Hunting the “Ribeye of the Sky”

Sandhill cranes are the Rocky Mountain elk of migratory bird hunting.

They dwarf ducks and geese, tase better than both and almost hold a mythical status among those who have never pursued them.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to hunt cranes with Twisted Feather Outfitter out of Lubbock at the invite of a childhood friend Kelly Free and his family.

We hunted two days with a big spread of decoys, a high end portable blind setup covered with tumble weeds and a gut feeling this would be a special experience.

We had an incredible time and took daily half limits due to a combination of less than Olympic-level shooting on our parts and super wary birds. But it was a fun a bird hunting experience as I have ever had and the crew at Twisted Feather Outfitters know their craft and put in hard work to make sure we scored.

Plus, unlike ducks you only need a couple of these monsters for a meal.

And that was really the most exciting part. Sandhlil cranes are known as the”ribeye of the sky” for their tasty breast meat.

Some people might revolt at the idea of eating a crane but know these are not the fish-eating birds you see in the local bayou. These are grain eaters that are not only great on the dinner table but super-smart, wary migratory game birds.

That’s a combo I can get behind.

Hunting Zones

Texas has three hunting zones for sandhills show in this map. There is also as you will see a closed area..

Zone C Closed Area: Everything to the Gulf of Mexico from a line beginning at the Kleberg-Nueces county line and the Gulf of Mexico, west along the county line to Park Road 22, to State Hwy. 358, to State Hwy. 286, north to IH 37, east to U.S. Hwy. 181, north and west to U.S. Hwy. 77 at Sinton, north and east along U.S. Hwy. 77 to U.S. Hwy. 87 at Victoria, east and south along U.S. Hwy. 87 to State Hwy. 35, north and east along State Hwy. 35 to the south end of Lavaca Bay Causeway, south and east along the shore of Lavaca Bay to the Port Lavaca Ship Channel, south and east along the Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico.

Season Dates

Zone A: Oct. 28, 2023 – Jan. 28, 2024

Zone B: Nov. 24, 2023 – Jan. 28, 2024

Zone C: Dec. 16, 2023 – Jan. 21, 2024′

The daily bag limits in Zones A and B are three and Zone C has a two-bird per day limit.

As someone who loves waterfowl hunting, I can say it’s pretty close to a goose-hunting experience but the cranes are in my opinion even smarter and have incredible eyesight.

Watching the massive birds come into the decoys is a true thrill and hearing their unique vocalization echo over the prairies made the experience unforgettable.

If you’ve never hunted cranes and you’ve always wanted to, do it.

The Panhandle is a long way from everywhere but it’s worth the drive to experience hunting the ribeye of the sky.

Now, excuse me while I go cook mine up.

To book a hunt contact Twisted Feather Outfitter.

Chester Moore