The King Rail as a Game Bird 



Although a prized game bird, this large rail is seldom hunted be- 

 cause of the difficulty of maneuvering in its habitat, and the unlikeli- 

 hood of finding concentrated numbers. Hence there are few localities 

 where the King Rail can be considered an important game bird. In 

 the gulf coast domestic rice producing areas of Texas and Louisiana, 

 where King Rails are most numerous, they are probably shot in greater 

 numbers than anywhere else; however, here considerably less than 1 

 percent of the local population is shot. In the Middle Atlantic States, 

 the largest numbers are taken by hunters shooting Sora in the wild- 

 rice marshes of the Delaware Valley and Chesapeake Bay. However, 

 in this area, some hunters will gun the wildrice marshes all season 

 without seeing a King. Elsewhere in its range, the King Rail is shot 

 only incidentally. Quail hunters in the South frequently encounter 

 them and take a few. 



Probably the best known hunting grounds in the Delaware Valley 

 are in the wildrice marshes of Salem and Cumberland Counties, N.J. 

 The tidal marshes of the Maurice and Cohansey Rivers in Cumber- 

 land County are famous rail hunting areas. The Patuxent River 

 marshes near Upper Marlboro are the most important areas in the 

 Maryland part of Chesapeake Bay ; while in Virginia Tidewater, King 

 Rails are hunted mostly along the lower James River in the upper 

 reaches of some of its tributaries such as the Chickahominy ; and 

 along the Pamunkey and Mattaponi, famous Sora shooting rivers 

 which downstream form the York. One of the most popular spots for 

 King Rail shooting in Texas ricefields is the Eagle Lake area in Colo- 

 rado County. 



A few King Rails are killed by Clapper Rail hunters in coastal salt 

 marshes. Hunters Tom Reed and Gordon Clark killed 3 Kings and 

 50 Clappers in 2 days of gunning at Chincoteague, Va., during Sep- 

 tember 1961. 



In the open piney woods of Central Louisiana it seems odd to see a 

 King Rail during the winter in some wet spot in the bluestem range. 

 I know of several hunters in that locale who take one or two in each 

 quail and woodcock season. 



METHODS OF HUNTING 



Contrary to popular opinion, the King Rail is not always an easy 

 mark for the hunter despite its alleged weak flight. Characteristics 



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