Frogs?

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Glock19Fan

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Hello.

I had frog legs for the first time several days ago, and now im hooked.

Im not familar with hunting regulations of frogs, however, this will be private land so I dont think we would have a problem.

Anyway, I am looking for ways of catching them. A good neighbor has a fairly large pond nearby, and we hear large frogs in the area all the time. However, I are not allowed to use any kind of firearms, not even pellet guns.

Does anyone have any good ways of catching these?

Also, after catching them, we will be killing them with a pellet rifle (which is how we killed the first one). It did take a few shots to kill it through. I was wondering where the absolutle best spot to shoot them is? I was shooting it in the head, but I guess they have an extremely small brain becuase it wasnt out until I shot it in its throat.

Thanks for your time!
 
I remember reading that they'll bite a piece of red cloth on a hook. Use a fly rod or a cane pole, something like that. No personal experience with that tho. As to shooting them, if the head shot/pellet gun combo isn't working for you, it might just be easier to crack them in the head with a hammer handle, back of a knife, something like that.

Sub
 
We always took 'em with a flashlight and a frog gig.

A frog gig is sold in some places as a "fish spear." It looks like an oversized fork with barbs on the ends of the tines. You put it on the end of a nice, long* pole.

Wait 'til after dark.

Take your bright bright flashlight, a gunny sack, and your frog gig. Shine the light around the edges of the pond until you spot a frog. Hold the light on him so he stays nice and complacent while you spear him with the gig.

Drop him into the gunny sack.

Repeat as necessary.

At the end of the night, clean the froggies & cut the legs off. Use a little Dixie Fry and deep fry those legs.

Mmmmm, tastes like chicken.

pax

* Long is important. If it isn't long enough, a clumsy 13 year old could trip and impale herself on the end of it. I have reason to know ... ouch...
 
We did the same as pax
Except from a john boat with a car headdlamp hooked up to a car battery
 
Well, me and my step brother just walked over to the pond. We only spotted 3, although I think that we saw one of them twice.

We were using a little homemade tool that was made from a long hollow tube with some fishing line pulled through, so you could wrap it around the neck and pull the other end and it would tighten around the neck. My brother tried it once but it got away. I dont know if he missed or the frog was too quick.

We headed to the other end of the pond where we found another frog. Instead of using the tool I tried to throw a bucket upside down, but becuase the air pressure in the bucket I couldnt get it over the frog quick enough and it crawled under. I tried this on the other frog and it got away too.

So we came home empty handed tonight. There were probably 8-12 frogs out there tonight, but most of them we couldnt get to becuase the grass was too high. We will probably go and cut some of them shorter tomorrow. We will also see if we can bring my pellet rifle for the frog hunting (my .22s would work even better, my Glock 19 9mm, but I think that would be a little too messy. ).

Subby- I never heard of that before. I will hopefully try that out tomorrow and see if it has any truth to it.

Pax- I will look into the gig. Im a cheap guy (but not necessarily poor), and letting money go for something I can make it a little hard. :neener: I might go a head and buy it, or if I can find something to make it with I will do that. It sounds especially good for unaccessable places.

All this time I never ate frog, but it seriously does taste like chicken, but much more tender! :)

Any other tips would be appreciated!

Thanks!
 
We also did the same as Pax described. We would use a canoe and could silently cruise up to the frog, while shining the light on them. (Wear mosquito repellant!) After nabbing a frog, we'd cruise back out away from the bank and wait for them to start making noise again (they can be loud) and head in the direction of a loud one.

A suggestion on the spear head - get a big FIVE-prong head, not the lighter three-prong head. It's heavier duty and you can spear them to bottom of the pond without bending the spear. These spear heads are good, because the prongs are barbed, which holds them on the spear head.

As you noted, bullfrogs are surprisingly tough and harder to kill than a lot of people realize. You don't have to use a pellet gun to kill them when you get back to camp, just chop their head off with a large knife.

Good luck. It's a lot of fun.
 
Gig, spotlight, jon boat, creek add up to lots of froglegs.
The bright light will keep them still while you stick them.
Do look out for snakes, they like to eat frogs too.

David
 
Down here in south louisiana we just use our hands. We do carry a gig for the ones way up on the bank under the overhanging branches though. Last time I went it was me froggin with a friend driving the mud boat with a miner's head lamp on. We started at dark and were back at the house by midnight with 112 frogs in the icechest.

The best way to clean them is to put them in a sack alive while frogging and stuff that in a icechest full of ice for the rest of the night. The next morning they will be moving slow so it makes them easy to clean.

