“sandhill cranes”

Here are the most important things migratory bird hunters should know about the Harvest Information Program.

Follow these guidelines on how to cool, cut, age, prep and cook game meat, and you’ll never hear complaints about “gamey” flavor again.

Hundreds of Eastern sandhill cranes are killed every year in regulated hunting seasons. But ironically, strict migratory-bird laws dictate that cranes killed under depredation permits cannot become table fare.

Turkey hunters have the slams. Deer hunters have wall hangers. What conquest do waterfowlers have? Try hunting all four flyways in one season—yeah, that’ll do for some accolades.

At the end of the day, you hunt sandhill cranes the same way you hunt just about any waterfowl. That’s no reason to slack off, though. Consider adding some of the following gear to your collection before you tackle this prehistoric-looking bird.

It looks prehistoric with its lanky body, pointed bill, sharp talons and 7-foot wingspan. But it’s the temperament of the sandhill crane that definitely suggests the bird should join the cast of “Jurassic Park.”

If you're going to kick off waterfowl season, you may as well do it right. So, with that in mind, Web Managing Editor Shawn Skipper began his 2015 fall campaign by journeying to the Great White North with Franchi to put the hurtin' on the local bird population.

Just like its neighboring provinces, Saskatchewan serves as a Mecca of sorts for waterfowl hunters. The volume of fowl—and the diversity, at that—is more difficult to describe to the uninitiated than you might expect.

According to OutdoorNews.com, one of North America's most liberal waterfowl bag limits is afforded to the tribal members in the 1837 and 1842 treaty areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.