There was a time when I thought I was the only person who chased the purple ghosts of the bayou. Well, truthfully I never really thought I was the only one but very often I wondered who the handful of other hunters might be who took advantage of the white-meat answer to poule’ deau known as gallinules.

That was until those lean years when duck hunting bottomed out with a 30-day season and a three-bird limit and a halt to the season’s appetizer, the teal season. Now things are different, or the same again, depending how you look at it. 16-day teal and 60-day, six-bird duck seasons have been, and continue to be, the norm.

Right now you’re probably thinking, have I seen these things before? Let’s get down to what is and what isn’t a real honest to goodness gallinule. Even before the days of reduced waterfowl action I was out there stalking, paddling the bayous off Lakes Salvador and Des Allemands. The dead-end pipelines make perfect hiding and feeding places for these shy, wily members of the shorebird family. I used to take them incidental to duck hunting, but I always made mental notes of their favorite haunts so I could go back and hunt specifically for them when the duck season was closed. One thing I always notice about a good gallinule spot is the presence of reeds and lilies. They use them for cover for hiding and they walk on top of them while picking seeds and insects. Secondly, there are two species of gallinules in Louisiana, the common and purple. They closely resemble each other being small chicken-sized with blackish feathers, red beaks and feet that look as though they belong to a much bigger bird. The iridescent purple on the one named after it makes it a little more attractive than its otherwise dopey looking cousin, the common. Commons live here year round and become much more familiar to human patterns, making them a little harder to hunt. The purple is a native of Central and South America and migrates here for spring nesting and remains until late summer, missing most of the hunting season, which isn’t much pressure for them anyway. Their daily habits pretty much are routine. They venture out from the protection of their grassy cover to snack on floating seeds or insects, then dart into cover when a boat passes. In areas where there is no, or very little hunting pressure, they don’t even bother to duck into cover when humans approach. In these cases, gallinule hunting is very easy. More on techniques later, but first I want to let you in on some little-known secrets about gallinule hunting.

Unlike duck hunting, gallinule dates are always long. They’re legal game during the special early teal season. This year’s dates are Sep 12-27. The regular season opens concurrently with the regular duck season for a total of 70 days. Daily bag limit is 15; that’s right 15 (more than double the duck limit)! 

Here’s some more good news about gallinules. One, you don’t need a state or federal duck stamp. You do need a basic hunting license and Harvest Information Permit. Two, you don’t have to use steel shot (unless on a federal refuge) and three, there are plenty of public hunting areas with plenty of gallinules and few hunters after them.

 Now, if I’ve gotten you interested enough to give gallinules a try, here’s how to do it. I’ve seen a few gallinules in brackish-water marshes, but you’ll be a lot more successful by sticking to freshwater areas. Their hide and seek tactic dictates how to hunt them. One of my favorite techniques is to paddle in by pirogue to a series of narrow cuts and canals where I know gallinules hang out, or that I might have spotted them while fishing during spring or summer. Gallinules, especially after they’ve been hunted, scatter into the reeds and grasses when hunters approach. Most times you can get a shot or two off while they’re scurrying to cover. Then, instead of leaving to find another flock, I will quietly pull against the bank and remain motionless until they recover from the shock of the shots and return to feeding along the banks. If you don’t shoot the first one out, several others will follow, giving you a chance for doubles or even triples. This can be done several times before moving to another area. Another way is to bring a close-working retriever and let the dog flush the birds. Gallinules think that flying should be left to birds who are better equipped aerodynamically to handle it. I agree. Equipment-wise, gallinule hunting is pretty simple. Knee or hip boots, any gauge shotgun loaded with low brass # 7 1/2s or 8s and the optional dog are all that’s needed. Gallinule hunting gets even better. You don’t need to lease a pond or acreage, there’s plenty of public hunting for these birds. Many of the state wildlife management areas have plenty of gallinules. The best are Salvador, Manchac and Pass a Loutre. Another word of caution: gallinules very closely resemble coots or poule’ deau. These birds, like ducks, are federally regulated. Consequently, season dates stamp and steel shot requirements are different. Be extremely careful to positively identify the two.

Once you’ve bagged a mess of gallinules (and you’re likely to have a few rails too since they occupy the same haunts) you’ve got quite a potential dish. I compare the taste of gallinule to quail and all the same recipes apply. They’re great in gumbos, stews, broiled, baked or fried. And don’t try to pick ‘em, they skin very easily.

I’m glad ducks have made such a fantastic comeback. But I’ll still keep hunting the purple ghosts. Gallinules are like what our parents told us children should be: very seldom seen and not heard.