John E. Williams
10-17-2015, 05:32 PM
I thought some of you may enjoy seeing photos of a very limited woodcock hunt I attempted yesterday. While I would typically be hunting them much harder, I fractured a vertebra about a month ago and have been struggling to recover. I'm also without a dog this year, so have reverted to the still hunting technique from my youth. It is a fool's game but still enjoyable to be in the woods, if only on the fringes and for short periods.
I started the day near a small lake that has produced for me in the past. There are several coverts in this area and most are easily accessible, which is a major concern in my current condition. Saw several instances of chalk in the likely areas. I heard one bird flush from cover behind me, but didn't even try spinning to get a shot. One flushed in front of me a little while later, but the cover he was heading into was so thick that I had no interest in trying to recover him, so just watched as that crazy, tumbling flight unfolded. Some photos of the area:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/1_zpsuuo4smd4.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/2_zpscmfavuxs.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/3_zpspuxz7uvr.jpg
I brought the sixteen along, but even its light weight got to be a burden on up in the morning. I'll probably have to carry my .410 in the near future until I can get my back healed up. This photo does a great job of highlighting the "black and tan" effect found on the two distinctly different pieces of wood:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/12_zpsi1lti1b6.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/4_zpsrtusizxn.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/5_zpsqq8burn9.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/6_zpswumbgm2t.jpg
Speaking of dogs, I was thinking of the best woodcock dog I ever owned while I was out there. Moving slow and resting a lot gives your mind time to wander back to things like this. He was one of those setters that seemed to do pretty well on quail and would find the occasional grouse, but his unorthodox reaction to finding woodcock was a sight to see. Now, I've never had what you'd call a -good- woodcock dog, but this fellow did just fine once I realized how to read him. He tended to hunt very close and one day he was working the edge of a thicket and froze up, but just for an instant. He then turned and loped about ten feet away and then resumed hunting. I just happened to be looking in the area of where he'd been looking when he had locked up and had my eyes almost exactly upon the woodcock when it stood up, took three or four steps, and then sat back down in the leaves. I didn't really know what to think about what had just happened, but I was pretty sure the dog saw the woodcock, raw instinct locked him up momentarily, and he'd then veered intentionally off in another direction.
I flushed the 'cock and successfully shot him, which is when the real comedy began. The dog clearly saw what just happened and saw the bird go down but when I told him to fetch, he looked at me like I had two heads. After much pleading and urging, he finally went over near the bird and sat down, looking away. I kept trying to draw his attention to the bird and when he would inadvertently follow my fingers down to the bird, he would look sharply away once again. When he did make eye contact with me during this exercise (and every time afterward that we had a woodcock down) it was with a facial expression one might associate with "Why are you doing this to me?" or "I thought we were friends..." On future hunts, he reached a point where he would go sit near a downed bird, but it always seemed with great reservation and disgust. If I shot two over him in the same day we were done, or more correctly, he was. He had no further use for me or being afield with someone who would so willingly embarrass us by shooting a brace of woodcock. I do miss that old dog...
These photos are from the second area I "hunted" or more appropriately, limped and tottered through while carrying a loaded shotgun. This area features a horse trail that can be counted on to produce, as the near-constant cultivation from the hooves keeps the soil loose and moist. It's been so dry lately that most soil around here would resist a 16d nail driven with a claw hammer, much less a woodcock's beak, so this area was on the short list of places to visit.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/7_zpsientgjuz.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/8_zpsawrc8kym.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/9_zps6asy3di5.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/10_zpsrwdmbpay.jpg
I may have mentioned Indiana's suspension of grouse season this year as a result of unproductive "roadside drumming surveys" that failed to indicate any birds in the state, which you can read about here: http://www.ruffedgrousesociety.org/Season%20Forecasts%202015#.ViK3wNKrRdg I was lucky enough to see two of the "extinct" birds on this trip. One flew across the road, lighting momentarily on a branch not thirty yards away before flying off into the woods. This was along a gravel road, which I was driving slowly and got a good look at him. The second exploded out of a ditch as I was crossing a high saddle. Scared the crap out of me, as the window was down and he flushed about five feet from my face as the truck rolled slowly by. He came almost straight up and then banked left, sailing off into the deep valley below. I felt very fortunate to have seen not one but TWO of these fellows, although it was entirely coincidence.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/11_zpski8qcrww.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/14_zpsbyuioqk5.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/13_zpslxbcahno.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/15_zpsf2ukmke4.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/16_zpsv7sx3uwn.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/17_zpsznnhlb2b.jpg
I saw close to dozen squirrels on up in the morning but by that time, my back was hurting enough that I had no interest in going over and picking them up, much less skinning them. I watched them go about their squirrel business while thinking, "Next time..." Never fired a shot but it sure made the Parker easy to clean, and I had a great time seeing the forest taking on its autumnal colors!
