To the delight of hunters, frog season officially underway

A large bullfrog that became legal game at sunset, June 30 (Photo courtesy of MDC)

At sunset June 30, area ponds, lakes and streams is where you would have found many early frog hunters. They will be ready to snag some of those (a fitting nickname) "Chicken of the Pond" tasty amphibians whose flesh is often compared to chicken or fish.

To get a frog, froggers are armed with everything from gigs to fishing lures, a 22 rifle or their bare hands. Both green and bull frogs are legal during the season which runs through Oct. 31 with a daily limit of eight frogs in the aggregate, though, green and bullfrogs face real danger from poachers.

The bullfrog is the largest frog in North America, measuring up to 8 inches all scrunched up in a sitting position and may weigh more over a pound; most of it is legs. Green frogs are smaller sized topping out at about four inches long when sitting. They taste just like the bullfrog legs.

The frogs' legs draw the most attention, but it is their voracious consumption of insects that these amphibians benefit humans the most. Bullfrogs have been known to eat snakes, bats, baby muskrats and minks. Their appetites are an important factor in keeping insects in check.

To capture these exceptional amphibians, the regulations concerning the taking of these slimy creatures is as versatile as the frogs themselves. Going after frogs is a very popular sport in Missouri, partly because hunters are permitted to get them with so many different methods.

Should you be hunting them, you will need a hunting permit. You may take them with a 22 rifle, pellet gun, crossbow, longbow or your hands. With a fishing permit, you may get them with your bare hands, a gig, a longbow or with a fishing lure. The use of artificial light is not only legal, it is nearly necessary, especially if you hunt at night.

When I first started going after frogs I used a Hula Popper lure and after locating, would hold the lure in front of the frog and it would hook itself. Also, using a pellet gun with pointed pellets works well. Even if you miss you usually get a second chance because the frog typically doesn't move.

Veteran froggers get ready ahead of opening day by checking ponds to see if they can hear the unmistakable sound of a bullfrog. After that, they usually start making plans on hitting the pond before sunset. They are easier to locate on warm nights. The males call that deep- throated song which can be heard up to a half-mile away.

A green frog's song is completely different from the bullfrog's. Usually, it is a single note that sounds like a loose banjo string being plucked. Many times it consists of a series of chuckles, and sometimes it takes the form of an intense bark. These barks are so explosive that you can easily picture the frog that made them lying unconscious on its back with a blown-out vocal apparatus.

Both green and bull frogs are ambush hunters and will eat anything that will fit into their mouths. One day, I was fishing for bass near some cattails where a redwing blackbird had nested among the cattails. As the bird was returning a big bullfrog popped out of the water and caught the blackbird. The last I saw of the bird was as it slipped down the frog's mouth.

When dressing the frogs be sure to take out the tendons from their legs or else they might jump out of the frying pan. I remember the first time I brought in a limit of big bullfrogs and hadn't taken that membrane out of all of the frogs.

When my mother put some in the hot pan several of the legs landed on the kitchen floor, creating a big surprise. Frog legs are interesting in the water as well as on the plate.

Among Missouri's slimy tribe, the bullfrog and the green frog alone are considered fit for human consumption.

During the summer months, they serenade us and protect us from plagues of insects. Then they disappear for half a year.