Page 97 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2023

TOP LEFT: Coots need to run along the surface of the water to become airborne. They usually don’t fly far. Sportsmen can often flush them again.
TOP RIGHT: A hunter fires on a flock of coots while hunting from a canoe. People cannot hunt from boats under power, but they can hunt from human-powered craft like a canoe.
ABOVE: A flock of coots run along the surface of the water.
Reload them only when in a safe position and ready to fire.
To hunt coots, slowly and quietly paddle through reedy backwaters or broken marshes pockmarked by ponds and islands. Fortunately, coots don’t startle easily. Rarely hunted, some stay put even when sportsmen paddle within shotgun range.
Frequently, coots swim or run across the water to escape danger rather than fly. Coots cannot vault into the air like mallards or other puddle ducks. They must use their oversized lobed feet to run across the surface kicking up water behind them to become airborne.
Even after they become airborne, the stubby-winged fowl usually don’t fly very far or fast. They commonly
land just a few hundred yards away, often in sight of the people who flushed them. After busting a flock, take a short break to let the birds settle down a while and then try to sneak up on them again. When hunting in a boat, people can easily carry refreshments to take a break.
During the winter, just about any marsh, lake or coastal bay with abundant aquatic weeds probably holds some coots. Many river backwaters also offer great opportunities to bag coots. Whenever people find a concentration of them, a good coot shoot can turn
a dull day into an exciting adventure, especially for youngsters.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
December 2023 | 97