[Old and Reliable]

Dean, I always wondered why there were so many "strange" names for the woodcock, but not all that many for the ruffed grouse. Last time I shot (at) timberdoodles, maybe 20 years ago, up near Baldwin hunting with now deceased friend Merle Nolph- we were hunting the "MayTag Covert" in late October and the flights had just come down- we put up many birds, some reflushes I'm sure, mainly just to watch his Brit work. Back then the limit on grouse and woodcock was five per day, I believe that has been lowered.

In my somewhat limited experience, I don't believe there is a better holding game bird for a pointing dog than the woodcock. Merle (aka- "Simmy") had a great bird dog that would actually retrieve them to hand. My Lab "Ace" who would at that time retrieve anything with feathers, refused to pick up a woodcock, so I stopped shooting them, or at them rather.

It's been that long since I was in good cover for grouse and woodcock, but hunters long in the game never forget what might be "birdy". I shot yesterday at the MI tower shoot near Marion- great open birdy country with scattered older farms and dirt roads. On the pickup hunt I went with two fellows from Midland and their GSP- back from the sorgum and milo patches, into a cover of aspens- we shot two "escapee pheasants" and a grey phased grouse flushed, a "bootstrap", but Jim dropped it- we all agreed that the patch of alders would be "birdy"-- Good luck with the VT woodcock hunting!