Another Republican Fowl Story

A bird expert warns that the sandhill crane's "diversity" could suffer if Wisconsin Rep. Joel Kleefisch, (R-Oconomowoc), gets his wish and the big birds are hunted for their rib-eye steak-like tenderness.

These are sandhill cranes

Kleefisch probably needs be told that it's a bad thing when legislation could put a fowl's diversity at stake, not at s-t-e-a-k. ("Rib-eye of the sky" is his remark. Really.)

There seems to be some disagreement about whether sandhill crane makes good eating.

One Kentucky commentator last year says he'd heard "yes," though he ended with an admonition as his state considered adding a sandhll season:

I would not want to shoot a sandhill crane any more than I would want to kill a mockingbird or cedar waxwing...

I am not opposed to hunting per se, but I do question whether adding sandhill cranes to the list of game birds in Kentucky is necessary, particularly when you realize that whooping cranes sometimes fly in the flocks with them. The penalty for killing a whooping crane can be thousands of dollars, plus jail time. So if you think it is OK to shoot into a flock of high-flying, long-legged wading birds with little edible meat on their body, be sure not to hit the white ones with black wing tips. That could cost you.

Then there's this commentary on a hunting website, where the notion of sandhill crane as flying rib-eye was mocked:

Sandhill crane is quite possibly the worst eating there is.

In fact, the comment "my dog wouldn't touch it" is not uncommon.

The most popular Sandhill recipe:

Wrap the breasts in bacon and jalepeno peppers, secure with toothpicks and string. Grill over a medium flame until bacon and jalepenos are well cooked. Unwrap the bacon and jalepenos and use to garnish t-bone. Throw the sandhill crane breast out.

Kleefisch is said to be a duck hunter.

Seems to me that turkey season is coming early for some GOP legislators.

One true fact below:

This is a rib-eye beefsteak.