Don’t snipe at this author; he wrote the book on this legend

Have you heard about the snipe hunter who wrote a bird hunting guidebook? It’s no joke. His name is John Shewey, and he’s the author of the “Wingshooter’s Guide to Oregon,” a straight-shooting primer on hunting everything from band-tailed pigeon to valley quail.

The 371-page softcover came out in August, just in time for the 1999-2000 bird hunting seasons. And, yes, Shewey’s book includes a chapter on snipe hunting.

That’s bound to raise eyebrows among those who equate snipe hunting with a classic practical joke.

Indeed, the Dictionary of American Slang says a snipe hunt involves taking some uninitiated person to a remote spot, usually at night, and giving him a gunny sack to capture the “snipe” that his “hunting companions” say they’ll soon be chasing his way.

At that point, his companions sneak away, leaving their victim behind, holding the bag, to discover the hoax in his own good time.

So well-known is that hunting rite of initiation – and so little-known is the fact that common snipe are, indeed, a legitimate game bird – a hunter is likely to be greeted by disbelief when he approaches farmers to seek permission to hunt snipe on their land.

“I’d had some real funny responses from people,” said John Shewey, author of the “Wingshooter’s Guide to Oregon.” “It got to the point where I started carrying a frozen snipe I’d kept in the freezer from the previous season plus a bird book and the game regulations – and on several occasions had to show all three just to prove I wasn’t crazy.”

Shewey said he enjoys all types of bird hunting, especially chukar hunting.

But there’s something special about the solitude of the snipe hunt, and the challenge of hitting a bird that flies like a jet fighter evading enemy planes.

“All the years I’ve been doing it, I don’t know that I’ve ever run into another snipe hunter,” Shewey said.