Editing Snipe hunt

{{short description|United States practical joke}}
{{Redirect|Snipe hunting|the game bird|Snipe#Hunting|the episode of ''Atlanta''|Snipe Hunt (Atlanta)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
A '''snipe hunt''' is a type of [[practical joke]] or [[fool's errand]], in existence in North America as early as the 1840s, in which an unsuspecting newcomer is duped into trying to catch an elusive animal called a ''snipe''. Although the [[snipe]] is a real bird, a ''snipe hunt'' is a quest for a nonexistent creature whose description varies.

The target of the prank is led to an outdoor spot and given instructions for catching the snipe; these often include waiting in the dark and holding an empty bag or making noises to attract the creature. The others involved in the prank then leave the newcomer alone in the woods to discover the joke. As an American [[rite of passage]], snipe hunting is often associated with [[summer camp]]s and groups such as the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]]. In France, a similar joke is called "[[hunting the dahut]]".

== In North America ==
<!-- Each citation having multiple references inside it is a bit cumbersome – it seems like it would be better to include one citation per reference. Also, rather than putting them at the end of the paragraph, put them at the end of the sentence or the clause
 -->Although [[snipe]] are actual birds (three genera within the [[sandpiper]] family), the ''snipe hunt'' is a [[practical joke]], often associated with [[summer camp]]s and other types of outdoor [[camping]], in which the victim is tricked into hunting for an imaginary creature.{{refn|For snipe as a real bird, see {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}; {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}; {{harvtxt|Palmatier|1995|p=357}}.
<br />As an imaginary creature, see {{harvtxt|Brunvand|1996|p=233}}; {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}.
<br />For snipe hunt as summer camp prank, see {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}; {{harvtxt|Paris|2008|pp=104–5}}.
<br />As camp prank more generally, see {{harvtxt|Brunvand|1996|p=233}}; {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}; {{harvtxt|Watts|2007|p=206}}.}}

Snipe hunters are typically led to an outdoor spot at night and given a bag or pillowcase along with instructions that can include either waiting quietly or making odd noises to attract the creatures. The other group members leave, promising to chase the snipe toward the newcomer; instead, they return home or to camp, leaving the victim of the prank alone in the dark to discover that they have been duped and left "[[wikt:holding the bag|holding the bag]]".{{refn|For method of the prank, see {{harvtxt|Brunvand|1996|pp=233, 1233}}; {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}; {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}; {{harvtxt|O'Neil|2014}}; {{harvtxt|Palmatier|1995|p=357}}; {{harvtxt|Watts|2007|p=206}}.
<br />For implements used, see {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}; {{harvtxt|Palmatier|1995|p=357}}.
<br />For "holding the bag", see {{harvtxt|Bronner|2012|p=260}}; {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}; {{harvtxt|Palmatier|1995|p=357}}.}}

The snipe hunt is a kind of [[fool's errand]] or [[wiktionary:wild-goose chase|wild-goose chase]], meaning a fruitless errand or expedition, attested as early as the 1840s in the United States.{{refn|As a fool's errand, see {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=8, 45–48}}; {{harvtxt|Watts|2007|p=206}}.
<br />As a wild-goose chase, see {{harvtxt|Paris|2008|pp=104–5}}.
<br />For earliest date, see {{harvtxt|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}.}}{{Refn|The snipe hunt is classified as a variation of [[Thompson motif]] J2349, Fool's Errand {{harv|Bronner|2012|p=260}}.}} It was the most common [[hazing]] ritual for boys in American summer camps during the early 20th century, and is a [[rite of passage]]{{refn|{{harvtxt|Bronner|2008|p=72}}; {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}}} often associated with groups such as the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]]. In camp life and [[children's folklore]], the snipe hunt provides an opportunity to make fun of newcomers while also accepting them into the group.{{Refn|For role in hazing and group unity, see {{harvtxt|Bronner|2012|p=260}}; {{harvtxt|Paris|2008|pp=104–5}}; {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}.
<br />For association with the Boy Scouts, see {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016|p=514}}.}}{{Refn|According to {{harvtxt|Fee|Webb|2016}}, "Similar fool's errands or wild-goose chases of this kind might include being sent to find a 'smoke-bender' for the campfire or a 'sky-hook' to move a heavy object" (p. 514).}}

Setting the stage for the prank is often done with imaginative descriptions of the snipe, similar to [[tall tale]]s. For instance, the snipe is said to resemble a cross between a jackrabbit and a squirrel; a squirrel-like bird with one red and one green eye; a small, black, furry bird-like animal that only comes out during a full moon, and so on.{{sfnp|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}} According to ''American Folklore: An Encyclopedia'':

{{blockquote|While the snipe hunt is known in virtually every part of the United States, the description of the prey varies: it may be described as a type of bird, a snake, or a small furry animal. In one version, the snipe is a type of deer with a distinctive call; the dupe is left kneeling and imitating the snipe call while holding the bag to catch it.{{sfnp|Brunvand|1996|p=1233}}}}

In another variation, a bag supposedly containing a captured snipe is theatrically brought to the campsite after a group hunt; the snipe quickly "escapes" unseen when the bag is opened.{{sfnp|O'Neil|2014}}

