Woodcock Hunt

Going on my 1st woodcock hunt tomorrow. Any suggestions?

Shoot straight! Good luck

Watch for deer hunters

Wait till they "top out" on their flight. Best chance for a good shot. I am going this week too.

Good luck!

Warning is probably late if he was hunting public forest land. He posted yesterday going today. I bet there were a bunch of deer hunters too as there traditionally are on weekends each side of Christmas. It might have been difficult avoiding them.

Looking forward to a report.

Too early for my pocket of woodcock out west. When they are on my lease or have been there I always see the holes from them feeding poked in the moist sandy ground along the wheat field edges up against our thick creek bottom woods. No holes seen and the dog found no birds.

Skipped the Woodcock hunt today. Got a late start to working the dogs on Quail. Glad based on the number of deer hunters that must have been out. Look forward to trying it in the upcoming week.

Interesting. Photo would be nice if/when you get a chance.

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You have to be kidding. Well, I guess not. I posted a picture of a quail roost on here and some people didn't know what it was.

You have to be kidding. Well, I guess not. I posted a picture of a quail roost on here and some people didn't know what it was. [/quote

Being a smart a$$, how do you distinguish the Woodcock holes from the Mileormore bird holes? LOL

Woodcock holes have a woodcock standing over them.

Tracking and reading animal sign must be a lost art today. Only an indian could do something like that. Good thing I am part Indian.

I hope this comment made you feel good. But I suspect you lost credibility with most of us who read it.

That's what bird dogs are for

Did younger Indians learn by receiving guidance from experienced elders?
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Even the boy scouts deemed reading animal sign not important having discontinued the tracking merit badge in the 1950s. And I understand most birdmen not knowing much about the bird being that woodcock are region specific, but I am surprised Bill has not seen woodcock probe or drill holes before considering his bird hunting experience and living within a half day of the biggest winter concentration of woodcock.

Though I don't hunt woodcock very often, collectively over 30 years I have probably done more of it than most people. I once had a runt walker hound that I trained as a flushing dog for daytime quail in grayson county and had used her for woodcock on a lease near Waskom. At the lease we burned off a small field in our woods and planted a foodplot. At night we could walk the edge of that field and walk up on feeding woodcock that you almost had to kick to make fly. Made me wonder if 100 years ago there may have been some truth to the "snipe hunt" as it would have been easy to club and sack a few of them under the flashlight. During the day you could see large areas of the holes left behind from feeding and a few small splashes of white. It is very distinctive if you have ever seen it. But I have found these areas are usually nighttime feeding areas. The birds will not be there during the day, but right at dark you will see birds flying into the field edge. Back when I hunted with that walker hound near the Louisiana line years ago and on the wheat field edge on my young county lease more recently, if the feeding holes are there, the birds are probably in the area nearby somewhere in the thick woods. Though I don't have pictures, fortunately several people have put them online. A simple search had these at the top.

http://www.talltimberadventures.com/tall-timber-grouse-hunting-blog/files/tag-woodcock.php
"The woodcock that we've encountered have mostly been in close proximity of each other, in appropriate cover for them. Today I was able to take this picture of woodcock drillings in a freshly created woods road that was pretty muddy and hadn't set up much yet. Apparently they must have liked it, because there was lots of splash and a lot of these drillings around. And what of the woodcock, you may ask? We never saw one, so they must have only been using this area exclusively for feeding."


This sight has some really cool pictures of woodcock actively feeding. The ground is very similar to the field edge I posted about in my original post.
http://www.birdingisfun.com/2012/07/photographing-american-woodcocks-and.html


Another picture of woodcock drill holes
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Scolopax_minor/pictures/


Here is a really good picture. When you see large groups of these in a feeding area, it is obvious woodcock have been there.
http://www.braquepyrenees.com/season.htm


And more
http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo248906.htm



http://eataweed.blogspot.com/p/previous-forays-photos-plants-and.html
"Look closely and see if you can interpret the forager that left its sign behind. This animal specializes in listening to underground movements under moist soil. It bobs its body to-and-fro to try and get the earthworms to move, then it sticks its beak into the soil and listens, for its ears are in between it's eye and beak!! With forcep-like pincers on the end of its long bill, it can pinch and pull at the earthworms which compose up to 90% of it's diet. Can you see the footprints and the holes made by it's underground beak probing? "

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Thanks for the informative reply. We're happy Mohicans (or in my case, Choctaw/Creek) now.

Plenty of things are simple and obvious . . . once a body knows.

