In this article, I’m going to go over what I do when preparing for a frog hunt. My first attempt at frog hunting was a bit of a disaster.
One summer evening my brother and I decided to hook my duck boat to the Jeep and head over to a duck impoundment nearby. I knew it would be loaded with frogs, gators, and who knows what else.
After backing the boat into the makeshift ramp and feeling it drop down into a thick mat of weeds we realized that there was much less water in the impoundment than when I had been there last.
We kept trucking and even got the boat off into the canal, but after being bombarded by mosquitoes and surveying the dry mats of reeds we’d have to push the boat through we decided to call it a night.
We loaded the boat back onto the trailer and returned home with nothing to show for except a bunch of bug bites.
Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail
When will you go? Where will you go? What will you need? These are all questions you should at least think about before embarking on a frog hunting mission.
Frogs can be hunted day or night, although nighttime hunting will probably be more fruitful. At night, frogs are more active and easier to find sitting on logs and banks waiting for an unsuspecting insect to come buzzing by.
One other advantage of hunting frogs at night is being able to use a spotlight to blind or stun the frog and make it easier to gig or shoot him.
You can hunt frogs in ponds, swamps, lakes, and rivers. Where you will go will strongly depend on the tools you have at your disposal. Do you have a boat, kayak, or even a paddleboard to get out on the water?
Then you must think about the rest of your gear. Gigs or bow fishing equipment to spear the frogs. You can even do some long-distance frogging with a .22 rifle or airgun as long as it is legal where you live.
If It Floats Your Boat
While frog hunting along the shoreline of a small pond can be fun, I think the real adventure is out on bigger waters.
If you already have a boat that is rigged for duck hunting with a reliable motor and some led lights you’ll be a step ahead.
Frogging can still be done out of smaller watercraft like kayaks and canoes. Installing an led spotlight and strapping your gig to the side of your yak will serve you well.
A strong headlamp, like this one HERE, will also be useful as you’ll most likely have your hands occupied by paddles and gigs.
Essential Gear For Your Frog Hunt
- Gig, Bow, or Gun
- Bucket or Cooler
- Ice
- Boat, Kayak, or Canoe
- Paddle
- Headlamp
- Spotlight
- Bug Spray
- Thermacell
Frogs can be taken with gigs, bow fishing bows, even .22 rifles and airguns. Gig poles can be made at home out of a length of bamboo or you can purchase pre-made collapsible aluminum versions like this one HERE.
Bow fishing equipment can also be used while frog hunting. Arrowing a frog and then reeling it in can be loads of fun.
If you’re in need of some target practice and have a way to retrieve the frogs quickly, you can even use a small-caliber rifle like a .22 or air gun.
Keeping Your Frogs Fresh
Even in the dark of night, the summer heat can affect the quality of your fresh frogs, so you’ll want to store them correctly during and after the hunt.
You can keep them in a simple wet pillowcase or potato sack but I don’t think this is ideal.
I would plan ahead and fill a cooler with some fresh ice to chill your frogs while you hunt. Check out this technique that I use often for keeping fish fresh.
After The Hunt
A couple of specific tools will make cleaning your frogs easier. A pair of kitchen shears and some pliers are all you need to skin frog legs and separate them from the body.
You’ll make a cut right around the frog’s waist, grab the skin with your pliers, then peel the skin right down to the feet. Just like you are taking a pair of pants off of the frog.
You can then snip off each foot and cut the legs off just above the hips. Quickly rinse them with fresh water and your frog legs are ready for the fryer! Try out this recipe for fried frog legs next time you have some.