== Variations ==

A similar practical joke in France is known as "[[hunting the dahut]]".{{Refn|See {{Harvtxt|Glimm|1983|p=187}}: "Collected all over the United States, the snipe hunt story is an old European folktale (motif J2349.6). In France it is known as 'Hunting the Dahut'".
<br />See also {{Harvtxt|Chartois|Claudel|1945}}: "Translator's note: Dahut hunting is comparable to our American snipe hunting".}} While the description of the prey differs from the North American snipe hunt, the nature of the joke is the same.{{Sfnp|Marsh|2015|pp=45–48}}

In Spain, a similar joke is called {{lang|es|cazar gamusinos}} ('hunting gamusinos').{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} The {{lang|es|{{ill|gamusino|es}}}} is an imaginary animal with no defined description.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dle.rae.es/gamusino |title=gamusino |work=[[Diccionario de la lengua española]] |date=April 22, 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Drop bear]]
* [[Elwetritsch]]
* [[Fearsome critters]]
* [[Jackalope]]
* [[List of practical joke topics]]
* [[Oozlum bird]]
* [[Squonk]]
* [[Wild haggis]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== References ==
* {{cite book |last=Bronner |first=Simon J. |title=Killing Tradition: Inside Hunting and Animal Rights Controversies |date=2008 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington |isbn=978-0-8131-2528-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/killingtradition0000bron/mode/1up?view=theater |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Bronner |first=Simon J. |title=Campus Traditions: Folklore from the Old-time College to the Modern Mega-university |date=2012 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |location=Jackson |isbn=978-1-61703-615-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/campustraditions0000bron/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Brunvand |editor1-first=Jan Harold |editor-link=Jan Harold Brunvand |title=American Folklore: An Encyclopedia |date=1996 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=0-8153-0751-9 |doi=10.4324/9780203306222 |URL=https://archive.org/details/americanfolklore0000unse/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Chartois |first1=Jo |last2=Claudel |first2=Calvin |title=Hunting the Dahut: A French Folk Custom |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |date=1945 |volume=58 |issue=227 |pages=21–24 |doi=10.2307/535332 |jstor=535332 |issn=1535-1882}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Fee |editor1-first=Christopher R. |editor-link1=Christopher R. Fee |editor2-last=Webb |editor2-first=Jeffrey B. |title=American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia of American Folklore: 3 Volumes |date=2016 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |isbn=978-1-61069-567-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Glimm |first=James Y. |title=Flatlanders and Ridgerunners: Folktales from the Mountains of Northern Pennsylvania |date=1983 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |isbn=0-8229-5345-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/flatlandersridge00glim/mode/1up?view=theater |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Marsh |first=Moira |title=Practically Joking |date=2015 |publisher=Utah State University Press |location=Logan |isbn=978-0-87421-983-8}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Neil |first=Gerard |chapter=The Squonk: A Small Tale From Franklin County |editor1-last=White |editor1-first=Thomas |title=Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania: Ghosts, Monsters and Miracles |date=2014 |publisher=History Press |location=Charleston, S.C. |isbn=978-1-62619-498-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Palmatier |first=Robert Allen |title=Speaking of Animals: A Dictionary of Animal Metaphors |date=1995 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=0-313-29490-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/speakingofanimal0000palm/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Paris |first=Leslie |year=2008 |title=Children's Nature: The Rise of the American Summer Camp |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=978-0-8147-6707-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrensnaturer0000pari/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Watts |first=Linda S. |title=Encyclopedia of American Folklore |date=2007 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8160-7338-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00lind/mode/1up?view=theater |url-access=registration}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book |ref=none |author1=Bronner, Simon J. |title=American Children's Folklore |date=1988 |publisher=August House |location=Little Rock, Ark. |isbn=0-87483-068-0 |pages=170–171 |url=https://archive.org/details/americanchildren00bron/page/170/search/snipe+hunt |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite journal |ref=none |author1=Ellis, Bill |title=The Camp Mock-Ordeal Theater as Life |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |date=1981 |volume=94 |issue=374 |pages=486–505 |doi=10.2307/540502 |jstor=540502 |issn=1535-1882}}
* {{cite book |ref=none |last=Glimm |first=James Y. |title=Flatlanders and Ridgerunners: Folktales from the Mountains of Northern Pennsylvania |date=1983 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |isbn=0-8229-5345-5 |pages=12–13 |chapter=Snipe Hunting |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/flatlandersridge00glim/page/12/mode/1up?view=theater |chapter-url-access=registration}}
* {{cite journal |ref=none |author1=Posen, I.S. |title=Pranks and Practical Jokes at Children's Summer Camps |journal=Southern Folklore Quarterly |date=1974 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=299–309 |issn=0038-4127}}
* {{cite journal |ref=none |author1=Smith, Johana H. |title=In the Bag: A Study of Snipe Hunting |journal=Western Folklore |date=April 1957 |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=107–110 |doi=10.2307/1497027 |jstor=1497027 |oclc=808993138}}
* {{Cite news |ref=none |title=Take Strangers Snipe Hunting |date=January 27, 1928 |page=1 |work=The Enterprise |location=Williamston, N.C. |url=http://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073995/1928-01-27/ed-1/seq-1/ |via=DigitalNC}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://folklore.usc.edu/?p=18088 "Snipe Hunting"] – University of Southern California Digital Folklore Archives
* [https://research.udmercy.edu/find/special_collections/digital/cfa/index.php?fl_id=15830 "Snipe Hunt"] – James T. Callow Folklore Archive

{{American tall tales}}

[[Category:Practical jokes]]
[[Category:In-jokes]]
[[Category:Fearsome critters]]
[[Category:Scouting]]
[[Category:Tall tales]]

[[fr:Canulars dans la technique]]