Where I've jumped woodcocks has tended to have leaf litter or pine straw, so the worm-bobbing dodos are covering their tracks in those environments.

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swellcat,
Though they do probe for earthworms and whatever else in the leaf litter and pine straw, the feeding they do in the fields and meadows is nocturnal when they do most of their feeding. I think that has a lot to do with the flights everyone sees just before dusk.

Well I finally got to go on the Woodcock hunt today. My wife has been teasing the dog that I was taking him on a "Snipe Hunt" and that he should take a pillow case and stick. Turns out that would have been more productive. We cover 10 miles (circled back many times) without even hint of a Woodcock. On a positive note had a great time with a new hunting buddy and his dog. My dog is now crashed on the couch awaiting the next preserve hunt.

I went today at my place too. 2 1/2 hours of following my GSP Jenny-she was really working hard and well. Just no birds to be found. At one of the final spots she locked on point and a beautiful big woodcock flushed. Of course, I missed him.
Here is Jenny's "My Daddy can't hit the broadside of a barn" look:

Shock. Awe. Rust. Evasive aerial maneuvers. Woodcock are uncanny about putting trees between them and you.

Jenny is pretty. I'd like to borrow her for a little visit to Deep-East Texas.

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Thank you. Yes all of the above. I honestly felt like I let her down. But a few snacks and swim in the pond brought her back around. Here she is last year in happier times when I actually hit one.

Hunted woodcock every day since A week ago Sunday solely on National Forest. Have a 2 yr old Vizsla. Limits every day and ate em bacon wrapped every night. Hunted about 1.5 to 2 hrs each hunt, 6 to 8 points per hunt. I purposely targeted areas w a lot do yaupon holly. After the 1st 4 days I started hunting unfamiliar areas that just had some new growth pines and yaupon holly. Birds every time.
Dogs getting good. I was in east texas bordering Louisiana
Walked out to my jeep this morning and flushed one sitting on the driveway 2 feet behind the jeep. Go figure.

Some of our 9 days of fun!

You the man MBK.

That's great!

Thanks for the report. Sounds like you got your forty-eight dollars' worth.

Not so many deer hunters that you couldn't work around them, I take it.

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NF is free-no permit required unless you hunt within a WMA.

There is not permit required and deer hunters haven't been a problem. I usually hunt woodcock at 10:00 am or 2:00 pm. They feed at night and roost all day long. Dogs find them on roost, on the ground under yaupon holly thickets. Deer hunters are not an issue,
Even during deer season, if I come off deer stand late morning, I hunt woodcock and go back to deer in the evening. This year I put in about 30 hrs on the deer stand and got a good 8 pt at 1:20 pm. Then got the dog and hunted birds.

Unfortunately topping out on the birds I flush is about head high. I just have to hope they're going straight away.

Few more birds today Jenny worked well. Managed to scratch down a couple. Got another but he hung in the fork of a tree.
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy79/...zpsdluumssr.jpg

Don't know why the pic won't show and have to click link. Must be an iPhone thing.

Had a great day today. Jenny is learning to hold her points. Wind really blowing so scenting was hard for her I know. She found four, but I only got shots at three. Probably the only time in my life I'll go 3 for 3.

Looks like a good time

Great picture NP.

Thank you Mr. Bill. I am very late to the game (almost 50) but I am sure beginning to understand you guys' love for bird dogs/bird hunting.

I had several fly right by me while I waited on Joshua. Born and raised here and never seen them. Of course, I never was looking either. Wonder if they are just passing through? I might try and get one.

Honestly, I would jump one in the woods every once in a while and wonder what in the heck it was. Plus see/hear them fly out to the fields at dark. Always thought they were snipe.Happened to read an article on them a few years back. Then the light came on. So I got Jenny 2 1/2 yrs ago from Kobeer with hopes of hunting them. She has almost no training but is learning fast just as we hunt. I honestly feel she turned a big corner this year because she has 1)learned exactly what we are after/doing and consequently 2)is holding her points MUCH better. This is wonderful. I could not find the birds without her and could not find them when they are down without her either. (She often simply can't see where they go down so I have to take her to the area-she has learned to start searching that area when I say "Find the bird Jenny!")

Bottom line: I am enjoying it as much as anything I have ever done.

If you see the birds flying out at dusk they are in the woods by day. So you have them. They are migratory so they come and go in waves but there are usually some around this time of year.

this is a great thread!
thanks!

