Along the Indus River in Pakistan, Hunters Wear Heron Headdress Decoys
by Owen James Burke
Photo: Randy Olson/NatGeo
Mohanis hunters on the banks of the Indus River in Pakistan have no way of making camouflage, but they have devised a brilliant trick to capture heron, sly hunters in their own right. By hollowing out previous catches and clearing eyeholes, they’re able to crouch down in thigh-deep water and approach unsuspecting but generally elusive heron on the perch, which are taken both for food and commodity.
I’ve never heard of anyone eating heron, and have no real desire to do so myself. They don’t have much meat on them, yet I can’t help but imagine how it might taste.
Photo: Randy Olson/NatGeo
It sure looks simple enough, though it’s probably anything but. I wonder how long it takes to stalk and capture a bird.
Read more about photographer Randy Olson on NatGeo, and view his portfolio website here — OB
