Cranes

[Fish Felon]

Back when I lived in NW MN seeing a bunch of cranes was the norm. It's crazy how many you see in the spring up there.

Now that I'm a citiot I spend a lot of time in central MN and it's crazy how much the crane population has exploded the past five years. Even just a few years ago I'd point them out when driving. Last spring was the first where it was like, "holy shyte---there's getting to be a lot of cranes."

This year I swear they've at least doubled, maybe even tripled, since last year.

Turkeys started showing up a decade ago and although there's a lot of them now, their increase was pretty gradual. We'd see a few more each year than the previous one but they never "exploded."

Cranes have exploded.

Are you guys seeing the same thing or am I making it?

I wonder when they'll expand the crane zone?

[maplelakeduckslayer]

I dunno...had one land in my turkey decoys yesterday. Then had to walk across a swap on my way out and the nesting pair went crazy, man they are annoying and loud.

[StuStiltman]

During the spring migration this year I saw at least 2 times more cranes than I have the past 7 or 8 years, but I also saw more snows than in the past, not just flying over sky high but using fields and staying for a day or two. Are the flyways shifting, did weather push them east? I don't know. The cranes stuck around a few weeks, (which was unusual) then moved on. There's a few pairs west of me in wilkin county still, but not any more than I've seen in the past. I've never had a crane in range during hunting season here in OTC, swans passing over the decoys is a pretty regular thing, wish I could buy a swan tag.

[gimpfinger]

Been having some nest along the mn river bottom in redwood county the last few years.

Belgrade to Alex has stupid amounts of them. I almost hit one on my way home Monday.

Team Power Dump

[get-n-birdy]

Have had them around us a long time in Isanti county.

In the last 10 years they've really increased. And in the last 5-7 years, have really wondered why we can't at least harvest 1-2 a season.

We have lots of them fly right over the house every day.

They are loud and fairly obnoxious. My kids think they are the remnants of the dinosaurs. When they are flying right over and are about to land, if they've come in dead quite, they can scare the crap out of you 10-15 yards right above you, when they sound off. Had a pair at 15 yards the other night, just wandering around.

[Fish Felon]

Stu, you might have been seeing lesser Sandhills if they're migrating when you're seeing snows and since you're farther west. Different birds than the greater Sandhills that nest here. I saw a ton on the drive up today. They'll stick around all summer.


Why doesn't the DNR tally Sandhills in their spring waterfowl survey? Or do they?

[Quack]

I believe their existing surveys did not accurately catch cranes but they designed and implemented a crane specific survey after the crane season started. Kinda convenient to miss that baseline data in case the hunt takes way more than expected, like it did the first few years.

[reno's ronin]

ive even seen a slight increase in SE MN. usually like two pairs off highway 76 as you drop down towards houston, mn. then another one to two pairs in root river bottoms. usually another one to two pairs in the north end of reno bottoms.

back in early 90's i use to kill a fair amount of them in kidder county, ND. (3/day limit). things are DE-licious. plenty of breast meat. not quite dark as a goose. you hit one at say 45 yards overhead and it is like a 747 coming out of the sky. good times.

[lanyard]

Best description I remember was from TOS, maybe it was hobby dog, but someone said it was like a falling folding lawn chair... always have that image when I see a crane now...

[StuStiltman]

[quote="Fish Felon"]Stu, you might have been seeing lesser Sandhills if they're migrating when you're seeing snows and since you're farther west.

That could be true, honestly I doubt I could tell the difference between greaters or lessers unless I saw them side by side. Didn't even know there was more than 1 kind of sandhill crane.