Page 16 - 2020 Jan/Feb Outdoor Oklahoma

So, on a duck hunt that fall, on a small
Darrin hiLL/oDwc public lake, the two men happened to get
within range of a pair of snipes. Each of
them fired and bagged a bird.
Since they first met at their workplace
in 2009, the two have been on some inter-
esting hunts, Milligan said. “One thing I’ve
found about hunting: It’s not always easy
to find somebody who likes to hunt the
way you do and hunt the things that you
do. And this little adventure we went on
is kind of a case in point. A lot of people
would not want to participate in some-
thing like that.
“We are always up for something differ-
ent, some kind of adventure. I’ve always
been interested in variety. I like to catch
fish I haven’t caught. I like to hunt things
and go places I haven’t been.”
So, Milligan decided after getting the
snipe, he would pursue a rail.
“You’re not going to find much if you
Google ‘rail hunting in Oklahoma.’ But
you can talk to the folks at the Wildlife
Department, and you can get some real
information.”
State biologists suggested a successful
rail hunt could be had at Hackberry Flats
Wildlife Management Area. So the two
men headed to southwestern Oklahoma
in September 2015. They took seven sora
rails that day.

Another successful and satisfying hunt for the guys and
for Mazie, Milligan’s chocolate Labrador retriever.

“We started calling it

the HIP quest or the
goony bird slam.”

Don P. brown/oDwc

14 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA

12/20/19 8:07 AM
OutdoorOK-2020-January-February.indd 14
OutdoorOK-2020-January-February.indd 14 12/20/19 8:07 AM