How many of us have been victims of a snipe hunt? I know I was, but when I learned the truth I had a good laugh. So, who of us have hunted the elusive snipe? I think a snipe hunt is a right of passage.
Snipe hunt
- Thread starter oc_in_fw
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http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/550475/snipe
Clearly I don't get the reference, but it is a real bird.
Clearly I don't get the reference, but it is a real bird.
Shaving CHENG a "snipe hunt" is an elaborate practical joke played on children or 'tenderfoots'. A group of older children will pick out a gullible victim and lure him or her in with tales of their last snipe hunt, how much fun they had, how many they caught, how delicious they are. Once the victim is thoroughly hooked they invite him to go snipe hunting with them that very evening. For the purpose of snipe hunting the animal is described as a small, furry mammal that will make a good pet if you don't want to eat it. They explain that the best way to catch them is to drive them along a trail or down a gully toward the 'bag man' who is crouching in the dark holding open a big burlap sack. The victim is then led into the woods, placed in an isolated spot and told to stay alert, keep the sack open and not make any sound. The other children go off to begin the 'drive'. In truth they just leave the victim out in the woods in the dark. This may be the origin of the idiomatic phrase, "Left holding the bag" meaning that a person found themselves in an uncomfortable situation through other's deceit and their own gullibility.
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We actually do hunt snipe here. I know the reference though. You guys shoulda been here yesterday. They were biting like.........
Haha this was a rite of passage in scouts, we did it a bit differently where we would actually flank the "catcher" and scare the begegus out of him multiple times. Usually we would have multiple catchers all spread out alone and take turns scaring them. I have been the victim as well.
1st camping trip with my Boyscout troop. All in good fun though
I've always carried a loaded firearm when I go to the woods, my "friends" tried to snipe hunt me once,... once.
I much prefer the skyhook routine. Good times.
Doesn't the word sniper stem from the elusive snipe?
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Never underestimate the power of the henweigh>
Keith:
Bingo...you're correct!
"The verb 'to snipe' originated in the 1770's among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was dubbed a 'sniper'. The term sniper was first [used] in 1824 in the [same] sense [as the] word 'sharpshooter'.
Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniper
Read More: http://science.howstuffworks.com/sniper.htm
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I prefer watching the submarine races myself.
My dad loved to pose the 'hen weigh ' question.
It was part of being in the Boy Scouts.
As a birder finding Snipe in the open can be difficult. They blend in very well.
As a birder finding Snipe in the open can be difficult. They blend in very well.
Hard to imagine anyone who has been a Boy Scout that didn't go on a snipe hunt!
I've been watching re-runs of "Cheers" on Netflix, and the gang recently duped Frazier with the snipe hunt gag. Crazy how this thread just popped up after just watching this!
Yep, Scouts for me as well - a hoot (as an older Scout) watching the slowly widening eyes of the Tenderfoots on their first campout as we described the upcoming snipe hunt once it got dark. Good clean fun which today would be referred to as hazing. Sigh...