Also, check your game laws. Here the season closes through all of april and may for the breeding season.
 
If you don't want to spend money make your own gig.

We would take an old cane pole.

Split it so that you have 3 tines, shove something down the center to separate the tines and wrap the contraption with mono, twine or duct tape.

You can sharpen barbs but with the triangulated tines you really don't need to.

You can tape heavy wire like clothes hangers to a long mop handle or stick.
Or simply find a long stick with a fork at the end.

I enjoyed using the homemade stuff more than store bought. It made me feel all primitive and frontiersy. It's been at least 30 years since I went frog giggin.

Thanks for bringing back some really good memories
 
i've caught frogs on a pole before... just use a bright colored grubb, or plastic worm and bounce it around on the moss near the frog... when he takes it set the hook just like a fish...

i perfer to grab the neos, and do it that way though...
 
Giggin'

The only way I've ever done frogs is with a gig in a jonboat. Good fun. I did catch one by accident on a black "Mister Twister" once. Just be aware that the ten thousand frogs you hear in the pond are probably three peepers!
 
The light is the trick

Someone mentioned a flashlight and a car headlight. That's the trick for getting in close. Frogs freeze, or are at least distracted, when you shine a bright light in their eyes. I used to live capture frogs with a flashlight and a butterfly net when I worked for the state park service.
 
I do a LOT of froggin' always at night and never used a gig, in Louisiana you can't have a firearm while froggin'. We always hand grab them and sometimes use a "frog net" If you are frogging in an area that has dry and or tall banks you can use a frog net to reach them. It is about 7-8 inches in diameter with long tapered webbed net with a string tied to the very end. (you hold tension on the string to hold the tail of the net from spooking the frog).
You drop the net over the frog and he jumps up and into the tapered end of the net.
The light will certainly help you spot the frog (eye reflection) and sometimes it helps hold them in place, noise doesn't seem to spook them, but certain vibrations will get them jumpimg.
A buddy and I are going froggin tonite. I'll bring a digital camera and try to take a few "action" shots. If you guys are interested I'll try and post them here.
Sorry for the ramble but as you can see I really get into my foggin :)
 
Thanks everyone! I am going frog hunting tonight, and might try using a fishing net, with a strong tied to the bottom as suggested. If this doesnt work then I will try a fishing hook on the end of a pole, then a giger. I would prefer to keep them alive until I get back home so it is less messy.

Only1asertisk- I am aware of the snakes, although I havent seen many out in my area. Still, I will keep my eye out for them. I might even catch them too. I heard they taste pretty good too. I really wish I could carry a gun with me for protection against them anyway.

DMiculek- Go ahead an post the pictures. Im interested in seeing how the hunting goes over there. :)

Anything else is still welcome! :)
 
I am aware of the snakes, although I havent seen many out in my area. Still, I will keep my eye out for them. I might even catch them too. I heard they taste pretty good too.
Click to expand...
Picivorous snakes have got to be the absolute worse tasting thing I have ever eaten besides tripe.
Stick to mammal feeders, them's good eatin

Damn you Glock19Fan I had a nice peaceful couch potatoe weekend planned.

Now you have me planning a frog giggin Saturday night
 
Glock19fan,

I don't know what state you are in, but I know Indiana has set seasons for frogs as do other states. You may want to check into the state hunting regulations for sure.
 
From the FFWCC
Frogs: May be taken day or night throughout the year by hand, gig, club, blowgun and hook and line, or during daylight hours only, by shooting. No license is required to take frogs for noncommercial purposes. A Commercial Fishing License is required to take frogs for commercial purposes. Frog species classified as threatened or endangered may not be taken or possessed.

Weekend not ruined
 
Well, me and 3 others went frog giging tonight. A neighbor let us borrow a gig, and we went out at around 12:00 am. We only got 8 frogs, most of them pretty decent size. We located a few that got away, and we had a few misses becuase one of the ones that went with us wasnt too experienced and he missed 2/4 frogs.

The grass is REALLY high out there, so we will try to thin it out over the next week or so.

We went ahead and cooked them up, and they sure were good! :)
 
Glock19,
Went and tried some new areas, we got only 80. A lot of them were really spooky.......just hit'em with the light and away they went.
Left the camera at in the truck, so no pics. :mad:
Water is rising here with the recent rains and with the tropical storm, it might allow me to get into some usually inaccessable areas early next week.
DM
 
80 is still pretty darn good in my opinion. There arent more than a few dozen at the pond we were at.

We never had a problem spooking them though. Once the light was on them they never moved unless we touched them or spooked them on a physical way.

Better luck next time! :)
 
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