When I was growing up, one of the ‘rites of passage’ that almost everyone went through was a snipe hunt. In case you didn’t experience it when growing up, or don’t know what a snipe hunt is…. it’s basically a fool’s errand, or a hopeless cause — the pursuit of something unattainable.
I’m not sure I recall all the details, but it goes something like this: the “victim” is primed with some story about a strange animal (known as a snipe.) The subject is led to a secluded spot (I remember it always being after dark) and left with a burlap bag (readily available when I grew up) to catch the snipe. He is told to hold the bag and wait until the others drive the snipe to him. It’s important to hunker down and hold the bag open until the snipe runs into it. What happens is that everyone goes home and leaves the victim alone with all the spooky noises in the woods at night.
I remember that once you’d gone on a snipe hunt, you had proven your bravery and were considered “one of the club.”
It seemed like an innocent practice when I was a kid — I don’t know if the younger generation does things like this or not…. it probably has all sorts of legal implications today.
I didn’t find out until years later that there really is such a thing as a snipe — they are small shore birds. They resemble the American woodcock but are slightly larger and have different color patterns and longer bills. But I’m pretty sure they’re hunted with guns, not burlap bags…..
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