Scouting Woodcock - No Joy

[Kevin McCormack]

Decided to take a walkabout this afternoon to one of my longtime favorite local Woodcock covers; not large but usually holds a bird or two this late in our (abnormally mild this year) season. No Timberdoodles but a number of brightly- colored and cheerful songbirds. No dog with me so could have walked over a few but based on past experiences unlikely. Weather is so mild I'm sure they are still here. Special ops in other covers due by week's end, so we'll see.

[Mills]

We went Sunday down here. Found two birds but did not get a shot

[tom tutwiler]

Kevin, this is the worst Woodcock year in our area since 2018. That pre Christmas cold snap where highs were in the teens just moved them out IMO. I went hunting on Wed with folks and we had 3 dogs down. In a bit less then 3 hours we moved zero birds. This was in the Piedmont area of Va. They aren't here this year.

PS. I killed 4 birds this year. I usually kill a good bit more. I know one fellow who last year killed over 50 birds in total and he killed 6 I believe this year. Hope its just a freak year and that it doesn't have something to do with the general population.

[Marty K.]

The decline of the Woodcock population in the North East has been noted by many sportsman I have spoken with over the last few years. I personally, like many members, love to hunt them. It is very concerning to me to know that someone out there needs or feels they have a right to kill 50 or so of these wonderful birds. I certainly hope that others here feel the same. I am sorry but this just hit a nerve and felt I had to say something.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Marty Kohler

The decline of the Woodcock population in the North East has been noted by many sportsman I have spoken with over the last few years. I personally, like many members, love to hunt them. It is very concerning to me to know that someone out there needs or feels they have a right to kill 50 or so of these wonderful birds. I certainly hope that others here feel the same. I am sorry but this just hit a nerve and felt I had to say something.

I agree completely with you Marty and unfortunately it's more than just woodcock too...





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[Woodcock survey]

The decline has been going on slowly and steadily for the 38 years i have hunted them. I have spent 35 years hunting them in the same area in Maine. In the beginning my 2 sons and i would be close to a limit by 9 am. ( 5) and sometimes finish it while grouse hunting.
Today in an all day hunt it is rare to have any one of us get 3. A woodcock is a very accommodating bird, he will give you a second chance and maybe a third. Today we will not take the third and sometimes not the second.
When you consider that in Canada the season starts in September and they are legal along their migration route until at least the end of January or longer what other game bird has a 5 month open season. Yes migratory waterfowl do and how are they doing?

The last 2 years we have found more birds early season which has led us to believe they are resident birds in that they are all juveniles. The flight has been later and very thin if at all.

I am concerned to the point of reconsidering if i should take any at all but at 77 that decision is going to be made for me soon.

[tom tutwiler]

The fellow who killed 50 pretty much only hunts Woodcock and he hunted them in at least 4 states last year. He eats them all and never shoots a limit of 3. Probably hunted at least 30 days last year in those 4 states. None of those birds go to waste.

He only hunts public land and trust me, he earns them and both he and his dog have the war wounds to show for it. Folks this is a good fellow who puts a lot into the upland sport. He carries a sxs and takes folks who have no dog hunting with him to introduce them to the uplands and bird dogs. One of the least selfish folks I know of.

[Marty K.]

Hello Tom....
The fella you describe sounds like a very accomplished, good shooting, dog loving guy. I really do understand the love and desire to hunt them but 4 states or not I just wouldn’t feel right killing that many .....my desire would be satisfied with quite a few less...but that’s just me. I love to see them year round and I just don’t anymore and that is just to bad.
There used to be flocks of turkey in many fields within 100 miles of me but no more. I am sure its complicated as to why but at first it was one turkey a season then two, then two in two days. Now they are a rare sighting.
Our state has continued issuing multiple permits to deer hunters. Many guys shoot 4-6 deer. I know they love venison but now the sightings and the hunting isn’t what it used to be. That bothers me but I seem to be in the minority these days. Everyone seems to be out to get theirs.
My son and I used to love to go out trout fishing in our local streams and would always catch 4-6 12’’- 16” trout and release them. Do I like to eat fresh trout you bet I do. About 3 or 4 years ago I found out about 3 guys who would go and catch and kill their limit for days and put them in their freezer. They didn’t go to waste but now try to catch a trout in these beautiful streams.
There our guys in our area that duck hunt as I do and actually count and brag about how many they killed. One young guy was talking about 572 ducks he killed this year. I am sorry but I just don’t understand this. I would hope they will mature in time for there to be hunt able populations of anything. Please just my 2 cents. Believe me I have killed my share of game. Enjoy your time afield!

[tom tutwiler]

Marty, I agree with you and there will be no turn around in our lifetimes. 20 years ago a hunter in Va had it pretty good. Fairly abundant Grouse in your National Forests and Quail if one looked long enough. For whatever reason (and there's a lot of different takes on the subject), those two species have faded away to virtually unhuntable numbers. I took my last Va Grouse probably 5 years ago now. This year I have been out twice and not heard a bird. This is with a pretty decent educated setter who has produced birds for me in the upper Midwest. I've shot exactly two wild Virginia Bobwhites over that dog since she was a puppy and she's now 8. Even those two birds I felt a bit guilty about. Public land birds and well earned and I believe you have to reward the dog for a job well done.

Regarding Woodcock, the reality is the birds are declining for sure. However, most bird hunters around here hunt public land and most Woodcock aren't on public land because there is so little of it. Therefore most Woodcock aren't subject to hunting pressure because they don't encounter that pressure for the most part. Certainly there are exceptions, but the decline in Woodcock populations aren't due to hunting pressure IMO. There is another bigger factor in play. Not sure what that is and I don't believe the biologists know either.

Sadly, if a hunter up in their years wants to hunt wild birds in the South East US the only bird out there is indeed the Woodcock. My 67 year old legs can't climb the mountains around here for the most part and there's not much point anyway. I call it an armed walk and that's not bad. At some point that will be good enough, but I live for walking in on a solid bird dog screwed into the ground, sucking that bird scent in.

IMO, most younger hunters aren't going to go out and walk for 2 or 3 hours with the hopes of shooting a bird or two. They are going to go to a preserve and pluck down a pile of money and break out their black guns with the heaviest loads imaginable and have at it. Just the reality of today's bird hunting world in the SE United States.

I have very little desire to go to shooting preserves, because its not much fun for me and its only slightly more fun for the dog. I recall more then a few years ago a buddy who had two French Brits (both gone now) who had hunted quite a bit on wild birds. He took them to a shooting preserve to hunt planted Quail. First dog went out and locked up on the bird scent and then creeped in and lifted its leg and took a piss right on the planted Quail.

Anyway, interesting topic indeed. FWIW, the last day of Va Woodcock season is right around the corner. I'll get out at least one more time with Sophie, mostly just to take it all in. As the old saying goes, tomorrow is never promised.

[edgarspencer]

Everything said above about Woodcock, sums up how I feel about Grouse. No irony at all, but the day, last fall, that I thought there may be something to this little bird, was the day I turned 75. I was walking the edges, as my daughter and our guide worked the thick. I got to see her take her first ever woodcock, and her first ever grouse. If there is a way to quantify pure joy, that day trumped my best day for actual kills. To me, a nice day walking the woods with a nice gun, getting that rush when a bird flushes, and being there to see my daughter doing what her father and grandfather loved, is a pretty fine day.