7 2 77 2 72 If you were in Boy Scouts when I was a kid, you know what a Snipe Hunt is! You were either a victim of the prank, a perpetrator or an amused bystander… or all three at one time or another. But one way or another, every campout seemed to have its snipe hunt.

Keep the Snipe Hunt Tradition Alive

Next time your camping, spoof one of your kids! Basically, a snipe hunt is a good natured wild goose chase in the woods. It’s where we experienced outdoors folk can pull the wool of the eyes of our beloved tenderfoot companions.

It’s a practical joke where inexperienced campers are told about a bird or animal called the snipe, and if done right there is some build up about the legendary bird.

Then the newbies are told of some kind of preposterous way to catch it, such as running around the woods making strange noises. Usually at some point, an adult will throw the strategic rock, and shout, “there he goes over there!”

“The Snipe is hard to find, very fast, land-based birds. The origin of the word sniper came from great hunters who caught the snipe. If you catch one, then you’re on your way to manhood (or womanhood). And of course, they only come out at night, so grab your flashlight and make this ridiculous snipe call. Don’t forget to flap your arms!” LOL

My personal indoctrination so jaded me that I never believed a snipe really existed, preferring instead to believe it was purely a mythical creature. But guess what? They do really exist.

The snipe is a shore bird and difficult to catch after all. The word sniper was derived from hunting the snipe, since it took so much skill to actually get one.