I sat down last night to read my latest issue of Michigan Out-of-Doors Magazine and I read an article that reminded me of a forgotten art.  When I was a kid we used to do this all the time, but I can’t honestly say that I’ve done it in about 10 years or so, and after reading this particular article, it rekindled thoughts from my childhood and made me want to go back on the hunt.

Did he say on the hunt?  Yep, on the hunt.  This particular type of hunting has the same feel as hunting big game.  You have to know your quarry inside and out.  It requires skill, patience, and good habitat.   You also must stalk in order to reach your quarry and be successful.  What “hunting” am I talking about?  I’m speaking of nightcrawler hunting.  Hunting for worms!!!

When I was a kid we used to do this all the time.  Asking for money for worms was out of the question when we knew that there were all kinds of them to be had right in the front yard.  The equipment needed was minimal; a flashlight, some patience, and quick hands.  The best time is right after a really good rain when the worms are forced to come up out of the ground for air.

You simply take your flashlight and shine it in the grass until you find a worm that is visible and up out of his hole.  Then the fun starts.  The trick is to guess which end of the worm is in the hole.  That is the end you want to aim for, because if you miscalculate and go for the head, they will slip back into the hole before you can grab them.  It sounds easy in theory, but really it’s not.  You have to walk softly because they can feel the vibration of your feet, and you also have to be cautious when you find one, and make sure that the light doesn’t stay on them very long, because they can feel the heat from the light and it will cause them to disappear as well.  It really is a great time and a cheap alternative to buying worms in the store for your next fishing trip.

Another thing we used to do, if we knew there was no rain in the forecast before our next fishing trip, was to manufacture the proper conditions.  This consisted of getting our the garden hose in the late evening and putting a good soaking on a particular area we knew had a lot of worms. It’s pretty funny to think about, but it worked very well and I wouldn’t be ashamed of doing it again.

Night crawler hunting is an excellent activity to get kids outside and interested in the outdoors.  It is a great way for them to have fun as well as learn a lot of the same things that they will be able to use to hunt squirrel, deer, and many other animals.

So if you haven’t tried it why not give it a go this summer.  Get the kids, or the wife, and go outside on a nice warm evening and hunt next fishing trip’s bait. It’s a blast.

Popularity: 1% [?]