It was right at end of LST. I was sitting in the ranger waiting on Josh to walk out. They came out of the pines and flew across the meadow. Next weekend I might walk the pines and see. Yall got me interested.

If you have a dog of any kind that will go in the woods with you I would take them. You might be surprised.

Walked 10.3 miles (in circles I am sure) and did not find one. I am thinking I need to go farther east. Any suggestions?

This was yesterday evening... First woodcock hunt of the year!

^^^^^Great!!!^^^^^

Where are you located? The Ruffed Grouse Society has a link on their website on the woodcock migration in real time.

Well on day two, we killed 2 more woodcock... Yesterday Zeke just flushed them... Today we got 4 solid points and he allowed me to flush them! I'm extremely proud of him considering this was his first true hunting experience outside of training! He hunted some of the toughest terrain I have ever been through and was able to put it all together! If only dad (me) was a better woodcock hunter! Yesterday was my first ever woodcock hunt as well! A learning experience that has paid off for both of us! It just feels good when it all starts to come together! Zeke is my first dog to ever train, so I am as proud of myself as I am of him! Of course natural ability is something you can't train into them, so I take very little credit!

Zeke is a handsome boy. It is so fun to watch them learn.

I need to check that out. Talked to a old fella at church this am and he said he and my grandfather hunted them in the 30's and 40's along with quail right there on my families home place. Josh and I will be walking next weekend. I don't have anything but a lab for ducks, but will take her and hope to get lucky.

You have them for sure so no problem there. If nothing else, your lab covers more ground than you ever could so if she will hang pretty close that is a huge help no matter what. In her first year that was basically Jenny's role. She chased/flushed all birds just having fun. We killed a few that way. Whenever I would shoot a woodcock I would use it to train her.

Thanks NP... Zeke was pretty banged up and tired by the time I got to take the picture, so you can see the look of "Do I really have to do this right now?" in his body language!

Good luck!

Found them again this morning with a couple of buddies!!!

You the man.

It's a lot of fun, but a bit much for my young dog! Ready for next year! We have a Kansas pheasant and quail hunt planned... I want to see him work wild birds in wide open country instead of the briars and thicket! Still a lot to learn until then though!

Headed back tomorrow to prep the freezer for the off-season!!

Love it! See you added a "swamp rabbit" to the bag too.

My two favorite things under God and Family are Hunting and Dogs! And anytime I can combine the two, I'm in heaven on earth!

Added one more "swamp rabbit" to the bag and finished out our three man limit of woodcock shortly after!!

Thanks NP!!

Jenny and I went on a quick hunt this afternoon. Her work was a little rough around the edges but she still got the job done.

@Nogalus Prairie

How thick is the area that you hunt?

We have to hunt brush that is extremely thick! And loaded with chainsaw briars... Only place we can find them! Had a rough go at it Sunday too! Think it was too hot and the scent had burned away!

Was worried that they had left until I saw your last post!

There are of course some VERY thick areas. But these are surrounded by more open areas (drainages,cutover areas, etc.). I stay out of the thick stuff as much as possible. Interestingly, by hook or crook, Jenny has learned to work these areas from the outside and does a "head up" point if she smells a bird in there. She obviously doesn't like them either. She has no problem with yaupon thickets because there are "tunnels" through them.

Just sounds like where I hunt is a little more open.

Growing up as a kid in Louisiana, we found a woodcock roost that we would hunt about every other week. No walking, just waiting for them to come in, and still hard as hell to hit. Man that was some good times.

Hitting them over a dog is weird thing. There are two types of shots: 1)the "quick" shot as they blast out that is pure instinct and 2)the "patient" shot where you wait on them to get up and line out wherever they are going.

I have never been a shotgunner and have no idea what I am doing but am doing OK so far. I would not shoot skeet or try to practice right now for anything as I am convinced it would totally mess me up.

ksnow I was real worried the big freeze had driven the all down to the Gulf coast too. They were pretty few and far between so I am still concerned it had an effect. Woodcock guru Dr. Whiting (emeritus SFASU professor) says we have good numbers of resident birds/breeding pairs in east TX. I wonder if the few I am seeing now are in that category. IDK. This is not fully studied or universally accepted. I plan on running my dog in the Spring some to test this theory.

Dang that looks like fun.

Personally I think birds and skeet are different, the birds are accelerating and the clay targets are slowing down. The birds may be rising while the clays are dropping.
I wish I was a better shotgunner, Last year I did pretty good on doves, we kept score and I'd be 2nd or 3rd out of about 20 but this year I just didn't get out that much nor did I do that well. In any event, for me, it is a "ZEN" thing. If I "just do it" looking at the bird- I'll get a hit. When I screw up is when I think about the shot. One good thing about doves is you get in a lot of shooting. They taste pretty good too.

