO!!!

KINDA LIKE THE TIME I WAS FISHING BELOW JACKSON DAMN A FEW YEARS AGO,I WAS THROWING LARGE RAPALA'S HOPEING FOR A MACK ATTACK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN OUT OF NOWHERE THIS DAMN GOSS HAWK STRUCK & ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE,HE HIT THE WATER LIKE A BULLET AND IMPALED HIS CLAWS ON MY RAPALA, THEY DON'T MISS,YA,I LOST MY RAPALA & MY TUNE-UP TOOL WAS IN THE TRUCK!!!

THE ONLY bobcat REMEMBERING ALOT OF YEARS AGO WHEN I RETRIEVED A GULL ON MY RIGGIN!!!