Hunting Question
- This topic has 13 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated Oct 3, 2012 at 11:59 am by
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They are migratory but occur in GA year round. We’re sandwhiched between their breeding and winter ranges. Apparently small flocks of a few or handful of birds are common during the fall migration. They move south over a pretty long period, moving at night in a series of short, low-flying hops between likely layover habitat. You probably stumbled across a place where a group holed up for the day. I get this information mostly from Birds of North America Online, which is an excellent subscription service with a large library of bird literature.
Seven is a lot by my standards. I jump a few in the spring and count it a big day to see 2 or 3. I generally spot them in river bottoms. I can’t help you with hunting them. I know one person that hunts them and I get the impression it is essentially a labor of love in GA (not unlike grouse hunting, though maybe not quite as bad). They are small, aren’t especially common, and fly fast and low through dense cover. It’s a good outcome to shoot a few in a season, I think.
G
Zach — Glad to hear you’ve got some new country to explore.
Woodcock are migratry; I’m not sure what time they typically show up in GA, but in TX it’s around mid November. Snipe start showing up about one month before the woodcock.
I agree with Grant. I have a French Brittany and he definitely treats woodcock different than other game birds. He will occasionally point them, but not always. This is not the case with any other game bird. Many dogs do not like to retrieve them; I don’t know if it’s the scent or the small feathers that are on the bird that get in their mouth. It is very hard to find a downed bird without a dog.
If you can get a clear shot at a woodcock, they are pretty easy to hit. They don’t fly that fast. However, they do live in thick cover so a clear shot doesn’t always happen. However, if you don’t hit the bird, mark it closely. Bogsuckers rarely fly far and you can easily find them again.
Piggybacking on what John said, it issss possible you flushed some of the same birds twice, they don’t generally fly far at all.
I have a friend who owns a kennel for Ryman setters. They point woodcock and grouse very well, so I’m betting your setter pup will do fine. I don’t hunt woodcock myself as I don’t like the taste, and I’m told that a lot of dogs won’t retrieve them because of the smell/taste.
Folks up north here love to hunt them since the hold so well for a pointing dog versus a grouse or pheasant.
Zach,
My guess for the Woodcock being so far south, so early is the draught in the mid west and upper midwest.
Its been my experience that woodcock tend to prefer moist bottom land, not swamps, but just soil wet enough for them to probe with their beaks for food.
I recently moved from West Central Indiana, and we would have wood cock much of the spring and summer, if it was wet enough. On the dryer years, they would go elsewhere.
Before I moved to south Florida in August, I only mowed my grass one time in 11 weeks, if that tells you how dry it was in central Indiana.
No rain worries in Jupiter though– 😉
Zach,
Up here in Ohio, and PA, you’ll find woodcock in the areas the others have mentioned. However, I’ll add that if you find alder stands and/or black willow stands in short grass areas you should have some luck. Though, I don’t know that Alders are found in GA much. Both of those species prefer ‘wet feet’. The woodcock’s major food source is earthworms, hence the wet areas. They’re actually a shorebird that’s adapted to living in the woods. They can also flex just the tip of their bills to capture earthworms in the ground. Female bills are longer than males. Also, the first 3 primary wing feathers on the males are very thin compared to the females. This is what makes the “whistle” noise when they fly during their mating ritual.In the spring, I hear them singing, actually ‘peenting’ (google it if you’ve never heard) in old fields that have some early successional species growing. Unfortunately a lot of that is invasives like autumn olive and honeysuckle, but a few areas of less than 15 year old stands of trees yields the most.
I don’t hunt them much; as mentioned the taste is not so desireable. However, when pheasant hunting in certain areas the woodcock are not far away. I usually take along my favorite little shotgun; my old Beretta Silver Snipe. I use a 20ga. with #6 shot. Generally because, as mentioned earlier, those alder thickets and willows can be tough to get a very clear shot. It lays down the pheasants, and the woodcocks but doesn’t beat them up too badly, if they’re not terribly close.
Woodcocks are some awesome birds. I’ll watch them for literally hours in the spring doing their mating dance, getting only a few feet away from one.
Good luck, but don’t kill all our birds ok? ha!
-ABAndrew,
Woodcock over quail, grouse, or pheasant? Do tell. I may take a couple this year during pheasant season.E,
OH is going pretty good. May be out to PA not this week but next. Probably sloshing around Venango county…i’ll shoot you a PM
Andrew,
Woodcock over quail, grouse, or pheasant? Do tell.I’ve eaten tons of woodcock and ruffed grouse because that’s my father’s passion (killing them and cooking) and I prefer the woodcock.
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