There’s an old tradition that revolves around summer camps and kids with too much time on their hands. The Snipe Hunt. If you’ve never seen a snipe, it’s a rare, exotic bird that only seems to show itself when bored kids are around. The hunt for this elusive creature has been going on since the 1840s.
Spoiler Alert: If you want to remain ignorant about snipe hunting, please leave this article and select another one from this blog. I won’t be offended. Are they all gone? Good. Now we can talk about what snipe hunting really is! It’s a great way to make your chosen victim(s) feel very foolish, indeed.
There are a couple of ways to approach a snipe hunt. By having the unsuspecting rube wander around the woods with a flashlight and a paper bag shouting, “Snipe, snipe, snipe”. Or, you can take the more bloodthirsty approach. Of course, my brother and I chose Option B.
Let me set the scene for you. It’s the early ‘70s and my brother and I decided to set up a hunt. We were spending our annual week in Irish Hills and were getting a little bored. A sure recipe for disaster. Anyway, as we discussed the snipe hunt, some of the kids in our group gave us a nod and a wink. The others had never heard of it before. These were our designated victims.
After dinner one evening, the hunt began. We went into the woods with a bag and a bat. It wasn’t dark yet, so we could easily see where we were going. Once the hunt began, my brother and I tried to stay near the suckers who weren’t in on the joke. The other kids began making noise and shaking the bushes, trying to flush out a snipe.
Then, one of the kids shouted, “There it goes!” Since I had the bag and the bat, I ran down the trail after the beast. When I got there, one of the other kids rolled a softball into the sack. When our victims caught up, I held up the bag, shaking it as if a terrified snipe was trapped inside.
Then came the bloodthirsty part. The kids who were in on the gag grabbed the bat and gave the poor snipe a whack. They all took turns. The shocked look on our victims’ faces was priceless! Even more so, when I turned over the bag and the softball fell out. Classic! It has become one of the most legendary snipe hunts on record. At least in our family.
So, if you’re spending some time in the woods this summer, have a hunt of your own! I’ll leave it up to you how bloodthirsty you want to make it!
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