How does one know this?

Get in good cover with a good dog. And, maintain communication with other like minded dog people. Especially setter folks.

The reason I really asked Gary was we’ve had nothing but solid rain here on NY PA border for 48 hours and I don’t know anyone who’s been out since Saturday. Today looks dandy but I have a four letter word to do: work

The rain eased up enough Sunday afternoon for a quick dog run. Moved six woodecock in a 1 acre patch within 100 yards of my house. As soon as I got back inside the phone range and a good friend said he encountered the same at his house. He hunted Monday afternoon and moved 7 wc and 1 grouse in an hour.

I will confirm this aftternoon as I plan to run a good wc cover.

Work, that is a dirty word this time if year!!

Well I guess they must have bypassed my VT coverts, or when they fell into them I must have been at home. I was at home in Mass on the 23rd through the 26th and then yesterday and today...BUMMER!!

The best woodcock flight I've ever encountered was a decade ago when Dave and Danny Suponski came up from CT to hunt with me and we moved 14 woodcock in 15 or 20 minutes and several grouse too. And that was before I had Gracie, and I fear I may never again have such an experience...
We moved a ton of birds that weekend!





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I'm back home in SC after a great few weeks in NH. I can't wait for Dec 18th when the woodcock season opens here. Of course being new down here I'm like a Martian on Venus and have not figured out the flights or their preferred covert yet. But I do run into them here while the dogs hunt for quail and have been lucky to take a couple. Find them in the damndest places...

“Woodcock are where you find them.” is an old Yankee mantra. ☺️





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