Woodcock observations

[Andy Clark]

This year marks Werden's second full hunting season here in CT. Last year for one reason or another we hit the woods late in search of the elusive woodcock to never locate even one. Given the fact I am a forest manager, I often stumble upon resident birds during the spring and summer. This year I decided to check out a Wildlife Management area I often drive by and never see a soul there. I took a walk mid May and found to my surprise an abundant number of resident birds in this area. And when I say abundant, I mean dozens! I found these birds on the edge of a wetland with a beautiful transition of tall wetlands grasses to huckleberry and beech whips to mature timber. They seemed to stay in this area as I visited often with the dog to help him identify and recognize the scent of the woodcock and to learn not to crowd them. Our visits where usually short as I didn't want to drive these natives away from the ground they seemed to thrive on. I must mention that within 70 yards of this habitat is a 4 acre field. This field was abandon long ago but was most likely mowed down within the past 10 years. It has red cedar, high bush blueberry, huckleberry, autumn olive, and alder throughout. On a few of our visits during the summer I would walk the edges of this field and to never flush one bird, only rabbits. I never even tried to penetrate the field as the bull briars are so entangled with everything else growing there, it is seemingly impossible.

Fast forward to this past Monday, opening day of Woodcock and Snipe in CT. After work about 4:00, we headed to this honey hole. I felt confident we would walk out with woodcock(s) in hand by dusk. And we left empty handed. Not a dam bird. I sat in bed that night thinking there is no way they have vacated already. It has been in the mid and upper 60's. The foliage is still on so the cover isn't blown. Confused as to what was going on we showed up Wednesday to take another crack at it. And again..nothing. I decided we we walk the field edge to see if they had shifted slightly closer to the field. Not 1 bird. the dog never even got "birdy".

I decided to take a break and we would head back Saturday morning. We show up and as usual, nobody is in the parking lot. I decided we where going to head right in the the thick of it! No paths, just brush up to my chin and bull briars that will pierce the best chaps. As Werden begins to navigate his way through the thickest cover he has ever seen there is an explosion of woodcock flying in every direction within this hell of briars and brush. These birds flushed between 25-30 yards from us. I couldn't believe my eyes! He comes back to me with a very confused look. I tell him, find the birds! He turns and heads back. Given the age of the growth, he is able to navigate better then I underneath and make his way around some what.

Why did these birds move to these thick cover? Did predators push them I thought to myself? We do have an abundant population of Bobcats and Fishers. But why did they stay in the easier cover all summer and now move to the thickets? Food supply? No. While I was walking around through the summer grounds Wednesday I kicked up the ground liter and there was a plethora of earthworms. I am perplexed by this move.

Back to the hunt. After a few minutes I hear Werden stop, not a sound. He is on point I thought! I look at my GPS receiver to get an idea where he was. As I make my way though the worst thicket I have ever seen I flush up 4 more birds! To shoot or not to shoot? I chose to not as I didn't want to confuse him. As I approach the location I believe he is I realize the birds I flushed where indeed the birds he was pointing. He was at least 6 yards away and I couldn't see him! He immediately gives me the "look" and continues on his search. I decide that I am going to follow him to the best of my ability. All the training and all the practice all year never prepared him, or myself, for what we were experiencing at this point. After less than 5 minutes and 20 feet another bird lifts to the sky and I take the shot and direct hit. The bird falls about 75' from me. Now at this point I am not sure where Werden is or if he even saw the bird fall. I say loudly, fetch Werd! I hear him change direction heading toward the general vicinity of where this bird fell. I decide to head in his direction as I wasn't sure If he saw the bird go down and I didn't want to take my eyes of the spot. As I approached the local (nearly 5 minutes later) there is Werden sitting and looking up. Confused I look around only to find the woodcock stuck in a crotch of a small tree about 6' of the ground. What an experience! At this point I decide that we are going to head back out and take a break to mend our wounds. My arms are bleeding in multiple locations. My legs fell like there are 1000 pins poking me and Werden's mouth is dripping with blood from the briar cuts all over his tongue, mouth, and face. As we approach the field edge and transition back to forest he lies down in exhaustion. It was probably almost 65 degrees with clear skies. I snap a couple pictures and he falls asleep. I decide to call it a success and head home. We WILL be back to visit these masters of the woods. This group of woodcock have to be the smartest woodcock I have ever encountered. They stay in the "easy" woods for the summer and when opening day comes....off to the thickest hell hole on earth!

And one last item, I took this elusive woodcock with my PHE/20/32". So much for needing short barrels in the thick cover!

[Andy Clark]

Here are a few photos of yesterdays adventure.

[Rick Riddell]

Awesome! We find them in the nastiest stuff up here in Maine as well!

[Dean Romig]

That's a great story Andy and very well told! (Should have been in Parker Pages)

My guess is that the birds were in the thick briars to keep away from avian predators - bobcats, fishers, foxes and coyotes would get through (under) that stuff as easily as Werden did.





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[Andy Clark]

I agree Dean. Interesting how easily they would flush. I suppose that is a behavior they have developed in the interest of survival. Often times in the open woods they will hold tight and I can walk right by and never notice them until the dog points a bird right where I've been. Nature provides entertainment at every turn and yesterday was no exception!

[Reggie B]

Thanks for posting this! Great dog and Parker!

[Ed Norman]

Thanks for sharing this story, what great pictures. I am looking at full dress garments for my brittany. He is getting so "chewed" up by briars, my wife is in a panic every time I bring him home.

[Woodcock survey]

Mr. Clark thank you for a very interesting post. I am very interested in everyones opinions as far as seeing changes in woodcock behavior over the years you have hunted them. I have hunted them for 50 years, intensively for the last 33. In that time they seem to have stopped ''towering'' and now fly close to the ground weaving through the cover. Also they seem to be more prone to flush at a longer distance. I hunt in Maine and the birds have probably seen some pressure before reaching me. Have others seen the same? I have also seen a marked increase in interest in hunting them over the last 10 years.

[Andy Clark]

Daniel, Thank you for your post. I have a few thoughts. It is my experience locally (SE CT) that people are losing interest in hunting woodcock. Every time I venture somewhere new and bump into another hunter they always ask what I am hunting, and it seems my reply always come as a surprise. Yesterday as I put my gun and other belongings away to head home, a State of CT EnCon officer that lives 3 miles from the site I was hunting stopped in to say hello. I asked if he sees anyone ever hunting this Wildlife Management Area, and his response was other than Bow Hunting Deer, no.

Something else interesting that was brought to my attention this morning as I was chatting with a local Wildlife Biologist that manages private land for a local land conservationist was the fact that on Tuesday he was called to the exact overgrown field to respond to a GPS receiver he had put on a Bobcat sometime ago. He is involved in a project the State of CT is running on studying Bobcat behavior. Apparently when the Bobcat stops moving for more than 8 hours the GPS sends a signal. His job is to go find the cat or the collar. In this case the cat was into this area about 75' and seemed to have died from natural causes. This makes me conclude that these particular resident woodcock are more likely to flush due to the bobcats presence. And who knows, maybe the bobcat moved into the area between my visits and the woodcock where forced to head for denser cover!?

[Woodcock survey]

Andrew I have found them to be confounding since I started to study them. On migration they will stop in the most unlikely places, if they stay will go to what is ''normal habitat'' They have changed over the years I have hunted them.My covers are less hunted the last few years but I read of the folks in the south discovering them. (Mills) Years ago Evans wrote that they were safe once they passed him,no longer is that true.Very interested to hear of your next hunt. If I remember correctly they are hunted from Sept in Canada till Dec in the south,