If forced, soras will swim from one patch of cover to the next.

A few years ago I took an outdoors writer on his first sora hunt. Once on the water, and when the writer had his gun loaded and ready, I pitched a stone into the nearby marsh. Several soras peeped. One especially jumpy bird flushed, but before the writer could fire a shot, the sora landed on a lily pad about 15 yards away. “Get ready,” I told the writer and I threw a stone toward the bird hoping to flush it.

Yep, you guessed it. The rock smacked the bird killing it stone dead. My dog Axel saw the splash, and like a good dog that he is, disobeyed my “stay” command and leaped into the water. The eager dog promptly brought the sora to boat-side where I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him and sora aboard. “One sora in the bag and zero shots fired” I said as I showed the writer the bird. “I’ll just leave my shotgun in its case.”

The writer never did mention my stone-pitching skill in his story. I suppose he wondered about the legalities of hunting soras by throwing rocks. I wouldn’t tell this yarn had I not had him as a witness.

Soras, like other small game birds such as doves and woodcock, don’t require heavy loads to bring down. We use size seven steel shot propelled from our typical waterfowling guns, which we equip with open chokes. Twenty-five yards is considered a long shot.

Light loads and open chokes: a perfect combo for taking the secretive sora.

Conclusion
Sora hunting is a great way to get your dog in tune for the fall waterfowl-hunting season, or to introduce a young dog to life in a boat. The water is warm, the hunting casual. It’s also a good time to de-bug your duck hunting boat and other gear prior to waterfowl season.

As table fare, soras compare to other game birds with dark breast meat such as woodcock and sharp-tailed grouse. Usually on the evening of sora hunt, I’ll marinate the breasts and grill them shish kabob-style with red peppers and onions. And I would sit chin-deep in a hot tub--if I had one--to soak out the kinks.