WAIT—You Really Can Go Snipe Hunting In Michigan?

I feel like the foundational lie my childhood was built upon was a lie. Remember when your parents, older sibling, or uncle were tired of you looking for a fun activity for naive children, and they'd send you "Snipe" hunting?

Well, it turns out that there REALLY are creatures called Snipes, and yes, they do visit Michigan.

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If you're an ornithology fan, you are more than likely laughing at me, not with me. But it hurts for the rest of us who thought the Snipe was a lie, only to find out we were lied to about the lie.

Either that or the liar had no idea they were a liar.

Meet Michigan's Not Fake at All Wilson's Snipe

Okay, look, I know that for those who are still skeptical that I'm pulling your leg like your older cousin at a family reunion, the realization that snipes are real may be hard to digest. What may be harder to grasp is that Michigan even has a hunting season dedicated to Wilson's Snipe (cue your inner Tom Hanks).

Yes, this species of snipe has a first name. Wilson's Snipes are described by All About Birds as "medium-sized pudgy shorebird(s) with short, stocky legs, with three long buffy streaks down the back and a striped head.." That is a better description than I ever got when I was sent on a snipe hunt. Whenever I asked what they looked like, I was told, "Oh, you'll know it when you see it."

Michigan's Snipe Hunting Season

So, if you still aren't buying that there is a creature called the Wilson Snipe that even has its very own hunting season from September 1st to November 9th each year in Michigan, Google it. You can even buy a snipe decoy.

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With cell phones and tablets in the hands of younger and younger kids, pulling off the snipe hunt may prove slightly more difficult. However, if you're sending naive children out to track down the elusive snipe, just be sure they're in season, or they could end up chatting the DNR.