Bird
I like to fly fish and through the years I have caught several big bullfrogs by accident. I was using a dry fly or popper close to to bank, when this would happen. I have heard that a big bull will take a baby duck on occasion. I don't know if this is true or not, but it wouldn't suprise me.
I sure like eating frog legs but have not been out gigging for years. It seems to me they are not as plentiful as they use to be. So now I am trying to give them a helping hand.
Last year I went to a neighbor, who raises fish for pond stocking and got a five gallon bucket of bullfrog tadpoles and dumped them into my large pond. He has ponds where he raises just one kind of fish. One pond might be bass while another might be bluegill or fathead minnows. When he seines the pond to remove the fish for market, he comes up with thousands of the bullfrog tadpoles. They are a pest that must be seperated from his fish. Some of his fish are sold by the pound (Fathead Minnow) and it is labor intensive to seperate the tadpoles from the fish. So his problem is my gain, he gives away the buckets of tadpoles.
Be carefull shooting frogs, it is strictly illegal here to take frogs with fire arms or air rifles. You will get a substantial fine and you could get your gun confiscated. Maybe it is legal in Texas,but they sure frown upon it here.
I hadn't heard of it being illegal to shoot frogs, but then I haven't done it since I was a teenager, so don't guess it matters. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] The only frog legs I've had now for several years have been in restaurants.
Here in Ky you have to have your hunting license to shoot them with a gun or a bow and your fishing license to gig or snag them. I haven't heard as many in the past few years as I used to. Aren't they considered the enviroments canary?
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Aren't they considered the enviroments canary?
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Seems like it was last year or the year before that they had all the college kids out hunting for two headed frogs. Found quite a few of them, too. And some with five legs, no eyes, etc.
This discussion takes me back to fond childhood memories. I'll never forget one morning hearing one of the trash men go nuts....apparently he lifted the lid of the can to find the bulging eyes, smell and carcasses of the frogs we had for dinner the previous nite. I remember the trash can lid clattering on the ground while he loudly exclaimed "Oh Lordy!!!"
<font color="blue"> Aren't they considered the enviroment's canary? </font color> I do know they are quite sensitive to water quality. We have had a few bullsa take up residence in our koi pond / water gardens by our front door. I found one belly up on the bottom shortly after adding some (clorinated) water....the fish are fine with water added, but the frogs can't handle it. They sure have beautiful voices on summer eves....
Frogs are pretty sensitive to toxins. Figures, because their skin is basically a mucous membrane, anything nasty in the water is going to be absorbed. I suspect they will shortly discover some pesticide or herbicide in widespread use that is the culprit, and it will be banned, and the frogs will come back, the way eagles and such have come back since DDT was phased out.
Of course, if the problem with the frogs is UV related because of thinning ozone, then they won't be so easily saved.
The thought of a world with no frogs at all is very depressing...
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