I started the day near a small lake that has produced for me in the past. There are several coverts in this area and most are easily accessible, which is a major concern in my current condition. Saw several instances of chalk in the likely areas. I heard one bird flush from cover behind me, but didn't even try spinning to get a shot. One flushed in front of me a little while later, but the cover he was heading into was so thick that I had no interest in trying to recover him, so just watched as that crazy, tumbling flight unfolded. Some photos of the area:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/1_zpsuuo4smd4.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/2_zpscmfavuxs.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/3_zpspuxz7uvr.jpg
I brought the sixteen along, but even its light weight got to be a burden on up in the morning. I'll probably have to carry my .410 in the near future until I can get my back healed up. This photo does a great job of highlighting the "black and tan" effect found on the two distinctly different pieces of wood:
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/12_zpsi1lti1b6.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/4_zpsrtusizxn.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/5_zpsqq8burn9.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/6_zpswumbgm2t.jpg
Speaking of dogs, I was thinking of the best woodcock dog I ever owned while I was out there. Moving slow and resting a lot gives your mind time to wander back to things like this. He was one of those setters that seemed to do pretty well on quail and would find the occasional grouse, but his unorthodox reaction to finding woodcock was a sight to see. Now, I've never had what you'd call a -good- woodcock dog, but this fellow did just fine once I realized how to read him. He tended to hunt very close and one day he was working the edge of a thicket and froze up, but just for an instant. He then turned and loped about ten feet away and then resumed hunting. I just happened to be looking in the area of where he'd been looking when he had locked up and had my eyes almost exactly upon the woodcock when it stood up, took three or four steps, and then sat back down in the leaves. I didn't really know what to think about what had just happened, but I was pretty sure the dog saw the woodcock, raw instinct locked him up momentarily, and he'd then veered intentionally off in another direction.
I flushed the 'cock and successfully shot him, which is when the real comedy began. The dog clearly saw what just happened and saw the bird go down but when I told him to fetch, he looked at me like I had two heads. After much pleading and urging, he finally went over near the bird and sat down, looking away. I kept trying to draw his attention to the bird and when he would inadvertently follow my fingers down to the bird, he would look sharply away once again. When he did make eye contact with me during this exercise (and every time afterward that we had a woodcock down) it was with a facial expression one might associate with "Why are you doing this to me?" or "I thought we were friends..." On future hunts, he reached a point where he would go sit near a downed bird, but it always seemed with great reservation and disgust. If I shot two over him in the same day we were done, or more correctly, he was. He had no further use for me or being afield with someone who would so willingly embarrass us by shooting a brace of woodcock. I do miss that old dog...
These photos are from the second area I "hunted" or more appropriately, limped and tottered through while carrying a loaded shotgun. This area features a horse trail that can be counted on to produce, as the near-constant cultivation from the hooves keeps the soil loose and moist. It's been so dry lately that most soil around here would resist a 16d nail driven with a claw hammer, much less a woodcock's beak, so this area was on the short list of places to visit.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/7_zpsientgjuz.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/8_zpsawrc8kym.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/9_zps6asy3di5.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/10_zpsrwdmbpay.jpg
I may have mentioned Indiana's suspension of grouse season this year as a result of unproductive "roadside drumming surveys" that failed to indicate any birds in the state, which you can read about here: http://www.ruffedgrousesociety.org/Season%20Forecasts%202015#.ViK3wNKrRdg I was lucky enough to see two of the "extinct" birds on this trip. One flew across the road, lighting momentarily on a branch not thirty yards away before flying off into the woods. This was along a gravel road, which I was driving slowly and got a good look at him. The second exploded out of a ditch as I was crossing a high saddle. Scared the crap out of me, as the window was down and he flushed about five feet from my face as the truck rolled slowly by. He came almost straight up and then banked left, sailing off into the deep valley below. I felt very fortunate to have seen not one but TWO of these fellows, although it was entirely coincidence.
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/11_zpski8qcrww.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/14_zpsbyuioqk5.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/13_zpslxbcahno.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/15_zpsf2ukmke4.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/16_zpsv7sx3uwn.jpg
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq51/ghostdncr/Parker/Woodcock%2010_16_15/17_zpsznnhlb2b.jpg
I saw close to dozen squirrels on up in the morning but by that time, my back was hurting enough that I had no interest in going over and picking them up, much less skinning them. I watched them go about their squirrel business while thinking, "Next time..." Never fired a shot but it sure made the Parker easy to clean, and I had a great time seeing the forest taking on its autumnal colors!