coot? Coot??? COOT!!! worth shooting for the table?

man, you gotta be kidding me. i think coot would be in the same category as starlings or blackbirds as far as table fare goes. although i think rail are not too bad. here's an article from last weeks kansas city paper:



Rails often overlooked as hunting species
By MIKE BLAIR
Special to The Star

ST. PAUL, Kan. - When John Silovsky, manager of the Neosho Wildlife Area, answers the phone at this time of the year, he expects questions about the marsh's teal hunting. Some may even ask about doves.

But there are few inquiries about the wetland's best-kept secret: rail hunting.

Sora rails, small water birds that migrate in large numbers during September, are almost always overlooked as a hunting species. In fact, most hunters don't even recognize rails as gamebirds when they are flushed from underfoot.

For most, rails are mysterious birds that merely occupy a paragraph in the game regulations. Though the allowable bag limit of 25 is the highest of all gamebirds, they are seldom hunted.

But hunters don't know what they're missing, Silovsky says. Rails can make for an entertaining hunt. And few places in Kansas offer better opportunities than the Neosho Wildlife Area, a wetlands complex in the southeastern part of the state.

"Most years, we have great rail hunting here," Silovsky said. "But practically no one hunts them.

"They're early migrants, so they offer a great hunting opportunity for someone scouting for teal.

"This year the teal season is shorter and opens later than normal (Saturday), so rails should be an even better bet."

Neosho abounds with the right kind of habitat for rails. The birds like shallow, flooded vegetation that includes annual plants such as smartweed and barnyard grass. Those knee-high plants offer food and cover that helps the weak-flying rails hide.

And because the average water depth of good rail habitat is less than six inches, marshes such as the ones at Neosho are attractive to the birds.

The first step to hunting rails is being able to identify them. Sora rails, the species most often found at Neosho, are brown and look like miniature chickens, with short tails and short, pointed beaks. Their flight is distinctive, often likened to that of a butterfly. They are slow and somewhat clumsy, though the birds have a tendency to dive quickly back into cover. That makes it necessary for hunters to shoot quickly.

Hunters find success by walking through the shallow, flooded vegetation, flushing the birds as they go.

Right now, the best opportunities are around the old oxbow lake in Pool 2. But with pumped water, the moist-soil units in Pools 1, 2 and the upper part of 4 should also be good.

Hunting success is closely tied to the weather. Rails are thin-skinned and migrate at first hint of cool weather.

Silovsky said the birds are starting to show up at Neosho and he expects larger numbers in the coming days.

"Sometimes they stack up here like blackbirds," he said. "We get big numbers and excellent shooting, and then they move out just as quickly."

Small-bore shotguns and light loads, such as a 20-gauge with size six steel shot, are best for rails. An open choke is advisable for the typically close, quick shots.

Non-toxic shot is required at Neosho, as it is at most public hunting areas that attract rails.

State and federal duck stamps are not required for rail hunting, but a Kansas hunting license and a HIP stamp are.

With teal season opening Saturday, rails offer an attractive bonus.

"It's a great way to get lots of shooting opportunities for youngsters," Silovsky said. "You've got to have quick reflexes, but the birds usually don't fly far and there are lots of them. And rails are good on the table, as well."

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...ts/4101662.htm