I agree. I have never been much of a shotgunner but am hitting my fair share (most of them actually). But I couldn't tell you a thing I am consciously doing to save my soul. Plus it all may change tomorrow.

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Even a blind sow finds an acorn every now and then.


Dogless on the Davy Crockett National Forest - 17 January 2014

Speaking of acorns, why was the bird on a relatively open, oak-dominated slope? My uninformed guess is that the acorn-rooters had tilled up the soil and pushed the leaf litter around enough to make the area more accessible to worms and woodcocks. The bird had moist earth up to his nostrils, so he'd been feeding.

Last few minutes of the hunt, and the weary, hungry hunter—having had zero flushes across two days of trekking—was daydreaming of a cheeseburger and cradling the gun in his nondominant arm when the forest gods smiled with an unexpected bird. Wake up, Little Susie!



The beautiful feathers will be saved and used for fly-tying, and after some aging, the meat may get beer-braised in mushrooms, butter, and fresh sage or thyme and using a just-discovered, intense, dark brew called Lobo Negro, a German dunkel with a Spanish name . . . which seems pretty appropriate for a Texas beer. Complementary earthy flavours are the idea since woodcocks are worm-eaters . . . and it's hard to get earthier than that.
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^^^^ Congratulations!!!!! I am so glad your perseverance paid off! As for him being on an open slope, who knows? Some days I find most of the birds on open drainages and some days only in the thick stuff a rabbit couldn't go through. Most days it is just a mix of everything with no discernible rhyme or reason. I have only recently discovered my birds like a particular stumpy-as-heck cutover area I had never even thought of hunting. Jenny found one in such an area on the way out, and I have since found several.

They are really in the DCNF as we speak. I am at my place doing other things this weekend. But they are flying in/out of the forest at dawn and dusk in great numbers. You can also hear their mating calls and flights at dawn and dusk all over.

Looks like we pup and I going to have to make a trip down this week....

Guys,
That looks like a ton of fun. I'm a squirrel hunter myself, but I may have to give this a try some time.

This is a long thread. I haven't seen a woodcock since last January; but hopefully I will this week. DCNF is a pretty big place, BTW.

Wrapped up several reports at work so headed to the farm yesterday. It was a perfect day all around.

Two hours' work for Miss Jenny (would have been one if her master could shoot better):

Plus a great supper when I got home:

I was curious if there are many in the LBJ grass lands others wise I will have to pull of EAST Texas hunt. Would be fun to get my pup on some of these before the end of season...

Any north east Texas locations that are open to public?

From what I have read they are few and far between outside the east TX pineywoods. Others will know more than me though. I live in Corsicana and did have a buddy tell me he used to hunt them when he would see them coming through on his place, but he said they only came through for a few days sporadically.

So that's what always flying all over the pasture... look like long nosed field larks...

There is a lot of Corp. land and a pretty big WMA on Lake Wright Patman! And I'm sure it has tons of them on it!

Many thanks to Conor Harrison of "Lone Star Outdoor News" for the article featuring Jenny's and my woodcock hunting exploits. More than a little embarrassed he chose a rookie like me to interview but proud of the exposure for Jenny (who deserves all the credit anyway). The article is at pp. 4-5 as you scroll through the current issue. LSON is a great publication for Texas hunters.

http://issuu.com/lsoneditor/docs/jan2414

Neat. The forums get more exposure than I realized

Saw a woodcock on my place in a little marshy area yesterday. Beautiful bird.

I walked the Memorial park arboretum in Houston yesterday with my boykin, the office was closed so I let him off leash. He flushed 5 woodcock within a small area, I could of had shots at 3 of them and one was a big chukar size. Got me thinking I need to get out after some before the season is out. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I was thinking about Sam Houston National Forest but it's a pretty big area. Anyone care to join on Friday morning?

Celebrity.

What are you doing with the legs? They are white(r) and remind me very much of quail.

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Sometimes I eat them. Sometimes I don't. Just depends on whether I fully clean or just breast them out. Ain't much to the legs. But you are correct, they are white meat. So my statement was not accurate.

Last hurrah. Hard hunting, poor shooting, but Jenny kept giving me chances. So I finally scratched out a last day limit. It's gonna be a long wait till next year.....